permaculture

["Marsha Hanzi" <hanzibra@svn.com.br>]

A quick note-- on the way to the Latinamenrican Permaculture Congress I had the opportunity to witness a market based on local currency ( called Red de Trueque-  exchange net).  There were some 500 or more people selling and buying foodstuffs, clothes, basic necessities, even a doctor with a waiting room, a lawyer, and an artist with her paintings.   They use their own local money and are even developiong interconnected  groups with a national level money.  It is a very vigorous movement which, according to one of the three founders, today englobes more than 200,000 people.   There are some near-bankrupt businesses which are saving their situation  by joining this net, and it certainly is being a boon for the unemployed who offer their services.  It was really incredible, getting close to be a real and significant parallel economy for Argentina.  The founders confess that they never dreamed that it would grow so tremendously in only three years, and are hoping now to bring in some  nationwide coordinantion of integrating this economy with the official one in a more efficient way...

 

Just thought you all would enjoy knowing about this success sotry.  (They are beginning in Brazil now)..

 

If you read Spanish look up Red de Trueque on the Internet-- there is some interesting information.

 

Marsha Hanzi

Instituto de Permacultura da Bahia

http.//www.geocities.com/oliarte