Day two: Observing natural systems
I have also added a 2 min taster from the mycologist Paul Stamets. As we get to know soil so must we get to know mycelium which seems in many ways to be the thing that connects all together, the internet of the soil. We will enlarge on these ideas as the PDC progresses.
Dirt the movie – 80 minutes
Your main feature this evening
A Story with the Heart and Soil.
The only remedy for disconnecting people from the natural world is connecting them to it again. This is a wonderful film which brings the notion of soil really alive.
This might be extra to the PDC but developing a deep empathy for soil, as well as some of the characters who contribute to this video will really deepen your understanding.
Evening lecture day 2 – a look at permaculture design in practice: the Reading roof garden and other projects
Day three - Catching energy!
Above is this morning’s lecture. Exploration into soil and water and how water interacts with trees and plants. This is a building block of understanding of natural systems, also an insight into the degree to which all elements are in someway connected together.
Below:
This is an extraordinary and important video. Maybe our understanding of Latin America and Amazon is entirely wrong? There is compelling evidence there were huge established and highly successful civilizations there before Europeans arrived. However soil science tells us you can’t have concentrated populations without agriculture and you can’t have agriculture without the right soils. The fragile rainforest soils could have never supported millions of people – either there was no civilisation – or they were some of the most sophisticated farmers the world has ever seen? Which one is it, what could we learn?
If you would like to donate and support some of our African students and their amazing projects, please consider it. S39 are working with permaculture pioneers in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and even small donations can be transformative.
PermoAfrica training centre in Homa bay Kenya is wishing to sink a borehole to support both their demonstration gardens as well as the wider community
Aramadhan Mutibi in Uganda is trying to raise funds for PPE for a school permaculture club.
These trainers are reaching remote and vulnerable populations who we otherwise would find it very hard to win outside support.