Video Tour of Sabina Permaculture Project, Uganda
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor June 29, 2010
Dan Palmer of VeryEdibleGardens (VEG) has sent through this nice collage of abundance from the Sabina Permaculture Project in Uganda. It’s great to see all the fertile gardens and smiling faces. What a vision of hope for a better future!
Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 7 – Ringo in Afghanistan Part III
Aid Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Podcasts, Project Positions — by Patrick Blampied June 25, 2010
‘Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker’ is a weekly podcast show from PRI Australia aimed at documenting the experiences of people out in the field and making more information available about what’s happening in the Permaculture world.
In Episode 7 I’m speaking to Paul ‘Ringo’ Kean who has been working on an aid project in Afghanistan.
Click play to hear the interview – and photo-commentary below:
Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 7 - Ringo in Afghanistan Part III
Subscribe to Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker.
Comments (4)
Preparing to make compost using Paul Taylor’s method.
45% Carbon, 35% Nitrogen, 20% Manure.
Review of the 10-Week Internship
Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Project Positions — by Patrick Blampied June 22, 2010
Photo © copyright Craig Mackintosh
Booked in or considering coming to the 10-week PRI Australia Internship with Geoff Lawton? It might be worth having a listen to what three students thought of their at times challenging but overall very rewarding experience in the January 2010 Course.
Click play below to hear the talk:
Review of the 10-week Internship Comments (6)Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 6 – David Spicer in Morocco
Aid Projects, Commercial Farm Projects, Education Centres, Podcasts — by Patrick Blampied June 17, 2010
‘Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker’ is a weekly podcast show from PRI Australia aimed at documenting the experiences of people out in the field and making more information available about what’s happening in the Permaculture world.
In Episode 6 I’m speaking to David Spicer who has been working on in Morocco, teaching a course as well as consulting for a farm there.
Click play to hear the talk:
Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 6 - David Spicer, Morocco Subscribe to PRI posts.
Subscribe to Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker.
Subscribe to Permaculture World News Updates.
Permaculture and Traditional Land Use in Morocco 2010
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Education Centres, People Systems, Village Development — by Elspeth Brock June 16, 2010
Editor’s Note: Elspeth Brock makes a great post-course update on the Tribal Networks Morocco project experience.
Wheat, almonds and wild flowers
I felt in some way instantly at home in Morocco. Ait Attab in the high Atlas has a similar climate to inland south-eastern Australia, orange-purple soil, masses of erosion, the hot burning sun, and a wide blue sky. Running wild are the ancestors of many plants familiar from English cottage gardens – poppies, gladioli, margarite daisies. We were treated to wonderful hospitality, beautiful gnarled olive trees, orange flat-roofed houses, home made bread – called bat-boot for the sound it makes when being made – and donkeys braying (well maybe not all so much like home).
Comments (1)Leaving Zaytuna Farm
Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, News, Project Positions — by Craig Gallagher June 15, 2010
Nearly 18 months have passed since I first arrived at PRI to sit my PDC. At that time I had the idea of following the PDC with wwoofing on various permaculture farms and projects, however halfway through the PDC it became obvious that Zaytuna Farm was the best place to gain some hands on experience. After disappearing for a month to sort out odds ‘n ends, I returned to settle in for an undecided period. Over this time Geoff has had me working as his farm manager and also sending me on various consultations. The farm has expand rapidly with earth works and structures erected. The experience here has been invaluable and certainly life changing and for this I give Geoff and Nadia many thanks.
I would also like to thank all the people I have met over the last 18 months (150+) especially those that put in huge efforts of voluntary work to help me keep the place running when G&N were away.
Comments (14)Free Range Permaculture on Costa’s Garden Odyssey
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, News, Society, Urban Projects — by Patrick Blampied June 12, 2010
You might remember that Kim Kruse from Free Range Permaculture in Cairns appeared on SBS show Costa’s Garden Odyssey a few weeks ago. In case you missed it, check out the clip below:
Permablitz Gold Coast Hits Burleigh Heads State School
Community Projects, Education Centres, Land, Social Gatherings, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Leah Galvin June 4, 2010
photograph © copyright Craig Mackintosh
This Sunday, on June 6, 2010, Permablitz Gold Coast and Burleigh Heads State School are joining together to hold a working bee day full of vegetable gardening activities and odd jobs around the school. Come along for a great opportunity to learn skills in growing food yourself while making connections with your school and wider community.
On the day we will be putting in a 10 metre long mullet fish shaped vegetable garden from scratch. It will be a no-dig style garden straight on top of the existing lawn beside the school’s admin building. This will be the beginning of more vegetable gardens going in at the school.
Learn about where to start your vegetable garden using Permaculture principles with the support of friendly people from your local community. There will be free workshops on the day including worm farming and chemical free gardening. Lets show the kids how to make the connections between fresh, organic food and health! There will also be kids activities and BBQ on the day.
Comments (1)Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 4: Heading to Vietnam
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Podcasts, Village Development — by Patrick Blampied
Indigenous minority Vietnamese worship the sacred, big old trees of the forest
Photograph © copyright Craig Mackintosh
‘Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker’ is a weekly podcast from PRI Australia aimed at documenting the experiences of people out in the field and making more information available about what’s happening in the Permaculture world.
In Episode 4 I’m speaking to Dave and Johnny who are preparing for a trip to Vietnam. It’s the first time they’ve attempted aid work but as discussed they’re feeling good about the trip.
Click play to listen:
Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 4: Heading to VietnamFurther Reading:
- Letters from Vietnam – Arriving to HEPA
- Letters from Vietnam series – reporting from indigenous minority villages:
– The Road to Na Sai
– Ke Village
– The Hmong People – Claiming Back Lost Skills - Hooray for the Water Buffalo!
Discovering Permaculture in Jordan
Aid Projects, Biological Cleaning, Community Projects, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Irrigation, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor May 30, 2010
This great little clip by Emma Piper-Burket takes an early 2009 look at a couple of permaculture projects in Jordan. These are projects shown at greater length and at a later date (October 2009) in the Greening the Desert II video many of you will have already watched. I’m not sure what exactly what month Emma visited the project, but as our Eric Seider (one of the directors of PRI USA) was filmed there at the Jordan Valley Permaculture Project (aka Greening the Desert, The Sequel), it’d have to be January or February. Eric was key in the initial establishment of the site, which is now coming along nicely 18 months later. Expect some updates from this site in the next few weeks as yours truly will be heading there again.
Enjoy.
Letters from Chile – Eco Escuela El Manzano, a Nice Place to Learn
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Eco-Villages, Education Centres, People Systems, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development, peak oil — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor May 22, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is Part X of a series. If you haven’t already, be sure to catch Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, and Part IX!
All photographs copyright © Craig Mackintosh
My time in Chile was encouraging. It gives me some hope in mankind to see a community rallying together to meet present historical realities. Not all is perfect of course. Not all are fully lucid and fully engaged, and whipping up enthusiasm, ethically, in a way that respects individual choice, is a challenge in leadership and patience (sometimes the shock of an earthquake or other disaster can help a little here…), but the good news is that the needed work at El Manzano has more than begun, and it should beget hope for the rest of us – that it is possible to awaken the people around us to unite around intelligent, historically appropriate plans for transition.
Comments (7)Letters from Chile – Building Community Around a Permaculture University
Aid Projects, Building, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Development & Property Trusts, Developments, Eco-Villages, Economics, Education Centres, Ethical Investment, Financial Management, People Systems, Social Gatherings, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development, peak oil — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor May 20, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is Part IX of a series. If you haven’t already, be sure to catch Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII and Part VIII!
My time in Chile is almost at an end. But, before I go, I want to share with you the present and future plans for transitioning the community here in El Manzano. They are not insignificant.
Costa & SBS TV Come to Cairns
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, News, Urban Projects — by Kym Kruse May 18, 2010
Editor’s Note: Well done Kym!
Since around April 2008 Free Range Permaculture have been conducting a school garden program at the Flexible Learning Center (FLC), Cairns, which operates as a Positive Learning Centre for disadvantaged youth and migrant kids ranging in age from 5 – 17 years.
The FLC was started in a shed at the same site by a committed group of educators who recognized the importance of providing an alternative approach to working with children who, for various reasons, were struggling with the traditional classroom environment.
Comments (5)Letters from Chile – a Little Historical Context
Aid Projects, Alternatives to Political Systems, Commercial Farm Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Eco-Villages, Economics, Education Centres, Ethical Investment, Financial Management, Food Shortages, Networking Sites, People Systems, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor May 16, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is Part VIII of a series. If you haven’t already, be sure to catch Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI and Part VII.
Contemplating the past, present and future – and land redistribution – in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Chile.
All photos © copyright Craig Mackintosh
He stares back at us from the t-shirts of millions of youths worldwide. Che Guevara’s face has become one of the most recognisable counter-cultural and political symbols ever known. The history books tell us the man was famously sympathetic to the lot of the poor, and that his overriding passion was to fight against inequality, oppression, control. Che comes to my mind as I write this article from South America, because, in his rise to power, one of his driving ambitions, and which became one of his key responsibilities under Castro, was land redistribution – where he sought to break the stranglehold that was keeping the masses impoverished and robbing them of their potential. I bring this topic up, as, when I look at what’s happening in the world, and the radical changes needed to put us onto a sustainable path, the issue keeps coming back to my mind. These two words – land redistribution – strike fear into the hearts of the rich, and feelings of ambition and even violent revolution in those of the poor, yet, if we’re to stake a claim on the future, I feel we must, both rich and poor, come to terms with them.
Comments (14)Tropical Soils: Less is More in Fast Carbon Pathways, but Only with Standing Forest
Courses/Workshops, Deforestation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Fungi, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Soil Composition, Soil Conservation, Structure, Trees — by Planet People Passion
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most amazing displays of symbiotic relationships one can experience in the world. This complex and layered eco-system thrives through the many systems and cycles that interweave through the layers of canopy, creating one of the most bio-diverse displays of life on the planet. Nature designs the most magnificent Permaculture systems – it is quite an experience to spend time in this magical place and humbly observe her teachings.
Amazon rainforest boundary
Observing the thriving and abundant rainforest, it is hard for some to comprehend why neighboring agriculture in the region experiences quite the opposite affect, but the answer is quite simple – it’s all about the soil.
Comments (0)
