Uganda Permaculture Design Certificate - Permaculture

Permaculture > Uganda Permaculture Design Certificate

Welcome to the basis and beginning of firming up the sustainable future. I recently completed my PDC in Ssanje, Uganda (at Children of Uganda, Sabina). The course was a combination of teachers (Rowe, Amanda and Dan, Lindsay, Claudia and Rachel) and students (together we ‘pushed forward’) that made the material and living together such an example of permaculture principles and ethics. Thank you to everyone. This is not going to document every aspect of the course, but I plan to add materials from the course that could help people and give an insight into a lifestyle and choices with meaning: permaculture. The Course So the course was mainly about going through explanations, models, biology, ethics, science, backgrounds, history, world issues and EVERYTHING actually. Not only was it a course but we were practicing permaculture on site. During and outside classes we did many things that included: making a chicken tractor, started a banana circle, site visit to a Permaculture Centre (St.Judes), lots of yoga, played african musical instruments (adungu, the ‘thong’), shared stories, worked late together, got some local clothes made (Slyvia), visited Masaka, visited Kyotera, played heaps of football, made layered compost, created some sack gardens for the bandas, learned how to check contours, went to markets, made sheet mulch beds, bamboo tipees, swails and so so much more. What is Permaculture? Permaculture is a design science for sustainable living and land use - this sentence appeared many times in texts and also in the course. It pretty much sums up what permaculture is in its’ most simple form. It is an applied sense of living that is beneficial to both you and your land or world. A place where human impact on the land is only what is needed and humans use nature and natural science to live harmoniously with the land. There are many different definitions and I may come up with a different one in the future as we begin to practice this model more. World Problems This section is not intended to scare you into this lifestyle. It is important to understand why you would like to do this and at times when you feel like slipping I think that reading this over and over again is going to make sure that choices we make from now on are more correct and more inline with a sustainable and secure earth. Peak Oil Population Land Degradation Unfair Economics and Trade (Peak Money) Loss of Biodiversity Peak Water/Climate Change

Welcome to Uganda

This is one of the first streets in Kampala that Kate I travelled down.
Travelling to Sabina

We travelled from Kampala to Ssanje, Sabina (in the Rakai District) on the back of a truck. It was a 4 hour journey with a bit of rain, plenty of sunshine and lots of laughs - including fish on the front of cars!
Equator Crossing

Who would have thought I would cross the equator so many times on one trip, but here we go again. Kate and I, one on each side!
Kitchen Prep Area

This is a small shade stucture put up next to the dining hall for us to prepare salads each day. We also spent time sitting under here in the sun on the bamboo chair.
Chicken Tractor Preperation

On the first couple of mornings Kate and I got up and helped put in the posts for the proposed chicken tractor. This is one mornings work. Well done team.
Bamboo Shower

The facilities at Sabina were not as we would have at home. As there were many of us a bamboo shower was created for one side of the site. It was beautiful and I am wishing that I actually remembered to go and use it :(
Rich Eggplant

Yum!
Salad Time

Each day 3 people were nominated to pick and prepare salad for the whole group. This was preperation the day that I collected the salad.
Contours

This is Dan in a practical class where we were learning how to measure contours of the land. Very interesting and something I intend to use at Chum Creek soon.
A Frame

This is Amanda showing us another method of measuring contours. It is with an A frame, we got to make one and test one out.
Morning Birds

Just some little birds on a banana tree one morning in the Mandella Garden.
Chicken Tractor Stage 2

This was us putting the fence up around the posts we had fixed. Almost ready for letting the chickens go.
Chamelion

This was a chamelion rescued from the chicken tractor before we let them loose.
Chicken Tractor

Yay the chickens are loose and working away in the tractor. I am sure they were loving all the greens and insects they were finding. In total there were 70 chickens and their egg production really increased when they were getting better food.
King of the Castle

Although this is not the rooster, this chook really liked being on the top of the gate and checking out the surroundings.
DRESS MAKING!

This is Aunt Sylvia, a local Ssanje dress maker. We went for a visit and we were able to get some clothes made. She is currently holding the material that I now wear as a beautiful skirt.
Worms

We had a day on composting and this is the worms at Sabina with their worm juice.
Sack Gardens

This is us putting together some sack gardens for the bandas at Sabina. This is a really good idea for small scale growing and can be used in apartments or small gardens, also something that you can take with you if you are renting and moving around a lot.
Sardines

This is us on a tour to St.Judes. As you can see we were packed in. All 38 of us with the teachers. Another little african adventure.
Tyre Garden

Again at St.Judes on our tour we saw lots of good examples.
Masaka Day

One of the Sunday’s we went with Leslie (in her truck) to Masaka (where we brought too much material!). There were too many for the cabin, but typically african that doesn’t matter, so we got another lovely trip looking at all the towns from the back of a car.
Local Fish
Life at Sabina

These are the bathing rooms, come toilets, and also our teeth cleaning and washing place.
Sleeping

This is how we slept each night, under nets. This Kate reading with her head torch and under the net.
The big hat swap!

For a while I had been looking at the flowers on Moses hat and at one point I asked if he wanted to swap hats with me. Nikki you will be pleased to know that I swaped my lovely hat for Moses’ lovely hat and we are both very happy with our trade. Smiles all round.
String

The group together at the end of the course.
Certificate Time

This is me receiving my PDC certificate.
Me, Rico and Lindsay
Final Presentation

This is Kate and Florence presenting the guilds for our final project of Ssanje Town.
Final Presentation

Our final presentation was outside in the lovely fresh air.
Kate, Estelle and I

With a lovely sunset.
Will and I

This is a fellow Aussie that I will hopefully catch up with in Australia somewhere.
James, Nyero, Me and Moses
Charles and I

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Permaculture > Uganda Permaculture Design Certificate