permaculture

["Gaian Life" <eco@gaianlife.co.uk>]

YES!
Organic Perspectives is a group from Kamuli District, Uganda, and they are 
about to set up a seed bank and demonstration nursery with the guidance of 
the UK based business Gaian Life (which I own). They have tree seeds being 
sent over from the New Forests Project and we hope to help them expand to a 
level where they can act as a tree seed distribution point for all of 
Uganda. Gaian Life's participation in this is to provide the seeds, 
eco-technology and necessary expertise to allow the farmers to start to 
implement permaculture systems on their farms in order to increase their 
standard of living as well as food security.
Surveys of the farmers in Uganda started yesterday to allow us to find out 
exactly what needs they wish us to address. By the end of this week  we will 
also be sending seeds to smooth their transition to organic methods...ie 
natural pesticides Derris (rotenone), Tobacco (nicotine) and several green 
manure and living mulch species. The use of nicotine is not approved for 
Organic production under Soil Association guidelines, but as people's lives 
depend on this we have decided to use natural pesticides as an extreme 
measures backup until the local numbers of beneficial organisms can build up 
to an extent where pest problems won't ocur on a large scale.
We are planning to be over in Uganda around Dec-Jan to teach groups of 
farmers how to use passive solar for things like crop drying and black water 
sterilisation etc, so maybe this would be the kind of thing you are 
interested in or perhaps you would be more interested in helping with the 
teaching nursery?
You can contact me at eco@gaianlife.co.uk and also check out the website at 
www.gaianlife.co.uk. The project has its own web-page at 
www.gaianlife.co.uk/organicperspectives

Hope that whets your appetitite a bit!
Cheers
Helen