Permaculture Demonstration Sites as Education Centres Multiple Use Co-operative Endeavours

Solution

The industrialization of food production is an issue of concern all over the world. We have become consumers of agricultural products packaged in plastic and travelling thousands of miles to get to us.
Permaculture is about returning to the roots and re-establishing our connection with the land. Permaculture is a design tool mimicking and observing patterns of nature that can be utilised in the way we grow our vegetables and fruits, design our projects and teach our kids.

Historically, Palestine has always been an agrarian society with very high dependence on land yield. Self sufficiency characterised the different villages and towns as the rich soil was able to provide a varied and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Today, this self sufficiency model of farming is almost nonexistent, where the introduction of mechanisation and the confiscation of large amounts of land by the occupation has weakened that model significantly.
Today, the Marda permaculture farm is a teaching center and demonstration site showcasing the practices of permaculture design. The farm offers local and international students the opportunity to learn about the theories and application of permaculture design and be actively involved in growing organic produce in the most efficient manner.

This has been a learning experience for both local and international students on design tools, the cultural, political and social context of Palestine, and the knowledge needed to start applying these tools in each person’s garden, farm, project in daily life.
This demonstration site can be further utilised to host educational school trips, to assist research students in colleges and universities interested in agriculture and provide technical courses on how to use permaculture at home, work and daily life.