Here at the Bazaruto Centre for Scientific Study (BCSS), we are running a 4-day permaculture workshop to get you started on the theory and practice of permaculture.
The workshop will be held from Thursday, March 26th– Sunday, March 29th, with guests arriving by boat on the 25thand departing on the 30th.
What is Permaculture
The word ‘permaculture’ stems from an idea, formed in 1970 by Australian academics Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, to create a ‘permanent agriculture.’ Permaculture provides a series of design principles focused towards the development of ecosystems which are entirely or almost entirely self-sufficient and sustainable. It is the ideology of the ethical and sustainable use of land for human settlement, incorporating systems such as traditional knowledge, efficient energy use, ecology, recycling, technology, organic farming, agroforestry, and sustainable development. These, rather than conventional agricultural methods – which can be aggressive in their use of chemicals and pesticides, land appropriation, and the treatment of animals – teach people to mimic structures already found in nature.
The practice of permaculture is designed to teach people to utilize patterns and features evident in the natural world and combine those with the ways we produce food in order to create a system which is self-reliant and non – harmful to the environment.
“What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet. We don’t know what details of a truly sustainable future are going to be like, but we need options, we need people experimenting in all kinds of ways and permaculturists are one of the critical gangs that are doing that.” – David Suzuki
What the Course Entails:
Participants will gain a practical understanding of the ethics and principles behind the permaculture way of thinking. You will receive an introduction to permaculture design, begin creating a design for your own space, and receive feedback from your facilitator and group.
- Practical work will include:
- Soil improvement techniques
- Plant propagation
- Garden design
- Water conscious gardening
- By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand the theory, principles and ethics governing permaculture design
- Map and design your own permaculture area
- Understand the benefits of permaculture
- Explore the resources necessary to continue your studies.
- Apply newly gained practical skills in creating productive permaculture spaces
- Think outside the box, applying permaculture design theory to any given site
About the facilitator
The course will be run by Zimbabwean permaculture expert Tichafa Makovere. Makovere grew up in Zimbabwe and has had over 30 years of experience working in permaculture education. He has worked across Africa on a range of different projects, and is an internationally recognized permaculture facilitator and practitioner.
You will stay at the BCSS ocean and field research station, located on Benguerra Island, in Mozambique, south-eastern Africa. Our station is an eco-accommodation, built entirely out of local materials and powered by solar electricity, where we have a variety of double and single rooms. As part of the course, you will be provided with three meals per day onsite cooked by our wonderful BCSS chefs.
The course is run at $400 USD for non-residents, and $250 USD for Mozambican residents, including accommodation and transfers from Vilankulo to Benguerra. For more information, see our facebook page: Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, @bcssmz, or email info@bcssmz.org.
