permaculture

[Wesley Roe and Santa Barbara Permaculture Network <lakinroe@silcom.com>]

Sustainable World Radio: Friday, 9-10 am PST, 
KCSB 91.9 FM in Santa Barbara,California. Also, 
streaming live on the web, www.kcsb.org, and 
later posted on www.ipc9.org, or www.radio4all.net.

Jill Cloutier interviews Kudzanai "Lewis" 
Mashingaidze, Director of the Fambidzanai 
Permaculture Centre in Zimbabwe, established in 
1988, one of the oldest permaculture centers in 
Africa.  Located outside of the city of Harare, 
Fambidzanai Permaculture is a training center 
involved in garden programs, food security, and 
sustainable land use parctices.  Lewis was one of 
the Africans attending the recent International 
Permaculture Convergence in Brazil 
(www.ipc8.org), making with the other African 
delegates attending, the successful bid to bring 
the next convergence to Africa in 2009.

Lewis and others hope to make this convergence 
encompass the whole continent, by training 
participants from across Africa and increasing 
the number of African countries who are 
practicing Permaculture, and improve Africa’s 
involvement in the forthcoming International Permaculture Convergence (IPC9).


<<<
Details for Lewis & Fambidzanai Permaculture 
Centre in Zimbabwe are found below, with 
information on how to help fund and assist if interested.

Contact info
Kudzanai Lewis Mashingaidze (Director)
Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre
P O Box CY301, Causeway Harare, Zimbabwe
Tell: +263-04-336151/303188 or +26391805929
Email: fambidza@yahoo.com

Donations
Banking details:
We recommend that funding partners route their 
grants through our Zambia Account with the details below:

Account Name: Pelum Association Rd-Fambidzanai
Bank Name:      Standard Chartered bank  Box 320362  Lusaka Zambia
Branch:                 Manda Hill
Type of Account:        Special current
Swift Code:             SCBL2MLX
Account Number: 8700220448900

Project Goal:           To increase Permaculture 
intervention across Africa through training in a 
Permaculture Design Course for regional participants.

Project Purpose:        To train participants 
from across Africa in a bid to increase the 
number of African countries who are practicing 
Permaculture and also improve Africa’s 
involvement in the forthcoming International 
Permaculture Convergence (IPC9) www.ipc9.org

Project Beneficiaries:  For first PDC course 
Sept/Oct 2007 At least three (3) participants 
from the following Central and Southern African 
countries: Mozambique; South Africa; Zimbabwe; 
Botswana; Swaziland; Lesotho; Namibia; Tanzania; Malawi: Zambia.

Strategic Objectives

Training of smallholder farmers, CBO’s, youth 
groups, government extension workers, and 
development workers in different levels of Permaculture course.
Demonstrating sustainable methodologies of 
farming to resource poor farmers as well as Permaculture enthusiasts.
Improving the livelihoods of vulnerable 
communities through market access of organic 
agricultural products in order to enhance economic viability.
Creating ties with communities, sister 
organizations, as well as other NGOs that work in 
the same communities as ours, so as to provide 
best practice methods of development.
To reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS and Gender 
imbalances on resource poor farmers.

Vision

We envisage Prosperous, self-sustainable, food 
secure and healthy communities practicing 
environmental friendly Permaculture systems.

Mission

Our mission is to teach and demonstrate relevant 
skills and knowledge to restore people’s 
confidence in their ability to produce off land 
while still working creatively in harmony with nature.

Outreach Concept

The main thrust of this concept is to bring 
sustainable agriculture and Permaculture as a 
reality on the ground in the harsh conditions of 
rural Zimbabwe and Africa. Evidence suggests that 
most people living in marginalized rural 
communities are resource poor, and are living in 
areas that are characterized by
by unfertile soil, erratic rainfall and insecure 
food prospects. Permaculture thus provides a 
solution to the problem of expensive 
agrochemicals, which hinder subsistence 
agriculture. Permaculture is a sustainable method 
of farming which focuses only on organic 
principles and the use of locally available 
resources. One of the principles of Permaculture 
is the marketing and selling of organic produce 
in order to improve economic viability.  Thus in 
our projects, economic growth through marketing 
and sharing of organic produce is one of our 
statutes. Above all, our main thrust is to 
improve the livelihoods of vulnerable communities 
in promoting food security and also in improving 
the economic standards of smallholder farmers. As 
a result of this concept, all of our projects 
focus on outcomes that result in positive 
behaviour change and holistic development for our project beneficiaries.

Introduction and Background To The Project

Permaculture and sustainable agriculture in 
Africa have been dynamic concepts which have been 
discussed at large but have not been braced by 
many of the continent’s inhabitants. It is 
without doubt that it is one of Africa’s 
solutions towards better livelihoods and most 
actors in development work, in governments and 
the private sectors have advocated for the 
practice and application of Permaculture 
principles. More than often African countries 
have been practicing these principles through 
default measures which have been embedded in 
traditional agricultural practices. Despite this 
development, many African countries have 
Permaculture enthusiasts who are practicing 
Permaculture interventions but these people are 
sprouted randomly across the continent, with only 
a few organizations being recognized along 
international circles. In this respect, Africa 
has received the news of the coming of the Ninth 
International Permaculture Convergence (IPC9) to 
Africa with great optimism. The IPC presents 
tremendous opportunities for African Permaculture 
stakeholders to discuss Permaculture issues among 
themselves and with the other stakeholders across 
the world. Thus positive changes in terms of 
Permaculture awareness and implementation are set 
for Africa after hosting the IPC9 so much that 
there is urgent need for countries to fully participate in this convergence.

Statement Of The Problem/Problem Analysis

In the light of the above context outlined in the 
introduction, it has been realized that there are 
very few people in Africa who hold any recognized 
Permaculture certificates, yet having a 
Permaculture certificate is a pre-requisite for 
attending the IPC. More over it has also been 
realized that Africa is currently facing 
environmental problems which could be addressed 
by practicing Permaculture, yet few of the 
continent’s dwellers are fully implementing the 
concept. Thus this project seeks to address the following problems:

·       Assisting Permaculture enthusiasts across 
Africa with a basis to attend the IPC9 through 
training       and awarding course participants 
with a Permaculture design certificate, which is 
a pre-requisite       of the convergence.

·       To address issues to do with 
environmental degradation which have caused 
various livelihood     problems across the continent.

·       Raising awareness among the general 
populace of the importance and benefits (health 
and         environmental) of adopting Permaculture systems within our society.

·       Issues to do with capacity development in 
terms of the principles of Permaculture and 
the       spreading of the concept across Africa.

·       Introducing sustainable agriculture as an 
accepted and appreciated system among the 
producers,  buyers and consumers in the agriculture sector.

·       Addressing dietary inadequacy among 
HIV/AIDS infected and affected people.


Justification Of The Project

The main thrust of this project lies in ensuring 
that Permaculture enthusiasts across Africa will 
get the opportunity to attend a land mark event 
within Permaculture circles. The advent of the 
IPC9 to Africa gives a chance for Permaculture 
stakeholders across the continent to meet and 
learn more about how to implement the concept. 
Thus it is imperative for active involvement of 
various participants from different corners of 
the continent, but however, this aim is being 
hampered by the fact that not many people in 
Africa hold a certificate in Permaculture design. 
With this development, it will mean that not many 
people will be able to attend the convergence and 
thus limiting the room for positive impact. This 
project thus seeks to reduce the risk of minimum 
participation through addressing the need to 
train possible in a Permaculture design course 
that will leave participants with a greater 
understanding and appreciation of Permaculture.

Apart from the increased participation in the 
convergence, training courses in Permaculture 
design will contribute towards several other 
positive impacts. In the light of rampant 
socio-economic and environmental problems being 
experienced in the continent, Permaculture poses 
an opportunity to move towards better livelihoods 
for the African person. Considering the 
unprecedented climate changes, the continued 
degradation of the environment through issues 
such as air and water pollution, erosion and 
gully formation; considering also the social 
problems Africa is facing which includes high 
prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and 
unfair trade opportunities for producers, the 
continent is in need of a sustainability plan 
which will look into saving the society’s rich 
source of livelihood- the land. Knowledge in 
Permaculture through training will provide 
certain solutions in terms of environmental 
sustainability which lie in areas such as the 
harmonious integration of man and nature.

The green revolution of the 1970s promoted 
increased yields using a model of industrial 
agriculture defined as monoculture, which 
required massive amounts of both fertilizer and 
pesticide as well as multiplied purchases of 
seed. This approach is now causing problems 
within the continent through its unprecedented 
consequences of extensive soil degradation and 
water pollution from the pesticides and 
fertilizers. The revolution caused serious 
environmental problems to various ‘south’ 
countries including small holder farmers in Asia 
and Latin America who could not afford to 
purchase the fertilizers, pesticides and water 
necessary for the hybrid seed. To pay their 
debts, the farmers had to resort to selling their 
most valuable asset - their land. Thus Africa’s 
diverse ecological systems, and even more diverse 
farming systems, require multiple initiatives, 
from intercropping to Permaculture, from 
respecting the traditional knowledge to training 
and equipping the continent with more knowledge on sustainable agriculture.

In addition, with all the benefits that come from 
adopting Permaculture systems, it is of paramount 
importance that the general African public 
(producers, consumers, processors, health 
practitioners, media etc) be made conscious of 
the goodness that comes out of Permaculture. 
Placing an emphasis on awareness through the 
attention and media coverage that comes through 
hosting an international convergence will present 
a situation where people will be enlighted of the 
benefits of Permaculture.  These benefits in the 
form of soil improvements, natural and ecological 
maintenance, cost effective farming with low 
external inputs and healthy crop produce will 
positively affect the ordinary subsistence farmer 
as well as other artisans who live off the land. 
This world wide movement will also present a 
possibility for policy-makers to become skewed 
towards Permaculture friendly policies in a bid for sustainability.

The IPC is a convergence of various people with 
different levels of knowledge in Permaculture and 
sustainable agriculture. Thus this project seeks 
to enhance the capacity for Africans in general 
to become more competent to contribute in the 
convergence and beyond, with ideas and notions 
that will be accepted as practical solutions 
towards continental and global improvements of 
Permaculture. Hence this training is strategic 
for Africa as it stands as the stepping stone 
which will initiate a continental movement 
towards sustainability and set the ball rolling 
for further developments along Permaculture lines 
to surface. The end result of the project is a 
situation Permaculture has become as an accepted 
and appreciated concept across the continent, 
resulting in improved livelihoods and environmental sustainability for Africa.

Project Description

The basic concept of the project aims at 
enhancing the capacities and knowledge base of 
Permaculture practice in the continent and this 
is going to be done through strategic training in 
Permaculture design courses. This training is 
going to be conducted at Fambidzanai Permaculture 
Training centre in Zimbabwe with consultants 
coming in from different areas of the continent 
and abroad. Three participants from Ten Southern 
African countries will receive the initial 
training in Zimbabwe, and then these participants 
will go and pioneer Permaculture programmes, so 
that the Permaculture practice spreads in their 
countries. This wave of Permaculture information 
dissemination will provide a sufficient base for 
the continent to have adequate numbers of people 
participating in the forthcoming IPC9. Also true, 
Permaculture implementation will improve across 
the continent because of the hype that will come 
from hosting the convergence, resulting in 
improved environmental sustainability.

The project will be implemented using a 
Results-Based Project Cycle Management 
Framework.  This is a team based and 
participatory approach and philosophy to project 
management that emphasizes on development results 
in planning, monitoring, reporting, learning and evaluation.

Project Objectives

The Goal; To increase Permaculture intervention 
across Africa through training in a Permaculture 
Design Course for participants within the continent.

The Purpose; To train participants from across 
Africa in a bid to increase the number of African 
countries who are practicing Permaculture and 
also improve Africa’s involvement in the 
forthcoming International Permaculture Convergence (IPC9)

Overall Impact

Increased application and appreciation of 
Permaculture across the continent of Africa, 
resulting in improved livelihoods for the general African people.

Outcomes

·Increased number of African Permaculture 
enthusiasts holding a recognized certificate in 
Permaculture (Permaculture design course) and 
increased participation in the IPC9.
·Improved implementation of Permaculture 
principles across the continent of Africa.
·Improved environmental sustainability through 
practicing environmentally friendly Permaculture principles.
·Improved dietary diversity and health standards 
through the consumption of healthy crops, leading 
to better nutrition for HIV/AIDS infected and affected people.

Training

This will be a very critical component of the 
project cycle since information will be rendered 
to all stakeholders so that certain outcomes can 
be achieved. The continent will be divided into 
four sectors which are Southern Africa; east and 
Central Africa, West Africa and North Africa. The 
initial training (phase one) will involve the 
training of at least three (3) participants from 
ten (10) Southern African countries. These 
participants will be trained at Fambidzanai 
Permaculture centre in Zimbabwe and consultancy 
will be done by different Facilitators from 
Africa and the world over. After receiving 
training, the participants will draft action 
plans on how they will pioneer Permaculture 
programmes in their respective countries. 
Fambidzanai, with its involvement in the IPC8, 
and its valuable experience as a Permaculture 
institute since 1988, has a demonstration site on 
the centre and these factors have facilitated the 
need for trainings to be held at Fambidzanai so 
that all participants get to grasp concepts with a practical appreciation.

More over, as Fambidzanai, issues of HIV/AIDS are 
of great importance to us so much that most of 
our training curricula possess connotations of 
HIV/AIDS training. Our focus on nutrition and 
dietary diversity are more centered towards 
PLWHAs and this will also be echoed throughout 
the training, in this project. Another area that 
we specialize in, as an organization is the use 
of herbs and their medicinal functions for both 
the infected and affected, which will be another 
area that we seek to look into during the project implementation.

The training for the continent as mentioned 
earlier will comprise of different phases that 
have been structured according to the four 
regional sectors of Africa and each phase will 
have a budget of its own. Thus it is important to 
note that the following budget will be for the 
first phase of training, i.e. Southern Africa. 
However the calendar proposed for all the trainings is as follows:

Southern Africa : September-October 2007
East and Central Africa : February-March 2008
West Africa: May- June 2008
North Africa : September-October 2008