Kitchen garden in winter flush

Maungaraeeda Permaculture Demonstration site: property update

With Tom away teaching a PDC in Vanuatu, lots of jobs are being industriously done by our wwoofers and volunteers. We have made a rocket stove for the chill space to be warm in winter, the food forest had a small “chop and drop” done, and twice a week we make cream. We get around 2 litres of cream a week, one litre we make butter with, the other litre we enjoy with various yummy dishes! I have taken some pictures to show some of the jobs done here on site, and also how lovely everything is starting to look this time of year, with the winter flush starting!  Continue reading

3 Weeks later we have a green scape using natural products, local waste and  natural systems: 'trust nature'.

Permaculture first: regenerating a mine site with a food forest in Laos, by Paul Taylor

The old mine site, heavily compacted over acid producing material, capped with 3 mts of compacted clay and 500mm of very poor soil

The old mine site, heavily compacted over acid producing material, capped with 3 mts of compacted clay and 500mm of very poor soil

Paul Taylor was in Laos in January, working on regenerating a mine site by focusing on soil improvement and planting a food forest. Here you will find his photo diary of the steps they went through to achieve this.  Continue reading

Our road floods on both sides of our property.

Prepared for disaster

Our road floods on both sides of our property.

Our road floods on both sides of our property.

Disaster is a word that strikes fear into most people. We usually believe disaster is out of our control. The actual happening of the disaster may be out of our control, but how we deal with it and how we come out the other end, is fully in our control. Last weekend we had a major rain event here, from an ex-tropical cyclone swooping through the region. Wind pushed trees over and there was major flooding in this and other areas. We were flooded in for 2 days.  Continue reading

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PDC in Giza, Egypt

Permaculture Design Course: 10-Day Full Permaculture Design Course (PDC), Giza, Egypt – (14th-25th February, 2013)   (Please note that this course is not run by PRI Sunshine Coast, we are just promoting this course here. Please direct any enquiries to the course organisers — details in downloadable brochure)   An international Permaculture Design Course (PDC) is being hosted by Nawaya in a rural area close to Cairo in Egypt. It is a great opportunity to learn about permaculture in a country like Egypt during such dynamic times of change. This is the first time a PDC is held in Egypt, bringing in a diversity of local knowledge to be merged with internationally renowned instructors: Rod Everett and Mill Milichap. The PDC will take place in Giza, Egypt from February 14th to 25th 2013, at Nawaya’s permaculture demonstration site at the Fagnoon Art School near the town of Abusir (35 km from Cairo; 20-minute drive from Cairo) near the Sakkara plateau necropolis. The PDC is a 72-hour intensive hands-on course that equips students with the practical skills to design and regenerate any site or landscape, regardless of the size or purpose, be it a farm, a home, a flat, a neighborhood, or a city, using the ethics and principals of permaculture.  Continue reading

Northey Street City Farm Brisbane – Farm Manager position

Northey Street City Farm….. a place for learning about living sustainably in the city

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position: Farming Manager
Hours: 24 hours per week
Pay rate: NSCF Award Agreement Manager Level, $24.80 per hour excluding entitlements
Contract Position: Permanent part time
Responsible to: Management Committee

Person
The Farming Manager should have a proven strong background in practical Permaculture and organic fruit and vegetable farming (sub tropics), preferably having previously managed a team of people to develop a commercial market garden or orchards. They should have demonstrable experience in both managing day-to-day farm operations as well as driving medium-term strategic and commercial directions.   Continue reading