jazzactivist
02-05-2010, 11:01 AM
Hi all! Following on from our last thread about what is happening with white farmers in Zimbabwe, I read a very positive account of a permaculture project there which has ensured food and water security and peace in a hilly area for hundreds of people during all the recent uprisings. This community grew out of a farm owned by a German couple who have lived there for 25 years. They handed over their farm to local people 10 years ago, and have remained living there. At first local people tried subsistence farming using their own traditional methods, but due to climate change it was using up too much productive land for cattle grazing and the resulting soil erosion was making their water supplies evaporate. They decided to try to reverse the situation and set up a co-op to work out ideas for what could be done - creating swales (ridges) across the land to collect more water, only grazing cattle in certain areas, and reforesting the area. This created shade to grow more food and preserved even more water. They have a village elder and a Royal Family that are traditional community leaders and who are enlightened enough to include new ideas alongside their own traditions.
They didn't know that they were practising permaculture techniques, until someone visited them who knew about it and encouraged them to share their knowledge with surrounding villages. A network was set up, with the original farmers acting as educators alongside local people to convince other white farmers and black subsistence farmers to do the same. Now that whole area is run along those lines and supports hundreds of people, and people fleeing there from the cities and towns can only join if they are willing to work alongside and uphold those principles. The people in that area have now set up a conflict resolution programme for their area, and also teach other people how to survive on their land.
It only goes to show that with the right attitude people can make a big difference and live harmoniously, even amongst terrible conflict. If these white farmers and local people can do it, then so can others. They don't have to leave and lose everything.
They didn't know that they were practising permaculture techniques, until someone visited them who knew about it and encouraged them to share their knowledge with surrounding villages. A network was set up, with the original farmers acting as educators alongside local people to convince other white farmers and black subsistence farmers to do the same. Now that whole area is run along those lines and supports hundreds of people, and people fleeing there from the cities and towns can only join if they are willing to work alongside and uphold those principles. The people in that area have now set up a conflict resolution programme for their area, and also teach other people how to survive on their land.
It only goes to show that with the right attitude people can make a big difference and live harmoniously, even amongst terrible conflict. If these white farmers and local people can do it, then so can others. They don't have to leave and lose everything.