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Jawaseri School Garden Project, Jordan

Just as I was leaving Jordan, after making the Greening the Desert II update video, another little project was just getting underway – the Jawaseri School Garden project. A few people have emailed pictures of progress over the last few months and I’ve combined these with Geoff’s narration from the PRI home base in Australia, to give you all a bit of an idea what’s happening there. May it inspire you to do similar where you are!

Permaculture education should be in every school, everywhere. If it was, I believe most of the world’s problems could be solved within a decade.

Update on this garden here!

6 Comments

  1. I am thinking this is the sort of garden I need to make. I live between Goondiwindi and Moree in Australia. When its dry it is really dry – with no significant rain for 4 to 6 months. So I think I need these wicking beds for that time. Problem is when it does rain – it rains A LOT! And I fear the beds would flood and kill all the plants. And ideas?

  2. Hi Hamish
    you need some drains that you have the option to open in the wet wet times for your shaded desert garden, and a second garden with open raised beds on contour with contour soaking sunken foot paths for your wet season garden so you can extend both climate extremes. If you are prepared to take up an opportunity with designed features when ever you can you will greatly increase production without much extra effort.

    “Garden like a farmer, farm like a gardener, but start with good design”

  3. i think all those who took the PDC in jordan in October 2009 feel part of this project. i agree with Geoff, school gardens are very important especially in this side of the world. people need to restore their faith in farming which is being looked down at by the local culture

  4. I was reading a website about biblical issues and came across a description of the “garden of eden” in the Sumemians legends

    it seems it was a permaculture food forest!
    https://www.bibleorigins.net/EdenDatePalmGardenIraqHrouda.html

    “The trees not only produce a highly nutritious food which is a staple part of the diet, but the sap provides a useful sweetner and can also be used to make a sort of fermented date wine…Just as important to the farmer was THE SHADOW CAST BY THE DATE PALM. This ALLOWED allowed more tender plants, such as FRUIT TREES, pomengranates, FIGS, APPLES and even vines, TO GROW IN ITS SHADE. In the deeper shade below the fruit trees were the GARDEN plots, which produced vegetables such as onions, garlic and cucumbers…These plots required much labour, but were amazingly productive. The irrigated arable land, much of it owned by the great public households of the temple and the palace, formed by far the most important category of land in terms of both area and productivity.”

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