Loess Plateau Revisited, and Other Examples of Earth Healing
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Conservation, Global Warming/Climate Change, Rehabilitation, Soil Conservation — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor October 1, 2010
Remember the A Call to Large Scale Earth Healing and Lessons from the Loess Plateau post? It was an uber-encouraging look into one of the world’s largest, fastest and most successful earth healing implementations I’ve ever seen. Via the video below (more watchable than the one shared in the previous article) you can take another look, and also learn about similar projects happening in Ethiopia and Rwanda.
To watch a lower-bandwidth version of the film, de-select the “HD” button on right-hand side of the playbar.
Comments (8)You Can Help Develop the Worldwide Permaculture Network
Aid Projects, Commercial Farm Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Networking Sites, People Systems, Social Gatherings, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor September 29, 2010
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As you know, we’re excited about the permaculture fast-tracking potential of the new Worldwide Permaculture Network database. I’ve just created a ChipIn, as you can see, to make it easy for others to contribute to this humanity-saving network that will help us all collaborate far better than we have to date.
Please consider adding the widget to your own website if you have one. Just click on the ‘copy’ tab on the widget to get the html code for pasting into your site, or click here to customise the widget and get platform-specific code.
After initial beta launch, we’ll be taking the best suggestions for development (there’s a feedback form within the new site) and working them into the system as we can afford. You can help us make it all it should be by contributing yourself and asking others in the permaculture community to do likewise.
The PRI has spent many thousands of dollars on this so far, as a gift to the permaculture community. We’ve seen a great deal of enthusiasm for this ‘facebook for permaculture’ – now’s your chance to express that enthusiasm in a very practical way! All assistance much appreciated.
Comments (3)Drip Irrigation in Ethiopia – the Need, the Equipment, the Set-up and Establishment
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Irrigation, Land, Rehabilitation, Soil Composition, Soil Conservation, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Alex McCausland September 23, 2010
Prior to July 2010 we had been over-using water at Strawberry Fields. This disturbed me for a number of reasons. One was that it was a poor example to the local community who do not have a limitless water supply to spray all over the place. The second was the huge water bills we were receiving. The third was the un-sustainability of using huge amounts of ground-water in a semi-arid area. As project director I had not been in charge of operations on the ground, and I was not able to attack this issue myself, other than by trying to encourage the focusing of the zone 1 irrigated beds into as small an area as possible, with limited success. In July I took over the running of the Permaculture project on the ground and the first thing I did was to begin installing the drip system I had been dreaming of for almost 2 years.
Comments (4)PRI is Humanitarian Water and Food Award Finalist
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, News — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor September 18, 2010
The Permaculture Research Institute’s Jordan work has been put forward to receive the Humanitarian Water & Food Award for its work to create water conserving, food producing, environment and diversity restoring habitable space in some of the harshest environments on the planet, and for educating people on the ground in how to do this for themselves.
This work is looked at in the following posts and videos:
- Greening the Desert, Parts I and II
- Jawaseri School Project
- Transitioning Jordan’s largest mixed farm
The award coordinators have notified us that we are now amongst the finalists. If we win, there would be a cash award we can use to help progress our efforts at establishing educational, demonstration (‘Master Plan‘) sites worldwide, and there will be opportunities for us to connect with donors eager to support this kind of root-cause restoration work. Hopefully there’d be a good bit of permaculture-focussed media attention as well.
Wish us luck!
Note: A big thanks goes to Allie Godfrey, Hilary Gibson, and Matthew Salkeld, all students of our July 11 PDC, for taking the initiative to write the submission for the PRI.
Comments (4)HoAvy – the Children Dance and Sing With Joy
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Village Development — by Martina Petru September 17, 2010
Field news: last’s week’s Rain Dance video!
Many thanks to all of you who have recently given a little love to Madagascar.
Please check out this movie of kids in the Ranobe village, who spontaneously gathered this week to sing an amazing song after HoAvy installed a 500L water tank, contributed by U of M Masters Students. Watch the kids celebrate the first water delivery system in the village, resulting in (relatively) high water pressure and delivery out to the field around the research center. It was placed on the top of the research center (about 20 feet/6 meters off the ground).
United Colors of Ho avy: Growing Trees and Growing with Them, Madagascar
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Energy Systems, Food Forests, Nurseries & Propogation, Social Gatherings, Trees, Village Development — by Martina Petru September 2, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is an update for the ho avy project in Madagascar. Previous updates here and here.
EcoExplorers Madagascar 2010 from Shannon Kohlitz on Vimeo.
Here we are past July’s time for fleece, hat and socks, wouldn’t you believe! Manintsy – cold (25/16 °C day/night or less) was the semiarid southwest Madagascar in winter; winter in the dry southwest where ‘it never rains’. Well, never say ‘never’ and/or be prepared for rain in the no rain season and for beautiful double rainbows arching gently over the glowing morning skies….
Since our last update in February, ho avy has been on a ‘high season rainbow ride’ – exciting in a way, admittedly speedy and bumpy some of the time – more like a downhill slalom race against time, where falling over exposed tree roots is unavoidable. Retrospectively, it’s been a valuable growing time: our trees are growing and we are growing with them.
We especially enjoyed the rainbow of colors left behind the pens, pencils and brushes of Eco-Explorers – talented undergraduate students of the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design. These young students overflowing with creativity came to Madagascar expecting no rain. Although they got some, they seemed to greatly enjoy this mad ride, and so did we on ho avy & Madagascar Eco-Explorers’ tour and project service work in Ranobe.
Comments (3)Two Weeks to Go Before Next Permaculture Project Aid Worker Course!
Aid Projects, Courses/Workshops — by Charles Hamilton August 27, 2010
Life is rarely dull for a permaculture aid worker
Photo © copyright Craig Mackintosh
Do you aspire to be involved in the permaculture aid sector and permaculture projects in Africa, Asia, South America or the Middle East?
Enjoy the challenge and reward of work and experience in far-flung locales and use it as a springboard for a serious, paid career in permaculture. The September 13 Permaculture Project Aid Worker Course taught by internationally recognised permaculture teacher Geoff Lawton currently still has space for you.
This is a wonderful opportunity to train as a Project Farm Manager, Project Teacher or Administration Manager and is the last course of this type in 2010.
Comments (1)Letters from Sri Lanka – Sarvodaya and the Tea Plantation Challenge
Aid Projects, Alternatives to Political Systems, Community Projects, Consumerism, Economics, People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor August 26, 2010
Part IX of a series – If you haven’t already, please read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII and Part VIII before continuing. This series is part of my work for the Sustainable (R)evolution book project.
Preamble: Described as ‘the champagne of tea’, Sri Lankan tea is consumed the world over. Second only to Kenya in exports, Sri Lanka’s tea industry accounts for a full 15% of the nation’s GDP, generating about $700 million per year. Yet very little of this money is seen by the people actually producing it…. Tea plantation workers are trapped in low paid manual labour positions and live in miserable housing conditions, while people around the globe slurp on the fruit of their misery. Sarvodaya has its work cut out to try to assist, but they’re giving it a good try.
Sri Lankan tea plantation worker
All photographs © copyright Craig Mackintosh
Permaculture and Society – a Look at the Example of Detroit
Aid Projects, Alternatives to Political Systems, Community Projects, Economics, Food Shortages, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor August 24, 2010
Rhamis Kent, friend and regular contributor to the PRI, recently gave a talk to Schumacher College in the south west of England. He starts with a look at the meltdown of Detroit’s once thriving manufacturing base, its dramatic consequences for the city and residents, and shares that the current state of affairs for the beleaguered city is a direct result of the economic model that’s been in place in the U.S. over the last century. Rhamis goes further, to share that this is, to one degree or another, the present trajectory of most of the world’s cities.
But, not stopping on the negative, Rhamis goes on to show some of the exciting movements within Detroit that these circumstances are giving life to. Out of necessity, people are working to increase their resiliency and quality of life – turning the problem of Detroit into a solution. Rhamis joins the dots between our socio-economic problems and the environmental catastrophes taking place, and begins to look through the lens of permaculture to see how we can turn things around by imitating natural systems to create low- to no-impact societies that don’t operate on the boom-and-bust model that present day Detroit is arguably the most striking example of.
Duration: 82 minutes
Part way through the talk Rhamis presents the following Urban Roots film trailer. I’ll put it below for convenience. To jump back to where the trailer below (higher quality) ends in the video above, click on 31:40 on progress bar above.
Comments (10)Permaculture Continues To Take Root In Kenya
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, People Systems, Village Development — by Warren Brush August 23, 2010
Take a PDC in Kenya (PDF) or donate, either way will help to underwrite the course expenses so that local Kenyans can participate without cost….
There are two very unique and exciting opportunities to learn Permaculture Design and obtain your certification in Kenya this coming December of 2010 or in March of 2011. Students from around the world are invited to join local Kenyan students and International permaculture teacher and designer, Warren Brush, of Quail Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm and other teachers from the local culture for this learning journey of a lifetime.
Get Paid to Share Your Permaculture Passion With the World
Aid Projects, Commercial Farm Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Networking Sites, News, People Systems, Project Positions, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor August 18, 2010
How to Help Us Educate the World and Save Our Futures
Note: This is an update on PRI’s position and direction, and an opportunity for you to get paid to help!
The short version: We’re now paying you to write for us! Click here to get started.
The background/long version follows:
Over the last two years since I took over the running of this site, I’ve been pleased to see significant growth in traffic. I’m not so narrow-minded as to believe this is just due to my efforts or Geoff and Nadia Lawton’s or the rest of the PRI team, however. Aside from the tremendous support and input from the wider permaculture community, I also note that current events and the spread of information through the internet is threatening to actually wake the world up – and this ‘awakening’ is seeing an unprecedented growth in interest in sustainability, transition and the creation of resilient people systems. This interest certainly isn’t coming too soon, but better late than never.
Comments (43)Morocco Observations, Past, Present and Future – Part III
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres — by Alex Metcalfe August 14, 2010
Written by Alex Metcalfe. Photo credits to Alex Metcalfe, Asiya Brock, Helen Evans and Houssa Yacoubi. Part III of a series. Be sure to check out Part I and Part II.
Journey to Igourdane: Large communal extended family home.
Only the part on the far right is now inhabited.
The days on the course were spent going through the theory and wandering about on the farm trying to apply it to surrounding landscape. Every now and then we might be given some mint tea, batboot and olive oil.
Comments (5)Looking Back at a PDC in Southern Ethiopia
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres — by Pierre Theriault July 29, 2010
A personal account from taking the Permaculture Design Course at Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge, Konso, Southern Ethiopia, 9-15 June 2010
Together with three Ethiopians and eight other international participants, I recently attended a 72-hour permaculture design course hosted by Alex McCausland and the Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge in the Konso province of southern Ethiopia.
Comments (1)Morocco Observations, Past, Present and Future – Part II
Aid Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Alex Metcalfe July 28, 2010
Written by Alex Metcalfe. Photo credits to Alex Metcalfe, Asiya Brock, Helen Evans and Houssa Yacoubi. Part II of a Series. Click here for Part I.
Spicer and Asiya Brock shop for supplies in Marrakesh Medina
Consistent with Global Warming trends, Observation from Morocco’s National Meteorological Directorate show rising temperatures, less precipitation, and an increase in drought, widening the gap between water supply and demand. Average temperatures are expected to rise between 2 and 5 degree Celsius by the end of the century, while rainfall is predicted to decline 20 to 30%. – Moroccan Coastal Management: Building Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change through Sustainable Policies and Planning
Deforestation, water management and erosion are all evidently interlinked and inseparable issues faced by rural Imazighen, particularly those living amongst the unique and ever changing weather systems of the high Atlas Mountains.
After my first memorable visit I searched for a project in Morocco I could contribute to. I wanted to have a good reason for returning, something other than purely for pleasure. Morocco is a country where everyone can have a passport, but only those with enough cash in their bank account can get a visa to travel to places like Europe or the U.S. I had a much smaller sum in my account when I went to Morocco the first time and yet I was free to do so. That fact set me apart in some sense from the people I had the pleasure to meet and although they did not appear overly occupied with it, it was something I was keenly aware of. I felt that if I could work with Moroccans I would receive a more intimate education on life in their country than I would as a tourist and hopefully earn their respect by doing so. Like many, many other people who volunteer or work for positive change abroad I wanted, if possible, to side step what can sometimes turn into a series of purely economic interactions. I wanted to meet people’s families, work with them, to eat at their table and to digest their way of life literally instead of just intellectually.
Comments (2)Solving All the Problems of the World – in a Garden
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Land, News, Nurseries & Propogation, People Systems, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Salination, Society, Soil Conservation, Trees, Urban Projects, Village Development, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor July 23, 2010
This video can be downloaded in high resolution from Vimeo (see ‘About this video’ section on lower right side’).
I hope you’ll enjoy this clip on the Jawaseri School Garden Project. More, I hope it encourages you to dare to be different, and dare to have your work noticed. The garden we profile in the video above, as you’ll discover after watching it, has just won a national competition held by the Jordanian Department of Education – for schools who incorporate environmental projects into their curriculum. This means that thousands of schools, in what is arguably the most water-stressed country on the planet, now have the possibility to learn from this humble example of permaculture in action – and get inspired to do similar.
Special thanks to Lesley Byrne for her enthusiastic support, and to Nadia Lawton for her vision and determination to help her own people – and in so doing setting such an excellent example for us all.
