In my work as the Chair of Permaculture International Ltd, active engagement in global and local change maker communities and experience as a professional transformational steward for the past 20 years across both “old” and “new” systems, I have the privilege of observing many patterns that relate to the conditions described above. Additionally, I have the opportunity to think deeply and discuss with peers, perspectives on the role of stewardship that the Permaculture International Ltd Board and the movement itself must embrace if it is to fulfil its potential.
I would like to take the opportunity to share these views as a starting point for a more formal discussion forum which we will be co-hosting soon for permaculture leaders around the world and a series of open forums we will be scheduling over the next 12 months.
Permaculture stewardship in a polarised world
The polarisation we see manifesting every day, from a systemic perspective, is an exponential acceleration of BOTH:
the most extreme elements of the incumbent extractive world order designed around principles of dominance of man and separation from nature, and
the proliferation of multiple scales of nested regenerative systems designed around the principles of interconnected earth care, people care and fair share that the Permaculture movement and many others based on the same principles have been quietly designing and implementing over the past 50 years on every continent in the world.
The Western World is not ready for this challenge, not because proven solutions to the problems don’t exist, they do, at every scale, but because the solutions to the problems do not serve the critical requirements for survival for the incumbent system.
The challenge we have as individuals, as citizens, as a community, as leaders and as a movement is to understand how to meet this moment.
“Meeting people where they are” – a framing dilemma
How do we “meet people where they are” when much of the world doesn’t know such solutions are real and are accessible in their own communities and the prevailing narrative prevents the message from being heard?
Some of the answer to this question can be found in sharing the stories of communities, cities and countries that have embraced permaculture design principles alongside their own unique cultures and contexts having either:
already experienced “collapse” through war or environmental exploitation (e.g. Vietnam, Timor Leste, India) or
proactively applied a fully informed context of systemic foresight to design and invest in the ecological, social and infrastructural systems alongside carbon emissions agendas to enable their populations access a liveable future (China, Singapore).
We will be starting to address this education gap this month as we kick off a new section of this newsletter detailing many of the large-scale permaculture design collaborations built on unique local foundations in every instance.
The more challenging aspect will be reclaiming the framing around what it means to create resilient, adaptive and regenerative conditions for life in our own communities in a way that resonates with audiences currently dominated by fear.
So, what’s “framing” got to do with it?
Let’s start by answering a question that we have all asked ourselves at some point as we witness the runaway success of “far right” political parties all over the world.
Q. “Why do the people who will be most harmed by the policies of these parties, so passionately support them?” A. Framing – the “far right” know how to tap into an audience’s deeply held worldviews, emotions, or cultural assumptions. This changes perception without altering the core facts.
Let’s expand this by using statements made above.
The sentence “the challenge we have as individuals, as citizens, as a community, as leaders and as a movement is to understand how to meet this moment” could be interpreted in two ways:
If you innately believe that you are a human being in a deeply interconnected world with a sense of personal responsibility that aligns with this worldview and values system, you will connect with this as a “call to collective action”. (This is the belief system of “progressives” in a political sense)
If you innately believe that it is the responsibility of every individual to fend for themselves in a hostile world and identify with the view that the pursuit of your own individual desires will lead a prosperous society through the “invisible hand”, then you will not feel the pull of the collective call to action. (This is the belief system of the “conservatives” in a political sense)
The concept of a “steward” is a prime example of the power of framing. Regardless of the fact that “stewardship” is and has always been defined in the dictionary and in law as “acting as a caretaker or guardian rather than the absolute owner, prioritising long-term sustainability, accountability, and the well-being of others”, the conservative moral frame is so embedded in our incumbent worldview that most board directors believe they are stewards of short term shareholder returns, political leaders are stewards of the right to hold power and citizens accept this as a truth.
Essentially, the “conservative” worldview is so embedded in our society, and the incumbent players are so skilled at framing the narrative, backed by 50 years of reinforcement through funding of education systems and institutional investment and daily repetition in news, social media and everyday conversation, that facts simply do not matter when used to counter language already hijacked by the moral framing of that worldview.
The belief that “facts will set us free” is simply not true in such a world. It’s why 50 years of “truth telling” and now irrefutable, data backed evidence about climate change, earth degradation, ocean acidification, extreme wealth gaps and poverty statistics etc have not worked to “wake people up”.
How is this relevant to the positioning of Permaculture in this moment of reaching a “tipping point” for the emergence of new systems?
Permaculture and all other related “nature systems centred” movements are led by people who have “progressive” worldviews. People with such worldviews have been busy doing a range of things over the past 30 years:
Focus
Outcomes
Relevance to Permaculture Positioning
REFORMING THE INCUMBENT SYSTEM
Fighting to reform the “old system” with facts, data and truth – believing that the truth will “wake people up”.
Only incremental change was achieved as adoption was only within the boundaries of the incumbent system’s tolerance and with no genuinely systematic lens on inter-related earth and human systems.
This has never been and is certainly not now our “work to do” as Permaculture International Limited. (NB PIL exists to promote the wise utilisation of the ecological, agricultural, horticultural, silvicultural, viticultural, aquacultural, social, residential and economic resources of Australia and elsewhere through education, information dissemination and consultation and through the theoretical and practical application of Permaculture design principles.) The “old system” cannot be reformed and effort spent here is effort not spent elsewhere. This is why we have never done traditional “advocacy” that attempts to “reform” policy.
Trying to convince those with conservative views “using their language” to “meet them where they are” without understanding the moral framing embedded within our culture.
Served to reinforce existing world views – it’s how cognition works (George Lakoff – Don’t Think of an Elephant). One of the key reasons why the most vulnerable are flocking to the far right – vulnerable people feeling abandoned and marginalised resonate with the “fight for yourself” narrative.
The Permaculture movement has tried to do this with the idea of “a revolution disguised as gardening”. Although this has been very successful in some respects, in general, the outcome of this is that most people believe that Permaculture IS gardening, even within the “nature-centric” movements of regeneration and bioregionalism. We need to change the narrative, bring the work of the movement at all scales into view and take our place alongside all other new systems movements.
DESIGNING NEW SYSTEMS – “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller
Western World Lens
Proliferation of permaculture and related work round ethical principles of interconnected earth, people and fair share, primarily as an “alternative” lifestyle choice – now reaching a “tipping point” with the acceleration of the bioregional lens as a context for minimal viable conditions.
The right work for the time for the Permaculture movement over the past 50 years since our birth at the time of the Oil Crisis and the first publishing of Limits to Growth – Donella Meadows. We need to revisit this framing with a fresh narrative at this next Oil Crisis moment having reached the Limits to Growth on our planet as predicted.
Majority World Lens
Significant examples of permaculturists working alongside collapsed communities and countries and proactive nations combining permaculture design principles with unique cultural contexts to rebuild self-sufficiency, and regenerate bioregional landscapes, economies, ecologies and identity.
Much of this work is invisible in the western world for what it is – genuine system change designed around interconnected earth and human systems that enable self-sustaining economies of sufficiency and dignity for all. We must find ways to reframe this work in the minds and hearts of a much broader audience and actively work with majority nations who have already implemented these systems to amplify the message.
REFORMING THE INCUMBENT SYSTEM
Focus
Fighting to reform the “old system” with facts, data and truth – believing that the truth will “wake people up”.
Outcomes
Only incremental change was achieved as adoption was only within the boundaries of the incumbent system’s tolerance and with no genuinely systematic lens on inter-related earth and human systems.
Relevance to Permaculture Positioning
This has never been and is certainly not now our “work to do” as Permaculture International Limited. (NB PIL exists to promote the wise utilisation of the ecological, agricultural, horticultural, silvicultural, viticultural, aquacultural, social, residential and economic resources of Australia and elsewhere through education, information dissemination and consultation and through the theoretical and practical application of Permaculture design principles.) The “old system” cannot be reformed and effort spent here is effort not spent elsewhere. This is why we have never done traditional “advocacy” that attempts to “reform” policy.
Focus
Trying to convince those with conservative views “using their language” to “meet them where they are” without understanding the moral framing embedded within our culture.
Outcomes
Served to reinforce existing world views – it’s how cognition works (George Lakoff – Don’t Think of an Elephant). One of the key reasons why the most vulnerable are flocking to the far right – vulnerable people feeling abandoned and marginalised resonate with the “fight for yourself” narrative.
Relevance to Permaculture Positioning
The Permaculture movement has tried to do this with the idea of “a revolution disguised as gardening”. Although this has been very successful in some respects, in general, the outcome of this is that most people believe that Permaculture IS gardening, even within the “nature-centric” movements of regeneration and bioregionalism. We need to change the narrative, bring the work of the movement at all scales into view and take our place alongside all other new systems movements.
DESIGNING NEW SYSTEMS
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller
Focus
Western World Lens – Proliferation of permaculture and related work round ethical principles of interconnected earth, people and fair share, primarily as an “alternative” lifestyle choice – now reaching a “tipping point” with the acceleration of the bioregional lens as a context for minimal viable conditions.
Relevance to Permaculture Positioning
The right work for the time for the Permaculture movement over the past 50 years since our birth at the time of the Oil Crisis and the first publishing of Limits to Growth – Donella Meadows. We need to revisit this framing with a fresh narrative at this next Oil Crisis moment having reached the Limits to Growth on our planet as predicted.
Focus
Majority World Lens – Significant examples of permaculturists working alongside collapsed communities and countries and proactive nations combining permaculture design principles with unique cultural contexts to rebuild self-sufficiency, and regenerate bioregional landscapes, economies, ecologies and identity.
Relevance to Permaculture Positioning
Much of this work is invisible in the western world for what it is – genuine system change designed around interconnected earth and human systems that enable self-sustaining economies of sufficiency and dignity for all. We must find ways to reframe this work in the minds and hearts of a much broader audience and actively work with majority nations who have already implemented these systems to amplify the message.
What will we do next?
We need to acknowledge many hard truths and design a new story that resonates with our audiences.
We are commencing a process of deep and broad research and gathering of the past 50 years of proven solutions on every continent to the problems of our time, to understand how we must tell our story in a way that resonates with audiences with all worldviews and most importantly with a context that is relevant to everyone in their own place.
We will be sharing this journey as we go and inviting participation at every stage.
Mkulima Sasa, a Syntropic Agroforestry education and demonstration centre near Lake Victoria, Kenya, has significantly expanded its impact thanks to an AUD$2000 grant from Permafund. This funding facilitated the growth of demonstration farms, enhanced training programs and the installation of a rainwater harvesting system.
Key Achievements:
Enhanced Irrigation & Demonstration Plot: A new 30-metre plot, irrigated by the harvested rainwater, now showcases the power of syntropic agroforestry. It features 60 diverse trees (soursop, avocado, orange, pomegranate, grevillea, banana, palm) arranged in two lines, with a rich understory of vegetables (kales, cowpeas, African spider plants, sweet potatoes, cassava) and ground crops (sesame, groundnuts, vetiver grass).
Empowering Local Communities: Training sessions, including practical demonstrations, were conducted for diverse groups, including people with disabilities, youth, women, and men. Participants learned the principles of Syntropic Agroforestry Management.
Seed & Seedling Distribution: Mkulima Sasa provided trainees with seedlings and seeds, fostering a culture of exchange and enabling them to establish their own syntropic systems at home.
School Outreach: A 20-metre demonstration bed, featuring 40 trees and ground crops, was established at Mirando Junior School, engaging 20 students. Staff members were also trained to act as future instructors.
Growing Interest: The project has generated considerable interest, with increasing numbers of people visiting the demonstration farms, seeking information and requesting assistance in establishing their own systems.
Observations & Future Directions:
While the adoption of syntropic agriculture is currently far less than traditional monoculture practices, Mkulima Sasa remains optimistic about its future growth.
Strengthening security through improved fencing around the demonstration sites is a priority.
Ongoing mentorship and follow-up support for trainees are helpful for ensuring the long-term success of their syntropic systems.
Permafund thanks Andronico Otieno of the Mkulima Sasa Regenerative Agriculture for providing timely and comprehensive project updates.
Your donations make projects like this possible. Contributions to Permafund over $2 are tax deductible in Australia and can be made here. Thank you for your support.
Last year Permafund funded a project in Zanzibar, Tanzania that combined a permaculture course with a mangrove restoration project. The applicants, Up with Community, demonstrated a good understanding of the ecosystem services provided by mangroves (including erosion control, flora and fauna nurseries and climate change mitigation including blue carbon). Permafund liked the integrated learning approach that combined Permaculture principles with the restoration of the natural environment.
Mangroves are particularly vulnerable to human threats including pollution, tourism, aquaculture and agriculture. Although rates of mangrove destruction have slightly declined this century their destruction will probably be complete by the end of it. Up with Community have planted 1000 mangrove seedlings in a degraded area. We are now working with them to help them succeed and see what we can learn and apply elsewhere.
Any reforestation is a fraught process that often has a high failure rate. Reasons for this include a lack of addressing the cause of deforestation (e.g. climate change, salinity levels), failure to monitor and protect seedlings and saplings (eg herbivore predation) failure to monitor and protect mature trees (e.g. from firewood collection).
We view efforts to counter this depressing scenario as particularly worthy. But we only want to support approaches that work in the applicant’s location. Six months in we’ve found that their implementation of directly planting seedlings is showing an unusually high success rate - a reported 80% compared to 20% for usual long-term survival when hand planting is used.
As is typical we’ve surveyed the research around the applicant’s domain of interest.
The effectiveness of mangrove restoration varies wildly. Costs can range from $65 to $810,000 per hectare! Approaches can be active (e.g. hand planting, dropping propagules from drones or planes) or passive, such as digging channels to maximise settling of floating propagules (mangrove seeds). Finding appropriate technologies for things like site analysis can quickly become complex. Big, well-funded organisations deploy experts - geologists, ecologists and hydrologists to name a few.
Up with Community lacks these resources, so Permafund is in dialogue with them about the applicability of current research (especially passive restoration - see MANGROVE ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION in GUIDE: LESSONS LEARNED) and the advisability of partnering with existing mangrove initiatives in Tanzania.
One such initiative Permafund already checked out is Blue Carbon Tanzania. While their website showcases an all-African staff and brightly clad locals planting seedlings, it fails to mention its ownership by the UAE-based Blue Carbon, a company that has drawn significant criticism from environmentalists. So we won’t be recommending that one. As I mentioned, reforestation is fraught!
Permafund uses permaculture principles to holistically assess and evaluate the projects we fund, usually on a one-off basis. We track projects and collect lessons learned which are shared with others and added to the body of permaculture knowledge.
In the coming months, we will report on the progress of Up with Community, whether more passive and holistic approaches have been incorporated and if the overall effort resulted in a successful outcome.
Your donations to Permafund make community projects like this possible so thank you very much for your support. Contributions to Permafund over $2 are tax deductible in Australia and can be made here.
Domestic and sexual violence against women is a global scourge in every country and in places like Kenya, support networks can be difficult to find. Agatha Amani House is an NGO and Kenya’s first women and children’s safe house for those fleeing abuse. Their mission is to empower victims to heal from their trauma and help them become self-sufficient.
Permaculture is central to Agatha Amani House achieving that aim.
They were successful in applying for a $2000 grant from Permafund to present a 6-day workshop that included as a practical exercise, the beginnings of establishing a Food Forest. 18 participants were selected including 10 women from the shelter and 8 from the community.
Early preparation included getting local permaculture experts in to assess the site and come up with a spatial design. Soil samples taken revealed a lack of nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc with a low reading of organic matter. The main topics covered in the workshop included soil preparation, water harvesting and planting guilds.
This project was completed in 2023 and a more recent report outlining the ongoing progress of the Permaculture Farm was received.
Early learnings were the need for an increase in mulch materials to combat the severe dry periods for water retention and soil build-up. Also, small animals were included in the Food Forest system with their manure increasing the volume of compost that was able to be added.
The farm is not just a source of nutritious food, it embodies a sustainable healing space that helps women and children rebuild their lives, cultivating hope alongside the crops. The farm does more than nourish bodies….it nourishes souls.
At Agatha Amani House the wish is that the farm becomes a beacon of hope that spreads through Kenya and beyond. It’s another example of permaculture flourishing where the need is great.
Your donations to Permafund assist projects such as this and emphasise our 3rd Ethic of distributing surplus resources with a financial leg up to projects already operating and run by local people.
Permafund Grant Update Report from November 2024
Permafund Grant Update Report from December 2024
PROJECT STATUS UPDATE REPORT
PROJECT NAME: PERMACULTURE FOOD FOREST WORKSHOP & FOOD FOREST ESTABLISHMENT FOR AGATHA AMANI HOUSE-ABUSED WOMEN SHELTER-KENYA.
The project continues to progress and to yield day by day. For the last 2 months, we have been receiving a lot of rain and thus our vegetables and trees that we initially planted are blossoming well. Our farm officer together with the women hosted at Agatha Amani House has been taking care of the food forest; maintaining it, adding more plants and also being in charge of harvesting the yields. The food forest has been a great source of improved nutrition; vegetables and herbs for the hosted women and their children. It has also acted as a learning hub, as we have been using it for field visits. People visit to see the food forest and also to learn about permaculture. The workshop participants have reported great success on their farms too.
Before Establishment of GardenAfter Establishment of Garden
We have been selling the surplus vegetables to the neighbours and the nearby market. We normally make food baskets with all the varieties we have in the farm or sometimes we sell as per the customer’s orders.
Through the continued assessments done on the food forest, it has been noted that our farm; soil needs a lot of watering during the dry season, more than how we have been watering there before. This was noted through the planting of some red cabbage that took way more than the 3 months to mature. We are currently working on better watering schedules and water conservation activities in the farm.
For preservation of our surplus, we made this small solar drier. Preservation of our food forest produce is one of the central problems we have been facing as we would like to save the food for the dry seasons when food is scarce. Drying these products will help solve these problems, while also making an important contribution to improving the population's income and supply situation.
Solar Drier made by the women of AGATHA AMANI HOUSE
Among the key learnings from the workshop, we have been very intense in practising what we learnt. The project has been keen on applying the principles of permaculture in the entire design and in both food forest phase I and phase II, Climate Change; Building resilience and mitigation, Water Harvesting and conservation, Soil Fertility Building and Care of Trees and seedlings among others.
Next Steps
There is a need for another workshop, as a follow-up on the previous one together with additional topics and activities such as the construction of a dam for water harvesting, more shed nets for the dry season plus Increased crops and trees including cover crops.
We also look forward to learning more on how to use the solar dryer and how to use and package the dried vegetables and fruits. This will also involve learning on how to do value addition to most of the products that we produce at our food forest. Hence making us more sustainable at the shelter.
As a returning Aotearoa resident from 40 years in Australia, I was delighted to find the equivalent of a Permaculture convergence was due to occur within two months and 10 km of where I’ve resettled in Taranaki - North Island, west coast, big dormant volcano. What better way to meet and network with both local permies and those from the multiple climate zones of this long and narrow country?
The hui, which translates from Māori as ‘ceremonial or social gathering’, took place in the private Green School in Taranaki. About 110 permies converged on the event organised not locally, but by PiNZ - Permaculture in New Zealand. The hui coincided with the local sustainable gardens/farms/builds trail which some local permies were helping run.
Following a tour of the magnificent whale-shaped and concrete-free buildings and grounds, the hui settled into a routine of morning circle (a bit touchy-feely for some) followed by PowerPoint presentations. There were a couple of diploma presentations and also a session for those from the regions to connect and coalesce. The local National Party MP Barbara Kiruger joined our regional Taranaki group.
The permaculture and regenerative scenes are intertwined in Taranaki. The region has been a dairying powerhouse since colonisation. Of the couple of dozen people I asked most saw regenerative pasture-grazing beef and dairy as potentially highly significant for carbon drawdown and food supply. The remainder were ‘don’t know’. I met plenty of soil food-web nerds too.
I was wowed by all the presenters I saw and am looking forward to videos of those that I missed.
First was Yotam Kay, who has ADHD, two books and lots of YouTube including a TEDx Talk. With his ‘reality-checker’ wife Niva, their ¼ acre Pakaraka Farm produces 10 tons of food a year.
Then there was white-bearded Rob Guyton who with his wife Robyn has a 23-year-old food forest established from a scraggly block nobody wanted in the cold wet deep-south town of Riverston. Despite having been on NZ TV and in a Happen Film, Rob was not recognised in the wealthy seaside town of Oakura where he was challenged by local ladies as he tugged at plants on a bushwalk. Once he got chatting they were eager to show him around.
Taranaki local Kama Burwell, an ecological designer and engineer, is rapidly cladding the family cattle farm with native bush, helped by local crews such as Rapid Regen. She described the holistic process of family farm regeneration including the familial succession aspects. We both went to Inglewood High School and I reckon Kama is probably the greatest alumni.
Venerable elder and educator Robina McCurdy described social and governance considerations of intentional communities. Invisible structures did not feature so much overall at the hui but Robina’s wide-ranging talk rapidly refreshed my sociocracy knowledge.
There were about 15 Māori attendees, and the call and response and singing (waiata) in the language of all participants showed me, this white man has some catching up to do. Whetu Marama, a film about recreated canoe voyages from Hawaii to Tahiti and Rarotonga educated me on the history of Māori occupation of Aotearoa. The word Hui in Hawaiian means ‘community or extended family’.
Local band The Slacks kicked off the dancing as the alcohol-free event went into celebration mode on Saturday night. I’d say the average age of attendees for the weekend was 50 - perhaps because Facebook and websites are the predominant forms of social media with local reach? The same demographic was apparent in the garden and farm tours I attended.
Overall the national hui was a wonderful event brimming with people-care, cultural reverence and high-achieving permies. Kudos and gratitude to the PiNZ Council, legends that they are.
Thanks to the generous contributions made to Permaculture Australia’s gift fund, Kitgum Permaculture Practitioners Association was one of the 20 organisations that received a Permafund grant in 2024. Their community is in the Alango ward, Pandwong division and Kitgum district of Northern Uganda.
Project manager Patrick Paul Kidega has sent us this reportabout their Grandmother Kitchen Gardens project. “It came about in response to the urgent need to solve the food crisis affecting elderly people, mostly widows & widowers, as a result of their grandchildren not caring for them by providing basic needs since most of them stay by themselves and as such, cannot keep up to speed with their daily needs.”
“Our association conducted a needs-based assessment which highlighted the need for this project. It was also backed & supported by the local council and the Lowest Administrative Units where the elderly people stay.”
“Using permaculture principles and ethics, especially that of care for others and incorporating zoning, we designed a very simple, effective and efficient kitchen garden system that is manageable by the elderly.”
“This Project was designed to benefit 30 elderly widows, single mothers and also a widower. It has a multiplier effect since these elderly have dependents, mostly grandchildren, who have been left behind by their children either as a result of HIV AIDS-related death or divorce. According to our survey of the 30 households we found that this project will directly support 134 people, which is something to be proud of.
Objectives of the project
1. To provide instant affordable food supplies to the elderly in need.
2. To use permaculture and its principles to help answer the community’s most pressing problems such as poor food security and bad agricultural practices such as chemical-related farming.
3. To help spread permaculture to the local community through demonstrations, since it is still a new concept.
4. To help enlighten the community that we can farm anywhere and that it doesn’t require much land to farm, using the different gardening styles;
Steps taken in project implementation
A.Identification of the beneficiaries was done by the field staff of the organisation with the support of the local council leaders. This was followed by the immediate selection of the 30 successful beneficiaries based on their needs and ability to contribute to the project by offering labour such as watering, weeding and daily care to the garden which can’t be done by our organisation. Those who were a little bit strong and had grandchildren stood a better chance of selection but also we included those whose neighbours promised to help them do the work.
B. After the selection we spent 3 days training the beneficiaries. We gave them background on the project and its benefits, We trained them in simple management skills like fencing their gardens to prevent animals from eating their produce. We taught them the basic principles of permaculture and the importance of using organic materials and not chemicals, the need to water the gardens and keep them mulched.
We also taught them about the types of veggies that they would need and useful tree seedlings to select. The meeting was well attended and was much appreciated by the beneficiaries.
After the inception meeting, as an organisation completed these steps
We visited the sites to assess the sizes of their land and help us with the designs of the gardens
After the visits we drew plans of the various gardens according to the available land and also put in some creativity while being fully aware that in designing we must make sure that water is the centre point and the flow of water and maintaining water in the system is key, so we designed from pattern to design.
After coming up with the designs we set out to work and every day we made two gardens. It is important to note that we break the soil first to loosen it before the actual design begins.
CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED:
The lack of tools and training manual is still very much affecting
Inadequate species of native trees and water problems as our sources of water are far apart and we live in a dry area that receives very little and unpredictable rainfall.
Shortage of airtime and data bundles for effective communication
Means of transport for rounding up & mobilising people for activities.
Community attitudes such as stealing and also destroying the gardens at night since the elderly cannot keep watch.
Problems of labour shortage after setting up the gardens as the grandmothers can not effectively handle management given their age.
Stray animals such as cows, goats, pigs and birds like chickens, and ducks encroaching on and destroying the gardens since it was not fenced.
The funds were limited
WAYS FORWARD AND RECOMMENDATIONS: We recommend that;
We need to do more community training on permaculture so that everybody can copy and try it in their homes
Provide local means to fence the small gardens.
Development of effective work plans and budget
There is a need to carry out constant community dialogue to help improve their mindsets and learn to coexist and help the needy
Provide water cans to help water the gardens during dry and days that rain did not come.
Lobby for more funds to enable us to do more.
Administrative unit, smartphones and laptops for easy reporting
Develop training manuals for references during and after training
Conclusively the Grandmother Kitchen Gardens project is a big success and an eye-opener as many people took an interest and copied the ideas, tried them in their homes and requested for more information to be extended to them. The little grant fund was timely and so much appreciated since it enabled us to realise our objectives and goals for this project.
In this report, there are photos of some of the kitchen gardens we developed. It is amazing to see how simple ideas of permaculture can greatly impact and transform the lives of the intended recipients.
With this illustration, I hope and believe that there is value for money in any permaculture project done honestly with a people-centred approach, and do encourage us all to embrace permaculture to help solve our current problems and I, therefore, call for more funds to be directed towards permaculture since it has proven to be the most pragmatic approach to problem-solving. In permaculture there are no wrong or right answers, everything we experience is a response that requires us to fully be in union with Mother Nature as the response to our actions tells us either or what to be done or not done.
Much appreciation to the Permafund team for the trust placed in us.”
Your donations make projects like this possible. Thank you for your support. Contributions to Permafund over $2 are tax deductible in Australia and can be made here.
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