Thanks to financial support from individuals, families, businesses and fundraisers, in 2023 Permaculture Australia’s Permafund funded community projects by nine organisations around the world.
The Kitgum Permaculture Practitioners’ Association in Uganda, East Africa, received a grant of AU$2,000 to offer its deaf community a permaculture design course {PDC} and syntropic agroforestry training. The objectives of the project were to equip participants with basic permaculture and syntrophic agroforestry knowledge and best practices.
Assembly of garden tools
The mix of trainees included youth, the deaf, single mothers, school dropouts, school heads and employees. The grant supported the trainers with course presentation materials, seeds and seedlings, hoes, pangas (machetes), forked hoes, spades and a wheelbarrow.
The course included an introduction to permaculture, the ethics and principles, soil science, seeds and seedlings, land preparation, mulching, planting and composting plus pest, weed and disease management.
Preparing the garden beds
The introduction to syntropic agroforestry included soil cover, stratification for maximum photosynthesis, succession and site management.
Mulching the raised beds
At the end of the training each of the 36 participants (11 female and 25 male) received two fruit or windbreak tree seedlings to kick start their syntrophic regenerative dream.
Planting seeds & seedlings
After the course the facilitator reported that 95% of the students were equipped to replicate and adopt syntropic agroforestry best practices in their community to help improve environmental conservation. They learnt the benefits of planting native and endangered tree species to restore diversity.
The vegetable, medicinal plants and tree seedlings used in the training included: spinach, Skuma wiki (collard greens), tomatoes, eggplant, field peas. Crotalaria, okra, green pepper, malakwang (roselle plant), cucumber, kale, cabbage and dodo (amaranth). Fruits included passionfruit, banana, oranges, mango, jackfruit, paw paw, cashew nut, guava and coffee. Wood & shade trees included teak, neem, pines, eucalyptus and a native hardwood. Grasses used were lemongrass and elephant grass.
Seedlings in recycled containers
Challenges for the teachers were
- unavailability of a training manual and student notes
- Limited funds
- poor internet access and lack of data bundles for effective communication.
- inadequate species of native trees
- insufficient catering and accommodation facilities
- unrealistic expectations from students re start-up funds for their project, training allowances and transport refunds.
- Some people were vegetarian, and others could not eat the food prepared due to allergies causing extra work for support staff.
Catering by support staff
Recommendations from the organisers for the way forward
- Access to training for trainers to roll out syntropic agroforestry education into the community
- Incorporate permaculture and syntropic agroforestry for diversification
- Extension of programs to schools and institutions where the most active age bracket and fast learners are found f or easy management and learning
- Development of effective work plans and budget
- Set up more community learning demonstrations to rouse interest and encourage replication
- Develop an administrative unit with smart phone and laptop for easy reporting
- Develop training manuals for references during and after trainings
In conclusion the training was well attended and well facilitated with both the teachers and students showing zeal and passion for the training. The time management for the course was viewed as good, including time taken to gather the training materials. The food was sufficient for breakfast, lunch and tea breaks.
The facilitator, Patrick Paul Kidega thanked Permaculture Australia’s Permafund for the opportunities provided by the funding. He also thanked the Abundant Earth Foundation for their support over the years.
He requested help in the future with train the trainer education for the most outstanding students to equip them to start practicing and sharing permaculture and syntropic agroforestry knowledge with the community of Kitgum and Uganda at large.
Donations and tithes from individuals and businesses to Permaculture Australia’s Permafund are warmly welcomed with amounts over $2.00 tax deductible in Australia.
Compost making workshop
Funds raised by community events such as Open Garden Days, social gatherings, workshops and festivals provide wonderful support for Permafund’s grant program.
Contributions to the Permafund can be made here via PayPal or direct deposit. Thanks to everyone for your support.
For more information and to share fundraising ideas for Permaculture Australia’s Permafund please contact permafund@permacultureaustralia.org.au
Story by Chris Carroll of the Permafund committee based on reports received from the Kitgum Permaculture Practitioners’ Association, Uganda