Permaculture Plus

The last few weeks have been amazing. I have finished my Permaculture Design Certificate and now am itching to find a project to do. Luckily, a lot of people are open to an idea that costs little and produces a lot of food. So far I've met a farmer in Mgongo slums outside of Mombasa who is keen to have his farm revamped and another volunteer conservation officer who wants some advice on his shamba in Watamu (just north of Mombasa). So I hope to work with them in the next few days to develop a plan for their properties. Fun!

The rocket stove.

The course itself was incredible. Every day I woke up excited about learning the next bit of information we were going over. We had a demonstration of making a rocket stove, learned a lot about biogas, went over different strategies for different climates and designed a demonstration plot for the Nyumbani Village, where we were staying. That among two weeks of other information, which I'm sure you'll all hear about in the future. It was really interesting doing the more theoretical part of permaculture after having already worked on a few projects. I came away with a better understanding of the principles of permaculture and really excited to put them into practice in many aspects of my life (and other people's properties).

There were 47 people in the course, 11 westerners, 10 Liberians, and the rest from different parts of Kenya and Tanzania. It made for interesting conversations concerning the meaning of wealth, different cultural beliefs and how to grow food.

The maize field, and probably the extent of its growth.

Where we stayed in Nyumbani Village was nice. The Village has had a lot of money put into it from the Vatican amongst other sponsors so it was unlike anything else I'd seen in Kenya. The infrastructure was amazing, but though there have been many permaculture courses held there, it hasn't really taken off among the families. Instead maize is still being mono-cropped and with the dry season coming up things don't look good. Luckily the village offers subsidies of food from their permacultural areas (which are thriving) so there is still enough food for the community to eat.

One of the definitions of permaculture that came up was -- a design science surrounding human settlements and the environment. It seems every time I try to explain it to someone new I come up with a different explanation, so I'll leave you with this definition until I see you all again.