Permaculture Design for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programming

From the Case Study Series from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s AIDSTAR-One (AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, Sector 1, Task Order 1), this technical brief explores the strategy of permaculture as a "promising development approach for addressing food and nutrition insecurity for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC)". The term "permaculture" was coined in the 1970s by two Australian ecologists; it is derived from the words "permanent agriculture" and emphasises sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices. In the context of OVC programming, permaculture is designed to help guide communities toward permanent solutions for food and nutrition security, while ensuring that these options exist harmoniously within their environment.

As detailed here, permaculture is relevant to OVC in the context of HIV for reasons such as this: "When parents die prematurely, knowledge and skills relating to agriculture, food, health, and culture are often not transferred to children. Bringing permaculture into school curricula helps recover this knowledge base among inschool children....It supports the delivery of important lessons on taking responsibility for one's actions and acting ethically toward other people and the environment. Permaculture lessons emphasize links between growing food; dietary diversity; nutrition; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); and healthy (or 'positive') living. Finally, the hands-on nature of permaculture lessons lend itself to be taught to children, youth, and adults of all levels of literacy."

This report details through words and images the process of applying the permaculture design process in schools around the world. The goal is to turn the school grounds into "living classrooms" through these steps:

1. Observe, explore, and gather information: Students conduct a resource and needs analysis through discussions with a wide variety of people and hands-on observations.
2. Draft base map and sector analysis: Students draft a base map of what already exists, then redraw it neatly with a scale. They then draft a sector map to illustrate outside influences (e.g., summer and winter sun angles, wind directions, shade patterns, odors, fire threats).
3. Select elements: First, students list resources that already exist on-site; these are illustrated on the base map. Next, students list the elements they would like to include in the future, such as plants, trees, animals, insects, structures, play areas, etc. The desired elements are combined with the base map's existing elements to create the design.
4. Conduct input/output analysis: Students examine each element based on its products (outputs), needs (inputs), and characteristics.
5. Zoning: To help conserve energy, students identify the various zones on their designs, numbering them from 0 to 5 - i.e., Zone 0 is Infrastructure within the home, school, or clinic (elements include indoor compost toilets, internal water harvesting structures, natural air flow, lighting, recycling, furniture, fuel-efficient food preparation, etc.); Zone 1 is Intense Production; Zone 2 is Integrated Orchards; Zone 3 is Rain-fed Agriculture; Zone 4 is Managed Forest Systems or Woodlots; and Zone 5 is Natural Wilderness.
6. Draw the elements in the design: Students draw a design based on all the previous considerations, including elements (existing and future resources), sector influences, and zones. This design is generally drawn on paper but can also be represented on the actual site using stones, sticks, broken bricks, or other locally available resources.

To illustrate this process, the report provides specific programme examples. For example, permaculture was formally introduced into the national school curricula in Malawi in 2006 by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. As part of piloting this programme, over 150 permaculture facilitators were trained, including teachers, members of school management committees, and agricultural extension workers. Linkages were made with the Ministry of Health and tertiary institutions that train and create education, health, and agriculture curricula. Principles and cost considerations for such efforts are outlined, as are implementation challenges and recommendations. For example: "Establishing clear expectations and community ownership is crucial if programs are to be effective. Often, this begins by first sensitizing those involved at schools as to the 'whys' of permaculture so that they understand the benefits that can be obtained from a healthy environmental and diverse diet. The 'hows' are only presented after the concept is understood. Next, implementation should be a fun and exciting learning process for all involved. Incentives can be used as long as they are not viewed as handouts. Programmers can organize contests, for example, or reward systems that allow schools to win or earn garden tools, seedlings, or other supplies. It must be communicated, however, that incentives are not essential to getting started. Most start-up inputs should come from community donations (e.g., time, knowledge, labor, seedlings, tools) or from the children themselves (e.g., bringing seeds and hoes from home)."

A variety of links to related resources about permaculture are provided at the conclusion of the report.