Permaculture Design Certificate Course, Ethiopia, June 7 – 17, 2010

The ‘master plan’ concept is alive and well in Ethiopia – allowing low-income
locals to have their permaculture training subsidised through the tuition fees
of western students, who in turn benefit from indigenous wisdom
and exciting cultural immersion

You are invited to book on the Permaculture Design Course to be held in Konso, Ethiopia: Permaculture for the Rural African Environment – oriented towards food security development for rural communities and lead by Tichafa Makovere; Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge: June 7 – 17, 2010.

Tichafa Makovere, lead trainer for the re-SCOPE (Regional Permaculture in Schools and Colleges) initiative and the Fimbadzanai Permaculture Centre in Zimbabwe, is to lead a 10-day residential PDC (English language medium) in Konso, South Ethiopia in June 2010. This PDC focuses on application of Permaculture to semi arid environments in rural Africa, of particular relevance to those wanting to apply PC in the rural developing world. Attention is given to appropriate technology, soil and water harvesting, indigenous knowledge systems and Permaculture in schools as a key focus point for the community, and a chance to influence the coming generation.

We use SFEL’s model PC site as the primary example for demonstration, as well as visiting implementation sites on our Permaculture in Konso Schools Project (PKSP) for design examples. We also look at Konso’s renowned indigenous agricultural system and the incorporation of IKS (Indigenous Knowledge Systems) into Permaculture Design. We can also include day-long field-trips to wet-highland Afro-montaine, wet-tropical lowland and dry agro-pastoral lowland agro-climactic zones, upon request, and can incorporate design examples from these environments into the PDC.

Konso itself is a food insecure area in southern Ethiopia, sitting in the bowl of the Great Rift Valley. It 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.

Course Cost is $650 for those registering by 01 May (with a $100 deposit) and $700 there-after (there is a 50% discount for self-financing Ethiopians). The fee includes two weeks accommodation with food in the lodge but excludes transport to Konso.

• Course Curriculum (Word doc)
• Tichafa Maovere Shumba’s (Trainer) CV (Word doc)

More pictures here. Find out more about permaculture here.

Booking and Enquiries to: info (at) permalodge.org