Peace Corps Permaculture 2008
Thoughts and Musings
Peter Jensen
Permaculture Specialist
Permaculture and Bio-Intensive Gardening can and should be a cross sectoral program for all PCVs to be engaged in and trained in. For sure, the Health and Environment Volunteers will have greater daily use of the methods in their overall work plan, but the Education Volunteers can also find value in learning and teaching these methods as a means of community integration as well as to put in practice in school gardens.
Permaculture can be the vehicle by which all PCVs, regardless of sector, can be effective HIV Educators. Small, doable, actions are the key to recordable and sustainable behavior change. Permaculture can be done in small, meaningful ways and uses only local tools and plants. No outside money is required. In fact, if villagers get the idea that you must have a grant to do permaculture, then we have failed to properly transfer the idea.
As they say, “If a man has $5, he will find a $5 solution. If a man has $500 he will find a $500 dollar solution. If a man has no money…he will find a way regardless – if he really wants to.” We must instill in people that they can find a way which costs little to no money. That is the niche of the PCV, and we should exploit it through permaculture. After all, gardeners have been able to increase their yields by 500% by working smarter, not necessarily harder, using only local tools and seeds and manures and plants.
A key theme in Permaculture is the “guild” – a grouping of symbiotically beneficial plants. The guild can be seen (and taught) as a metaphor for sustainable, stable, healthy and supportive families. A guild can also be likened to a village with different people playing different roles to gain a stronger more viable community. As example: A papaya tree growing alone will give fruit. That is all. But, if we also grow aloe, lemongrass, matembele around its base, we will get more food from the same space than had we planted these plants as individuals. And they will be stronger for the shade and water generated by the papaya. Essentially, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. This is a useful message for any PCV to deliver.
Principles of Permaculture according to sector:
Health: PCVs can highlight nutrition, income generation, sustainable living, household nutrition and food security for PLWH, etc.
Environment: Environmental and watershed management (Bio-Intensive can also work on the 1-2 acre farm scale), environmental education with primary students in school gardens or after school clubs, Income generation with school leavers, and food security for PLWHA, etc.
Education: School gardens for nutrition and income, community integration for all teachers (not just PCV) through garden outreach on weekends and holidays, HIV education – best place to talk about the future is in the garden caring and nurturing plants.
“Bustani ya Tumaini”
These gardens encompass three major themes which have direct relevance to behavior change: Control (of environment, water, soil, and by extension, their own lives); Accomplishment (income, more food from a small manageable space); and Hope (a reason to want to think about the future and thereby become more willing to alter risky behaviors). A young man, now with the tools of permaculture in his hands, can see a way to earn money, to eat better, to buy a cell phone, a motorcycle, whatever. He now has a reason to be hopeful for the future. Seems like a leap – but I assure you I have seen it.
Special Permaculture Trainings
PST:
All PCVs should develop an understanding of food issues. Knowing about the basic crops and foods is very important and many will get this as part of homestay for sure. As they say, 85% of Tanzanians grow some or all of their own food; 100% of Tanzanians eat food. Serious attention to household food security must be part of any training irregardless of sector.
Environment/Health:
PCVs could receive an in-depth (2.5 day) hands-on plus overall theory workshop as part of PST. Following “Shadow” towards the end of PST, few PCTs are motivated to go back to the CBT classroom for more sessions. They have seen what it is like out there, perhaps even the region where they will be living, and will be more motivated to do some hands on garden work. As Environment is combined with Health, it would be better numbers wise to do these separately; first environment, then health or vice versa.
Education:
Might not need a full 2.5 day workshop with this group, though why not? Again, taking place after ‘Shadow’ when motivation is waning for normal sessions would be my suggestion.
Early in PST, (and this could apply to Env/He as well), a showing of the “Window of Hope” DVD to highlight the powerful role that teachers play as role models could be coupled with an overview of PEPFAR, HIV terms (VCT, PMTCT, PLWHA, Prevalence, trends, statistics), and a thorough discussion of the RVID “cycle” (The Roles of the Volunteer in Development being – Learner, Co-Facilitator, Facilitator, Trainer, Mentor… Learner…) so that the PCT begins to see his/her role is one that goes beyond the classroom and encompasses overall community development (here comes the “guild as metaphor” bit) which can be Permaculture/Gardening Trainer. The message must be delivered and received that PCVs are not just teachers of math, biology, the environment or community health, but also HIV prevention and care.
In-Service Training
For Env/He it has worked well to combine a 3-day hands-on permaculture training as part of the regular sectoral ISTs. It should take place when the counterparts have arrived. For Education, a one day supplement would be sufficient. At the end of the training, (particularly for Env/HE) participants will be able to see clear, doable results in the form of a completed model garden which they can they go back and replicate in their own communities.
Site Visits
Three to six months after IST, site visits would be made to those PCVs who have shown serious interest in extension and outreach and who could benefit from one-on-one consultation.
Reporting
Report forms should be developed/modified to include sections on number of visits by villagers to PCV demo gardens as well as one-on-one, in-farm or in-garden consultations that PCVs make to the homes of PLWHA, OVC, and just plain folks. Narrative description of work included in the report form. This need not be lengthy, nor a completely separate form.