Permaculture in Brazil
Monday 13th June 2005
Ali Sherif
Format: Power Point presentation of mainly photographs, open forum questions at end.
Summary
PAL, Permacultura América Latina, founded in 1989 to bring Permaculture to Latin America. In Brazil there are now six institutions, the three main ones being:
- IPA, Instituto Permacultura da Amazônica, 1998, in the massive State of Amazonas
- IPEC, Instituto de Permacultura e Ecovilas do Cerrado, 2000, in central savannah dry zone, suffered from 98% deforestation.
- IPEP, Instituto de Permacultura e Ecovilas dos Pampas, recently established, in Southern Savannah, introducing rice farming from Japan and S.E. Asia
Key Points
- The main focus is to train young leaders in critical sustainable technology skills to transform their communities and our world.
- Taught 38 PDCs this year, extending the two week format to include leadership, NGO management, accounting, public speaking and computer skills.
- The NGO role in this process is essential to allow communication between community level development and the private business sector.
- Most funding now comes from private American philanthropists.
- 26,400 Km2 deforested in 2004 and increasing. If the human skin is burnt more than 35% the system cannot repair itself, the damage to the rainforest of Brazil as at 25% and growing fast.
- Projects to prove sustainable development of the rainforest is possible and productive including:
- Palm Oil initiative (Atellea phalerata Babaço) 650 families to be producing fuel, soap and cooking oil;
- Clean drinking water initiative: rain water storage and compost toilets away from ground water contamination potential
- Zero Hunger programme – development of a 700m2 pond based productive food system of fish, chickens, pigs etc
- Damming for fish production as higher financial gain and lower environmental affect of cattle
- Sand bag building techniques – virtually free, simple and strong
- Solar systems to heat water for over 100 people for initial input of $100-200
- Close work with Brazilian Army!
[ Scribe: Hannah Thorogood ]