About the Pilot
permEzone's goal is to promote the development of sustainable food systems by training farmers in permaculture techniques and empowering these farmers to help each other with continuing support services and a new mobile phone platform.
Read the original concept note (link opens a pdf) from the Permaculture Research Institute, Kenya, to find out what we're aiming to achieve with this initial program.
Read the original concept note (link opens a pdf) from the Permaculture Research Institute, Kenya, to find out what we're aiming to achieve with this initial program.
The permEzone program is designed to work with these existing resources:
Context
In the developing world, many farmers are still taught conventional farming techniques by governments or the private sector. These techniques, such as mono-cropping or reliance on toxic pesticides, have well-documented problems, including:
Why Permaculture?
Yields from agro-ecological farming can exceed those from conventional farming, without the associated problems. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has stated, "Agroecology … is an approach that will help to address the challenge of ending hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, in the context of the climate change adaptation needed." (1)
Permaculture combines the regenerative practice of agroecology with design skills, including techniques such as water catchment and passive solar. Students learn an accessible conceptual framework to guide the application of systems thinking to problem-solving for each unique situation a farmer faces. Permaculture can empower farmers to create their own solutions to local problems - solutions that make the most of local knowledge to build eco-social resilience and work for the long-term benefit of the community.
We surveyed 50 permaculture training centers, in countries defined by the World Bank as ‘less-developed’, to gauge their interest in participating in a permEzone pilot. 27 centers expressed an interest in participating.
Why support the pilot?
A pilot will be an essential opportunity to develop and evaluate the program. Specific areas we want to refine are:
Pilot program, started June 2017
The pilot, initially coordinated by the Permaculture Research Institute, Kenya, aims to work in collaboration with established training centers in East Africa.
The first phase of the pilot program in Kenya was implemented by Community Mobilisation for Regenerative Agriculture (C-MRA). The potential benefits are expected to include:
The third phase of the pilot program in Kenya is being implemented by Community Mobilisation for Regenerative Agriculture (C-MRA), making the most of their experience of the first phase in Kenya, and this time working with 30 lead farmers in Kisa West, Kakamega County, also in SW Kenya directly benefiting 600 farmers, their families and community during the two years of the program. The two-year project started with the farmers' training in February 2021.
Over time, the pilot is allowing us to develop the permEzone program, create training and extension resources for future use, and document the program's potential to empower people in impoverished rural communities to work together to build resilience and improve the lives of current and future generations.
A key objective of our 3rd pilot is to develop new organizational structures and funding sources to see the program become locally-based, locally owned, and in due course, fully self-funding.
- Working with the network of regional permaculture training centers to help rural communities build their own efficient, sustainable and ecologically regenerative food systems.
- The ubiquitous cellphone, which is an effective tool to share information in isolated rural areas and can be a great asset in reaching resource-poor communities.
Context
In the developing world, many farmers are still taught conventional farming techniques by governments or the private sector. These techniques, such as mono-cropping or reliance on toxic pesticides, have well-documented problems, including:
- Widespread degradation of soil and water resources.
- Fragmentation of communities and increasing poverty and inequality.
- A growing crisis due the combined impact of unsustainable farming practices on the natural systems on which all life depends.
Why Permaculture?
Yields from agro-ecological farming can exceed those from conventional farming, without the associated problems. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has stated, "Agroecology … is an approach that will help to address the challenge of ending hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, in the context of the climate change adaptation needed." (1)
Permaculture combines the regenerative practice of agroecology with design skills, including techniques such as water catchment and passive solar. Students learn an accessible conceptual framework to guide the application of systems thinking to problem-solving for each unique situation a farmer faces. Permaculture can empower farmers to create their own solutions to local problems - solutions that make the most of local knowledge to build eco-social resilience and work for the long-term benefit of the community.
We surveyed 50 permaculture training centers, in countries defined by the World Bank as ‘less-developed’, to gauge their interest in participating in a permEzone pilot. 27 centers expressed an interest in participating.
Why support the pilot?
A pilot will be an essential opportunity to develop and evaluate the program. Specific areas we want to refine are:
- Making the most of existing resources, the training centers and mobile phones;
- Building synergies around communities of practice;
- Evaluating the potential to empower rural communities to live healthy lives in a healthy environment;
- Defining long term options for the program, which could include social enterprises to strengthen communities, such as food hubs and group purchasing.
Pilot program, started June 2017
The pilot, initially coordinated by the Permaculture Research Institute, Kenya, aims to work in collaboration with established training centers in East Africa.
The first phase of the pilot program in Kenya was implemented by Community Mobilisation for Regenerative Agriculture (C-MRA). The potential benefits are expected to include:
- 10 lead farmers, representing the farmers in their network, have received a permaculture design course, based on a curriculum that they have helped to create. Over the 24-months of the pilot program, they are being supported in creating 10 model farms, and sharing their knowledge and experience with other farmers in their community.
- 250 farmers will eventually receive training by extension and peer-to peer education over the initial 2-year period and beyond, and will help to trial a mobile phone platform to support extension work.
- Over 1000 household dependents will benefit from improved food security and cooperative practices that help build more resilient local economies.
The third phase of the pilot program in Kenya is being implemented by Community Mobilisation for Regenerative Agriculture (C-MRA), making the most of their experience of the first phase in Kenya, and this time working with 30 lead farmers in Kisa West, Kakamega County, also in SW Kenya directly benefiting 600 farmers, their families and community during the two years of the program. The two-year project started with the farmers' training in February 2021.
Over time, the pilot is allowing us to develop the permEzone program, create training and extension resources for future use, and document the program's potential to empower people in impoverished rural communities to work together to build resilience and improve the lives of current and future generations.
A key objective of our 3rd pilot is to develop new organizational structures and funding sources to see the program become locally-based, locally owned, and in due course, fully self-funding.
Reference
(1) UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. Prof Hilal Elver, reported in The Ecologist magazine: http://tinyurl.com/mrt3vaw
(1) UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. Prof Hilal Elver, reported in The Ecologist magazine: http://tinyurl.com/mrt3vaw