November 2008

Landshare project - connecting people and land

Submitted by auto transfer on 26 November 2008 - 5:36pm

The Landshare project and website is helping to connect people and land for food growing

If you need some land to grow food or would like someone else to grow food for you on your own land, why not register with the landshare project?

http://landshare.channel4.com/

The idea was sparked when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall met with people growing food in other people's gardens and on other peoples land. He met people working as a part of the Transition Towns initiative in Totnes and the "Incredible Edible" mission in Todmorden - see links below.

A website has been created which allows people to register either land or a wish to grow food so that people can be connected in their local areas so that available land can be used to grow food within their communities.

This website may help anyone wanting to put permaculture design and growing into practice by helping you to find land to do this on.

Read more at http://www.rivercottage.net/landshare/

See also:

Todmorden: http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.com/
Totnes: http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/gardenshare/home

 

 

 

Permaculture Design Course in Ethiopia

Submitted by auto transfer on 11 November 2008 - 4:18pm

Permaculture Design Course in Ethiopia

Full Certified 72h Permaculture Design Course to be given in Konso Special Wareda, SNNPRS, Ethiopia, lead by Mr Tichafa Makovere Shumba, hosted by Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge.

01 – 13 December, 2008.

(Contact Alex for more information: alex1mcc[at]yahoo.com)

Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge (SFEL) hosts Mr Tichafa Shumba Makovere, as resident Permaculture trainer, in Konso, southern Ethiopia, bringing his skills and experience from Southern Africa to aid the fledgling movement in Ethiopia (from December 2008). SFEL is a concept in applied community development: a sustainable business integrating an eco-lodge, farm, and Permaculture training facility. SFEL provides training for paying participants, who’s fees facilitate free training for local stakeholders. Our resident trainer, Mr Tichafa, grew up in rural Zimbabwe. He is trained in education, synergistic agriculture and permaculture design and has practised Permaculture for 14 years in Zimbabwe, as well as more recently in Malawi.

Ethiopia should be the breadbasket of Africa, but has suffered repeated famines and food crises, due to bad agricultural practices, poor administration and erratic climactic trends. It is actually a land of huge ecological wealth, hosting five distinct agro-climactic zones, ranging from alpine to desert, and is one of the nine Vavilov centers of origin for genetic diversity of crops. It is home to over seventy ethnic and cultural groups, perhaps most remarkable of which are the Kushitic people of Konso; a land of dusky majesty strung across the bowl of the southern Great Rift Valley. Konso has a semi-arid (k’olla) ecology, with sorghum, maize and sunflower as major crops. The people are well known for their hard work, complex social organisation and sophisticated agriculture, which makes extensive use of stone wall terracing for soil and water conservation. However, Konso has faced food crises (including this year) due to a growing population and increasingly frequent droughts.

SFEL runs its next PDC from December 1st to 13th in Karat Konso. 6 places are open to guest participants. The course fee is $1000 (or equivalent in UKP, ETB or Euro) and includes food and accommodation on the site for 13 days.