Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 7 – Ringo in Afghanistan Part III
‘Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker’ is a weekly podcast show from PRI Australia aimed at documenting the experiences of people out in the field and making more information available about what’s happening in the Permaculture world.
In Episode 7 I’m speaking to Paul ‘Ringo’ Kean who has been working on an aid project in Afghanistan.
Click play to hear the interview – and photo-commentary below:
Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker, Episode 7 - Ringo in Afghanistan Part IIISubscribe to Confessions of a Permaculture Aid Worker.
Preparing to make compost using Paul Taylor’s method.
45% Carbon, 35% Nitrogen, 20% Manure.
Giving the compost its first turn 4 days after the start.
Nice and warm but not over 65 deg.
An afternoon deluge. No rain water run-off control in Kabul. 100’s of
tonnes of rubble are washed into the main road ways after every rain
event. A real need for Keyline design across the whole country.
On the final leg of wiring the steel work on the 20,000L
tank before rendering the walls
The tank with inside and outside walls rendered,
along with the entire Afghani team
The newly converted nursery now houses chickens and a worm farm.
Still enough room for nursery use
Local metal worker and his brother with their version of a weather vain
designed and donated to the project by Ringo. This will sit atop the
20,000L ferro cement tank so weather patterns can be recorded daily.
Construction of the compost toilet. Looking from the rear at the
service hatches to each chamber.
G’day,
Great work Ringo….the tank looks like the one’s we built with our friends in Viet Nam where welded reinforcing mesh is not available…Ringo was there then and here in Afghanistan he’s used that and his many other great, usually self-funded experiences to the benefit of others: a true humanitarian and highly capable human who’d be on my team any day.
All the very best mate,
Darren
GO Ringo! :)
the compost recipe of 45% Carbon, 35% Nitrogen, 20% Manure is certainly not ” the paul taylor method”. its been around for years!!
Thanks for your comment Greg.I should have clarified that.
It was from Paul Taylor’s teachings that I found this method to be very productive and quick and a process people in developing countries can try and have excellant success with to build soil fertility.
On my return to Afghanistan I will teach the team to make compost tea from the finished product of this composting process.