Aussie permaculture expert to share farming know-how with Cebuanos

CEBU, Philippines – A Permaculture expert from Australia will be in Cebu in November to provide know-how on this new farming system especially on organic farming method.

The crash-course on Permaculture will be organized by Permaculture Action Asia (PERMAA), a brand new non-government organization (NGO) whose focus is on introducing and promoting Permaculture.

Permaculture, possibly the most advanced method of organic agriculture, is a system to create sustainable human environments. It also aims to create stable productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with people.

While in the past, one would need to travel to USA or Australia to learn Permaculture with the added expenses of airfares, food and accommodation, now developers, farmers, environmentalists and gardeners interested in learning the fast spreading design system have the luxury of learning here in our home town.

PERMAA, which has a headquarters in Cebu, provides Permaculture education, consultancy, and reforestation services using Permaculture principles for clients around Asia and the Pacific.

PERMAA's charitable programs include teaching the poor about Permaculture and manage more than 10 demonstration sites around Cebu province.

The flagship demo site, Cebu Eco-Culture Club, is a 60 hectare timberland lease from DENR in the hills of Cebu City (Pardo) that showcases the five zones of Permaculture from the home to farm to forest.

The site also has 40 squatter families, who will become its first program beneficiaries who will remain on the land and implement Permaculture in family home gardens and small plots, and serve as a model eco-village community.

The Australian Permaculture expert Greg Knibbs will lead the introduction of Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course that will be held on November in the first two weeks of November (Nov. 1-13).

The Permaculture Research Institute accredited 72-hour curriculum that is designed to fit local environments, cultures, and ecologies of the participants involved, encouraging each student to become teachers for permaculture systems.

The PERMAA statement indicated that advocates of organic farming know that benefits of greater nutrition, better taste, and chemical-free food are achieved through organic methods of cultivation.

However organic farming done as a monoculture, or also known as industrial farming, still has negative effects on the environment and our food supply.

Among the negative effects are soil erosion, pests, and ecological imbalance. Soil erosion or top soil reduction occurs if a crop, for instance, is grown on the same location for a certain time.

Permaculture creates a new complete ecology and therefore is a sustainable and balanced method for organic farming and can include the human home, animals, aquacultures, plants, animals, among other elements. Permaculture certainly produces safe and healthy food on every table.

The PDC course covers systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development and crosses many disciplines, including forestry, architecture, geology, biology, agriculture, aquaculture among others. Students would come from agriculture, architecture, developers, aquaculture, and among many other fields. (FREEMAN)