[permaculture] Permaculture in development
christopher nesbitt
christopher.nesbitt at mmrfbz.org
Thu Jul 16 11:17:28 EDT 2009
Hi Chris,
We have done four annual PDCs in Belize, and try to have a good mix of
local and international students. We have received funding for
training local students from Protected Area Conservation Trust.
We have trained seven extension officers from Belize's Ministry of
Agriculture, six farmers and twelve extension officers from local and
international NGOs and local producer groups. This has yet to
materialize into a policy change in agriculture, but it has been
thought provoking.
This year we had students from Trinidad and Mexico attend the PDC,
local students from the district, and students from US, UK and Canada.
It was a very good course. Following that we had a group of 15 farmers
from neighboring Guatemala, and they are coming back for a two week
internship, which will focus on permaculture practices, which really
do apply well to subsistence farmers in the lowland humid tropics.
We also got funding from UNDP this year for a course on photovoltaic
design and installation.
I see permaculture gaining ground, especially if we can promote it on
more scientific levels, with sound reasoning, atoms, molecules, cause
and effect, quantifiable tangibles, pointing to the increased
efficiency and fostering of food security, and less of the purple
breathing cultural acquisition (or interpretation and projections) of
paradigms and cosmology of indigenous people that indigenous people
themselves often do not have, which has marginalized permaculture in
development circles as being "hippy farming".
Best wishes,
Christopher
On Jul 16, 2009, at 12:48 AM, Chris Wardle wrote:
> I'm conscious that there are a lot of good local NGOs incorporating
> permaculture into their activities and the existence of education
> programmes
> in relation to this topic.
> However, I was wondering if list members point me to any evidence of
> permaculture being taken up and implemented by INGOs, UN agencies,
> or at a
> policy level by Governments and line ministries?
> Thanks in anticipation,
> Chris Wardle.
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_____________________________
Christopher Nesbitt
Maya Mountain Research Farm
San Pedro Columbia, Toledo
PO 153 Punta Gorda Town, Toledo
BELIZE,
Central America
www.mmrfbz.org
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