Category Permaculture Around The World

International Projects

school-nature

The School of Nature (Escola da Natureza) is set within the Piracanga ecovillage, on the coast of Bahia in Brazil. It is a school of permaculture and ecological practices set up to promote – and immerse people in – planetary regeneration and engage children in nature- based experiences.

Since 2011, the school has been regenerating 10 acres of degraded land (within the 100-acre ecovillage), transforming it into a food forest while becoming a reference centre for ecological design and small-scale technologies. The School’s ‘Campus Floresta’ is dedicated to the development of immersion experiences including where people stay, the programs offered and the exploration of ecological awareness and action. Visitors are welcome to learn and volunteer at both the ecovillage and the school.

International Projects

permaculture-world

In the Mayan highlands on the shores of Lake Atitlán of Guatemala is the Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura. It was created in 2000 by a group of Indigenous Maya Kakchiquel people dedicated to reclaiming native seeds and traditional Indigenous knowledge systems, and have chosen to use permaculture as the platform to help them achieve it.

After 36 years of internal armed conflict in the region that wiped out hundreds of communities and displaced millions from their land, this work is critical. The conflict disrupted the transfer of cultural and ancestral knowledge and the Indigenous community faces the very real challenges of poverty and malnutrition. Indigenous people were disproportionately affected during the war and left largely dispossessed when the peace deal was signed.

The institute is focused on restoring knowledge and local communities through access to land, seed and permaculture education. So far, the institute has trained more than 10,000 smallholder farmers and has helped to increase the community’s capacity to adapt to climate change and address malnutrition. It has been shortlisted for a 2021 Lush Spring Prize.

International Projects

Mexico’s first permaculture ecovillage, Huehuecoyotl was set up on 15 acres some 40 years ago by a group of artists, musicians, teachers, permaculturalists and green architects. The founders were part of a travelling group of actors called the Illuminated Elephants who were looking to put down some roots, and so created a beautiful space brimming with creative energy. The name Huehuecoyotl is inspired very aptly by the Aztec god of music, poetry, theatre and dance.

The ecovillage is located in Tepoztlán, in the hills just an hour south of Mexico City. it is part of the Ecovillage Network of the Americas and home to the revolutionary Gaia University. Currently host to 20 residents, Huehuecoyotl is open to more, features 14 natural homes, a large theatre and communal house, a shared kitchen, permaculture gardens and edible forest, waste water management, biofilters and guest rooms. When it’s possible to travel again, Huehuecoyotl warmly welcomes visitors.

International Projects

The Indigenous people of the Oglala Lakota are revitalising their culture with permaculture, Indigenous wisdom and looking for solutions for the next seven generations. Based at Pine Ridge in South Dakota, a Reservation created in 1889 – originally part of the Great Sioux Reservation – there’s a need for change.

Ranked the poorest county in the nation, it has a lack of housing, abysmal health issues, severe food insecurity and has been described as a developing nation within the USA. OLCERI is an Indigenous-led organisation aiming to cultivate skills for regeneration. It’s creating gardens, earthships, appropriate technologies and practising holistic land management. Completely off-grid, everything the organisation does is supporting affordable and accessible housing and a resilient food system. OLCERI hosts Indigenous Wisdom and Permaculture Skills Convergences and Permayouth Americas have partnered in support.

International Projects

permaculture

The Panya Project, established in 2007, is a small permaculture community and education centre nestled in the foothills of northern Thailand. The ten-acre site is a thriving example of low-impact, community-based regenerative living. The small residential community welcomes regular volunteers (pre-Covid, anyway) and together have crafted a number of natural mud buildings, composting toilets, permaculture production gardens and a diverse food forest.

Sitting between forest and conventional farm, it is a great place to learn what a permaculture approach can bring to the land and ecosystem. Over 2000 permaculture students have graduated from programs led by a collection of international visiting teachers. This centre is part of the global movement of permaculture learning centres. Panya’s hope is that those who visit, experience local Thai culture and are inspired to take home positive permaculture ideas into their daily lives – wherever they live.

International Projects

permaculture

One of many Ecosystem Restoration Camps around the world, Contour Lines is helping to protect the Guatemalan rainforest by working with local Mayan communities to transform corn monocultures into abundant food forests. Through regenerating degraded farmlands, the camp hopes to demonstrate the benefits of regenerative agriculture methods to the local community.

One metre at a time, the project is building contour lines with logs and other organic material to slow erosion, improve soil hydration and fertility, before planting fruit trees, legumes and edible annuals into the terraces. So far, the project has

created over 20 kilometres of contours. The local community is deeply involved – it is their land and their project – and are now training other villagers. As well as restoring ecosystem health, this project is also about creating regenerative livelihoods.

Permaculture Around The World

permaculture

Permayouth is a new space for young permaculture people (11–16 yo) to connect, teach and inspire each other. The Permayouth are dedicated young people who care about the future of the planet. They want to make a positive difference in the world through their everyday lives and see permaculture as a positive and practical way to achieve this.

So far, they have held permaculture camps at Crystal Waters; met online via Zoom every two weeks with me (Morag) as their mentor; have been researching plants; they have written and recorded a song; started a book club; they are writing a permaculture recipe book; and they are teaching each other about permaculture. The group is planning a presentation at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence in 2021; and will be creating youth hubs for an online Permayouth Summit, to connect with the International Permaculture Convergence in late 2021.

There is a growing group of people joining in from across Australia, the UK, Europe, Zanzibar, India and beyond. They are amazing, super keen and super friendly and love having a space to connect up with like-minded young people.

Permaculture Around The World

permaculture

Nea Guinea is a non-profit one-acre permaculture farm in Athens that models permaculture practices and offers education programs. Based here is the Mediterranean Permaschool, which offers a range of permaculture education programs for the community, for youth; and also helps organise permaculture courses for refugee camps located in Greece.

Refugee camps are built rapidly but end up being far more permanent than originally planned and are reliant on external inputs. Permaculture courses in these environments can effectively help people develop the skills to transform these camps into eco-villages. They transform their physical and social spaces, grow food, enhance collective resilience, reclaim some control over their lives and begin to heal from the trauma that brought them to the refugee camps.

Permaculture Around The World

Ecovillages, in their myriad forms, are places we can all learn practical skills for regenerative culture, and many thousands of people visit ecovillages each year to learn permaculture and related skills. The Global Ecovillage Network (www.ecovillages.org) has networked thousands of ecovillages and eco-projects around the world and has a growing solutions bank online. You can read about many communities in Ecovillage: 1001 Ways to Heal the Planet (Triarchy Press Ltd 2015), edited by Kosha Joubert.

One of the more established communities profiled is Sirius in Massachusetts. Started in 1978 by former residents of Findhorn, it has ninety acres, fourteen eco-buildings, three acres of permaculture gardens and thirty residents set within a broader eco-neighbourhood of over 150 people. Sirius regularly opens its doors to visitors with workshops, tours, internships, meals, retreats and events.