The inaugural International Permaculture Youth Convergence (IPYC) is to be held in Timor Leste from October 20 –25 this year.
Drone photo of Fatequero village where IPYC is to be held
Permatil of Timor-Leste & Permatil Global of Australia are co-hosting the event with The PermaYouth Association of Timor Leste. 500 permie youth leaders from Timor Leste are planning to host another 500 from around the world with the intention of building an active global PermaYouth network of future leaders & change makers and global environmental stewards.
The day program includes permaculture practice and development of leadership skills in:
Water resilience
Sustainable Agroforestry
Agro ecology
Permaculture in action
Art, music and indigenous culture
3D model for learning water catchment techniques
Artists creating new illustrations for Permatil guidebooks
The night program can only be described as a festival, with participants coming together to share a celebration and exchange of indigenous knowledge, culture, music, art and friendship.
This event rides on the shoulders of 8 years of Timor Leste National Youth Convergences and promises to be an unbelievable learning, and sharing cultural event. The IPYC fits Permaculture Australia’s Permafund charter of promoting and supporting educational and environmental projects around the world that have a strong permaculture basis.
Permafund is providing funds to sponsor and part sponsor international participants who financially may not be able to attend otherwise. In addition, letters of recommendation and promotional material to support this awesome initiative have been provided.
Our most challenging contribution however is to activate youth from Australia to participate in the International Permaculture Youth Convergence. Members of the Permafund committee put the message out to their communities about IYPC being an opportunity to see permaculture in action in a youth orientated international setting. Currently 16 young adults will be participating, all paying their own way. One group is from the NSW south coast and another from South Australia. All are excited, learning a few Tetun words and getting organised to attend.
When asked why they were attending, responses from some of the South Australian contingent included:
I feel really connected to nature and the idea of living in harmony with the earth.Â
After doing my PDC, I want to keep learning and growing, not just in land design but also in how permaculture can bring people together, heal communities, and create a better way of living.Â
I’d love to meet other young people who share the same passion, exchange ideas, and bring back inspiration to my own community.
I dream of starting a little community around rehabilitating a heavily disturbed section of the low rainfall Mallee in eastern SA. I would like to turn parts of it into a food forest. I have the dream and the property, I’m just lacking the knowledge, people, and the extra bit of passion to see it through; I’m hoping the IPYC can help me with these things.
I’m very keen on building more sustainable ways of living into everything.
I dream of creating an eco-friendly little village with sustainable and affordable housing.Â
I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn about permaculture and PermaYouth initiatives at this convergence
I want to return to my beloved tropics and learn a lot about Timorese life and culture.
For these reasons, or any others, if you are between 17 and 35 and would like to attend the IPYC or would like to talk about it but don’t have a group to support you, no matter where you come from, don’t hesitate to contact us at permafund@permacultureaustralia.org.au
Planting out a water catching small reservoir
The proceeds of fundraisers and donations to Permafund are gratefully received. Donations over $2.00 are tax deductible in Australia and can be made here.
So far, Permafund has provided seed funding grants for 93 community projects in Australia and 16 other countries around the world.
Thanks to generous donations and fund raising, Permaculture Australia’s 2025 Permafund grant round has been launched..
Considering the time and effort needed to write and submit an application, the closing date for applications has been extended to midnight AEST on 31 August 2025.
In the spirit of fair share, this year community organisations in Australia and the regions of Australasia, South-East Asia and the Pacific Islands are invited to apply for seed funding grants of AU$2,000 to support their environmental and permaculture education projects.
Applications for funding over AUD $2,000 will be considered and assessed on merit.
The 2025 Grant Application form and Grant Guidelines are available for download here.
Successful applicants will be notified at the end of October 2025. Applications received by 15 August and needing urgent response will be considered promptly.
Thanks to the generous donors to Permaculture Australia’s Permafund, our small grants program is ready to launch another round of grants. This time we are calling for applications from groups in Australasia, South-East Asia and the Pacific Islands.Â
A Sumatran Farmer teaching a PDC
We need your help to spread the word to any groups within the region, or any Permaculture teachers who may know of eligible groups amongst their past students. Please share this notice and our contact details with them.
We hope that by funding small projects we will help to build the capacity of Permaculture groups in our region while they do important work to improve the natural environment. By publicising the successful projects in our newsletter and social media, Permaculture Australia members and supporters will learn more about groups active in our region.
This work can include the provision of information or education, or the carrying on of research about the natural environment or a significant aspect of the natural environment as well as running on the ground projects which will improve the natural environment.
The Permafund grant program is only for projects that benefit or protect the natural environment, which includes regenerative agriculture and permaculture education.
Please read the 2025 Grant Guidelines carefully before deciding if your organisation is eligible to submit an application. To see the types of projects that have been funded in the past please look at articles on our website.
The 2025 Grant Application form and Grant Guidelines are available for download from the Permaculture Australia website as Word or Pdf documents here.
Story by Permafund’s Louise Learmont – by Farm Sahel in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a land-locked country in Africa, one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries, ranking 134th of 137 according to the World Bank/UN Human Development Index. With just 3 months of rain per year, the Sahel region in the north is the driest, having suffered from deforestation and degradation over the last few decades. The region is also faced with terrorism.
For this project, 50 smallholder women farmers of Binde region were provided with composting and agroforestry training to plant 500 tangelo trees alongside annual crops. The main emphasis is the need to obtain a yield, enhance food security, generate income for participants and knowledge share with husbands and neighbouring communities.
Project Team Workers
5 hectares of land had been donated by the chief of the village for the project aiming to help restore this degraded land, improve and revitalise soil health and equip farmers to better face climate change.
Farm Sahel trainers & workers
A 2024 Permafund grant of $2,000 was used to purchase the 500 tangelo plants as well as have trainers oversee the project. Before planting the tangelo trees, the holes were dug and filled with compost the women farmers had made using organic matter from crop residues, kitchen scraps, dry leaves, cow manure and ash.
Due to unusually excessive rainfall at the end of 2024 the planting of the trees was delayed until April 2025 to ensure the success of the project.
Farm Sahel had already successfully installed solar powered water wells, so ongoing watering of the trees is possible. Also, women farmers have been trained to make their own biological pesticides using neem kernels, onion, chilli, garlic and neem oil, for use should the trees succumb to pests and diseases.
Adding compost to holes
Preparing to plant & water source
Men digging holes and women weeding
Alongside the tangelo trees, watermelons trail the ground, helping to reduce evaporation plus chilli and basil are grown alongside as insect repellent plants. In the future they would like to increase the biodiversity of the tangelo orchard by planting papaya trees. Food crops already being grown include cucumbers, onions, lettuce and cabbage.
Spacing trees in melon cover crop
Women ready to prepare holes for planting
Tangelo trees ready for planting
Carefully planting tangelo tree
This project has come about due to the dedication of the founding Executive Director Madjalia Seynou, winner of the World of Difference award by the International Alliance for Women.
Families involved in planting
Madjalia grew up in Burkina Faso and knows the difficulties young rural women of Burkina Faso face, growing up in remote regions in polygamous family communities. Madjalia, whose father was a teacher, was able to receive an education and furthering this by becoming an accountant and migrating to New Jersey. She speaks of her childhood remembering how her father would allow 19 students to live with them during weekdays to avoid walking the 5-6 km to school daily.
Through her leadership, FarmSahel has provided smallholder women farmers with the resources, training, and support needed to improve food security, increase income and lift their communities out of poverty; all whilst improving soil fertility, emphasising community-based participatory methods, addressing climate change and promoting regenerative agricultural practices.
The proceeds of fundraisers and donations to Permafund are gratefully received and so far have supported seed funding grants for 93 community projects in Australia and 16 other countries. Donations over $2.00 are tax deductible in Australia and can be made here.
In the spirit of fairshare, the 2025 Permafund grant round opening shortly will focus on applications from Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
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.Â
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.