In addition to staffing changes, the rains have brought all new challenges and opportunities for the garden. With the change in weather we have taken broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage out of the rotation and are experimenting with different squashes, cucumbers, and potatoes. The rapid proliferation of insects and pests is giving us a run for our money but is also inspiring us to look for new, chemical-free integrated pest management techniques. As always, with successes and failures we are learning a lot – it’s a continuous process of trial and improvement!

January has also seen the start of our third vegetable box subscription. We made our first delivery on January 27^th and will be continuing to provide a box of yummy, fresh vegetables and herbs for our subscribers every Friday for a further 5 weeks. While our current subscription is full, we will be starting another round in March. We are striving to increase our production capacity and hope to continue expanding the veg box scheme. If you are interested in a future veg box subscription or in learning more about the Kusamala Commercial Garden please feel free to send us an email at garden@naturesgift.org or stop by the Centre, Monday-Saturday, 7am-4pm.

The centre still functions as a training and demonstration centre, but is now run by our umbrella organisation, the Kusamala Institute of Agriculture & Ecology, a not-for profit enterprise, registered with the Council of NGOs in Malawi. Don’t be alarmed, our focus remains the same; to promote environment, food and nutrition security in Malawi.

New Executive Director Oliver Wootton busy planting

The centre has proceeded full steam ahead with its projects and demonstrations. Our residential food production continues to yield great meals for staff and residents; our commercial vegetable garden still supplies some of Malawi’s most successful restaurants and private customers now have access to our produce through the recently launched vegetable box scheme; our staple field is undergoing the final touches as we enter the rainy season; and we have holes ready to go for some 7,000 trees, including indigenous, naturalised and more directly functional trees. On the trainings side, we have four apprentices coming from Home of Hope orphanage in January, we are training communities in the benefits of Jatropha, Neem and Moringa, others in improved horticultural production and bee-keeping, and we continue to work at Kachere Juvenile Prison to offer inmates and guards access to an improved local environment.

Produce from our new veg box scheme

We’re very excited by the prospects for the staple field. With such a large part of the Malawian economy relying on agriculture (some 85% of Malawians employed in agriculture), we are showcasing contour planting, water harvesting and conservation, agroforestry, inter-planting to fix nitrogen, crop diversification, mulching and composting. All these should result in higher yields and a diversity of produce, contributing to increased revenue, health and nutrition. Through these activities we will be contributing to climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation. In order to provide evidence to back-up these activities, we have brought in some research assistance and plan to publish our results.

We’re looking forward to harvesting our Jatropha seeds (planted solely as a boundary fence), so that we can avoid the daily fuel queues and run our vehicle on energy we’ve produced by ourselves. Additionally, we’ve lowered our costs and carbon emissions by utilising bike taxis for our vegetable deliveries where possible.

We’ve also welcomed new employees as our team has expanded, unfortunately had to say goodbye to others as they have moved on into the world, and had a real conveyor belt of volunteers and interns from all over the world adding to the activities and ideas around the centre.

Volunteer and interns

We have other projects on the go and some in the pipeline, so if you keep up with our website, you can stay abreast of the news.

So, thanks for reading and I hope you feel like you know our centre and our new direction a little more. Feel free to get in touch and let us know what you think.

KEN LONGDEN
Started bird watching after moving to Botswana in 1986. Ten years later, he moved to Malawi and has continued to develop his knowledge and understanding of the birds of Central and Southern Africa. He is a frequent visitor to Nature’s Gift Farm and knows the birds and their habitats better than most.

LANGUAGE
The walk and talk will be conducted in English. Some Chichewa translation will be available as necessary.

WHAT TO BRING

• Binoculars, there will be a few extra pairs available if you don’t have any
• Flash drive or hard drive for an electronic checklist of birds of Malawi
• Bird identification book, if you have one
• Water bottle
• Closed-toe walking shoes
• Dull coloured cool clothing that protects from the sun
• Notebook & pen / pencil

COST

• MK 3,500 (includes a delicious breakfast of locally grown and produced foods, tea & coffee)

The successful candidate will be a member of our team, will guide our business to work with nature, rather than against it, and will consider long-term sustainability in all business decisions. The ED will ensure that NGP is a viable business with a reputation for excellence. As we become a not-for-profit entity, the successful candidate will maintain NGP’s founding principle to operate successfully without dependence on donor funding.

If you are passionate about creating a cultivated ecology in which humans and nature work together for mutual benefit, and if you meet the criteria as outlined in the vacancy announcement, please apply for this position. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis but the due date is May 13th 2011.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED INCLUDE

• Theory, Principles and Ethics of Permaculture
• Methods of Design
• Understanding Ecosystems
• Pattern and Systems Thinking
• Reading the Land Understanding Natural Processes
• Large and Small Scale Land Restoration
• Water Management (including water harvesting, grey water use, and earthworks)
• Soil Rehabilitation and Erosion Control
• Livestock Management
• Gardens for Self-Sufficiency
• Aquaculture, Aquatic Plants and Fisheries
• Energy Conservation Technologies
• Building Soil Fertility Naturally
• Wildlife Management
• Integrated Pest Management
• Invisible Structures: Alternative Economies
• Natural Improved Building Strategies
• Appropriate Technologies and renewable energies
• Reafforestation
• Food Forests, Plant Guilds
• Windbreaks and Bushfire Control

ABOUT THE LEAD FACILITATOR

Lead facilitator Alex Kruger has 15 years of experience in practicing and teaching Permaculture which began with training at Fambidzanai of Zimbabwe in 1993. Her experience base ranges from small scale community based work to large scale systems in a number of diverse of bioregions and climates. Training and materials development are her passion, as well as creating beautiful systems with groups of people. Alex lives in an intentional community, Berg en Dal, in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she currently spends her time teaching Permaculture and building her home from natural materials found on the farm.

ASSISTANT FACILITATORS

Nature’s Gift Permaculture will draw upon is qualified staff to assist with this training. Together, NGP staff have decades of experience working in permaculture, are able to speak over seven languages, and at any given time represent at least three continents!

COURSE DATES & TIMES

• June 13th – June 25th

On each course day, class will begin promptly at 8:00 am and will continue until 4:30 pm. Sunday 19th June will be a day of rest and / or day tripping. Lunch and snacks will be provided for all course days. There will be three design night dinners provided as well.

COURSE COSTS

Costs listed below include course fees, lunch and two tea breaks for the duration of the course. Also included are all design materials and a course manual.  Fees are payable in US$, ZAR, GBP, or MK at bank rates of exchange.

• US$ 695.00

ACCOMODATION

For on-farm accommodation we have obtained the following discounted rates from Kumbali Country Lodge and Kumbali Cultural Village. Please note: NGP and KGL / KCV are separate businesses.

Kumbali Cultural Village:

(Based on 14 nights accommodation)

• Camping: US$ 70.00 p.p. (US$ 5 per night) (participant provides all equipment)
• Hut: US$ 280.00 p.p. (US$ 15 per night)

Add US$ 10 for each Dinner and US$ 7 for each Breakfast at Kumbali Cultural Village

Kumbali Country Lodge:

(Based on 14 nights accommodation)

• Single Occupancy: US$ 2,268 p.p. (US$ 162 per night) with breakfast included
• Double Occupancy: US$ 1,386.00  p.p. (US$ 99 p.p. / per night) with breakfast included

Add US$ 25.00 for each Dinner at Kumbali Country Lodge

PLEASE NOTE: We aim to provide Permaculture training to anyone who wants it and do not want cost to be a prohibitive factor in participation on a PDC. Please contact us if you wish to donate money to sponsor someone or if you need sponsorship for this course.

Please see the series description for more information. Though this is the fifth session in the series, anyone may join and will gain from the information presented despite not having attended the previous sessions.

ABOUT PERMACULTURE FOOD GARDENS

An abundance of diverse foods are grown in a way that mimics the relationships observed in natural ecosystems. This means that the soil fertility is always enriched without need for chemical fertilizers, healthy plants grow in a balanced ecosystem where chemical pesticides are not necessary and there are no negative effects on the environment or the people that consume the produce. We benefit from working with nature and not against it, all the while conserving natural resources, water, money and a lot of time!

ABOUT THE WEEKEND SERIES

This series has been designed so that you may attend all 6 days, just a few days, or even just one! It is intended for experienced gardeners as well as those who are just getting started. There is a strong emphasis on hands-on practicals that will enable participants to return to their gardens and implement the principles and techniques learnt as soon as possible.

APRIL 2nd : FOOD FORESTS & ORCHARDS, MAINTENANCE AND PRUNING

• introduction to orchard and food forest design
• water and soil management, maintenance and pruning for orchards and food forests
• species selection for climate, micro-climate and space
• companion planting and windbreaks

TIMES

All sessions will start promptly at 8:30am and end at 4pm

LANGUAGE

Sessions will be conducted in English, with Chichewa translations for clarifications

COSTS

Listed below in US$ (payable in MK at bank rate of exchange at time of payment)

• US$ 35 per session, includes a healthy lunch and two tea breaks with nutritious snack

ABOUT THE 5 DAY, 40 HOUR COURSE

For this course, NGP has teamed up with local eco-san practitioner Lieza Dupreez to provide participants with the theory behind ecological sanitation as well as engage in the building of different types of appropriate models. Participants will gain an understanding in how ecological sanitation works and why it is important as well as finish the course with the ability to chose an appropriate model based on needs and how to construct it! During this course we will retro-fit an existing flush toilet, build a “fossa alterna” model and review the designs of Ministry of Education, Science and Technology approved eco-sanitation models.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED INCLUDE

• Theory and Principles of Ecological Sanitation
• Benefits to the watershed and public health
• Review of different types of models
• How to choose and build an appropriate model
• Maintenance
• Safety guidelines for usage
• Application of human manure / urine in the garden

ABOUT THE LEAD FACILITATOR

Lead Facilitator Lieza Dupreez has over 10 years of experience design, building and using composting toilets! Lieza is well versed in the use of eco-sanitation, specifically in its implication to public health and food and nutrition security. Over her many years of living and working in Malawi, Lieza has honed her facilitation skills to be specific to the Malawi context. Lieza splits her time between Livingstonia and Mzuzu and spends most of her free time watching her son Manu grow up!

ASSISTANT FACILITATORS

Nature’s Gift Permaculture will draw upon its well trained and experienced staff to assist Lieza in the facilitation of this course. NGP trainers come from all over the world, including Malawi, and have over 20 years of combined experience practicing and teaching permaculture.

COURSE LANGUAGE

The course will be conducted in English with Chichewa and Chitumbuka translation available for clarification of points. Participants should have a strong command of English.

COURSE DATES & TIMES

• MAY 16th – 20th (with arrival on May 15th for those needing on-farm accommodation

CERTIFICATION

Upon successful completion and with full attendance, participants will receive a certificate of attendance which highlights the areas of competencies. Nature’s Gift Permaculture has a reputation for excellence and will not hand out certificate to participants who do not meet the requirements.

COURSE COSTS

All prices are quoted in US$ and payable in MK

• $325 The course fee includes lunch and two snacks per course day as well as a training manual and all materials necessary for practicals.

PLEASE NOTE: We aim to provide permaculture education to anyone who wants it and do not wish cost to be a prohibiting factor. Should you wish to sponsor a participant or should you need sponsorship please contact us directly.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED INCLUDE

• Theory and principles of design
• Methods of design
• Understanding ecosystems
• Pattern and systems thinking
• Reading the land & understanding natural processes
• Large and small scale land restoration
• Water management
• Soil rehabilitation and erosion control
• Livestock, green manures and farmer’s trees
• Intensive vegetable & fruit production
• Food forests & plan guilds
• Windbreaks and bushfire control
• Energy conservation technologies
• Appropriate technologies and renewable energies
• Wildlife management
• Integrated pest management
• Natural & improved building strategies
• Integrated systems design for human settlements

ABOUT THE LEAD FACILITATOR

Lead Facilitator Kristof Nordin has 12 years of experience of practicing and teaching permaculture which began with his service as a Peace Corps volunteer. Kristof is well versed in the use of traditional Malawian plants and is especially knowledgeable in the linkage between agricultural production and nutrition. Over his many years of living and working in Malawi, Kristof has honed his facilitation skills to be specific to the Malawi context. He lives near Chitedze and spends most of his free time with his daughter Khalidwe and wife Stacia.

ASSISTANT FACILITATORS

Nature’s Gift Permaculture will draw upon its well trained and experienced staff to assist Kristof in the facilitation of this course. NGP trainers come from all over the world, including Malawi, and have over 20 years of combined experience practicing and teaching permaculture.

COURSE LANGUAGE

The course will be conducted in English with Chichewa & Chitumbuka translation available for clarification of points. Participants should have a strong command of English.

COURSE DATES & TIMES

• Module 1: April 11th – 16th (with arrival on April 10th for those needing on-farm accommodation)
• Module 2: May 2nd – 7th (with arrival on May 1st for those staying on the farm)

CERTIFICATION

Upon successful completion and with full attendance, participants will receive a certificate of attendance which highlights the areas of competencies and which is recognised by the international permaculture community.

COURSE COSTS

All prices are quoted in US$ and payable in MK. Please note that Kumbali Cultural Village and Kumbali Country Lodge may use a different rate of exchange than Nature’s Gift Permaculture. A 50% deposit is required to hold a place on the course. Registration closes on Wednesday April 7th.

COURSE FEES

• $495 includes lunch and two snacks per course as well as a training manual and all materials necessary for in class designing.

ACCOMMODATION

For on-farm accommodation with Kumbali Country Lodge and Kumbali Cultural Village, we have obtained the following discounted rates:

Kumbali Cultural Village:

(Based on 14 nights occupancy)

• Camping: US $70 per person (US $5 per person / per night)  (campers must provide all necessary equipment)
• Traditional hut: US $280 per person (US $20 per person / per night)

Add US $12 for each dinner and US $5 for each breakfast at Kumbali Cultural Village

Kumbali Country Lodge:

(based on 14 nights occupancy and includes breakfast)

• Single Occupancy: US $ 2,268 per person (US $162 per person / per night)
• Double Occupancy: US $ 1,260 per person (US $90 per person / per night)

Add US $25 for each three course dinner at Kumbali Country Lodge

PLEASE NOTE: We aim to provide permaculture education to anyone who wants it and do not wish cost to be a prohibiting factor. Should you wish to sponsor a participant or should you need sponsorship please contact us directly

This camp has been designed to get children outside observing and learning from nature, to spark questions about where “stuff” comes from, and to lead to a path of living as an environmentally conscious earth citizen. Through FUN outdoor activities and experiential education, campers will come to realise the importance of nature and the urgency and necessity of working together to create a sustainable now! All activities will take place on Nature’s Gift Farm and campers will be accommodated at Kumbali Cultural Village.

• CAMP DATES: March 2nd – 6th
• COST: $295, payable in MK

Space is limited to 20 campers