Peace Corps Permagardens Growing Family Empowerment and Resilience

1. Peace Corps PermagardensGrowing Family Empowerment and Resilience Helping families meet their evolving needs in these times of great global challenges

2. PermagardensGrowing Family Nutritional and Economic Security In the face of mounting global challenges: • HIV/AIDS • Hunger/Food Insecurity • Climate Change • Dwindling Water and Land Resources • Economic Collapse

3. Gardens of ControlWater, Soil, Plants, People No control of rain or weeds or yield. Rainwater now moves into permanent beds along permanent paths hold the promise of high, farm-like yields close to home. where water catchment holes and beds

4. Gardens of Accomplishment400% yield increases in the first year alone. PCV and Counterpart in shallow tilled maize without compost or contour water retention ridges. Same day, different field. Deeply dug, compost added field maize with water retention ridges.

5. Gardens of HopePermaculture and Bio-Intensive for the future • Families can now look to the future with nutritional security right at home. • Simple method with local tools means it is easily learned and easily taught to others. • Caregivers have reason to hope for their loved ones and themselves. • Environmentally sound, economically viable and socially acceptable means there is hope for family food security to be a sustainable idea.

6. The Three Legged Stool Environmentally Sound Economically Viable Socially Acceptable Go Foods Grow Foods Glow Foods Take one leg away and the stool is useless.

7. Balanced Nutrition for a Better Life Control…..Accomplishment…..Hope for the Future

8. Current Meal Malnutrition - focused on energy alone Monoculture cropping leads to High risk of food insecurity High risk of crop failure Detrimental to soil / environment High inputs

9. Better Meal Balanced Nutrition - focused on all nutrients Diversified Planting Increased chance of yields Increased Food Security Better for soil / environment Fewer inputs

10. Nutrients in Current Meal

11. Nutrients in Better Meal

12. The NutrientHome Fiber Protein Minerals Fats Carbohydrates Water Vitamins

13. Home Based Care Volunteer Training Dodoma, Tanzania November, 2008

14. Water Capture and Control

15. Five Hours Later : Real Change

16. Two Months Later

17. Before: No Water Control = Low Yield

18. 2 Groups and 4 training days later: Control and Hope for High Yields

19. Clear Space Near Home

20. Make Compost for Sustainable Soil Health

21. Create Perennial Borders Create water holding berms

22. Double Dig

23. Break up the compacted layer. Then add charcoal and manure to improve it.

24. Manure Char Wood Ash Amend with local resources only.

25. Hands - on Learning for Empowerment

26. Plant Bio-Intensive Beds Plant bio-intensive beds

27. Three Weeks Later 3 weeks later

28. 8:00 am

29. 2:00 pm

30. 10 Weeks

31. PCV Outreach to PLWHA and Caregivers

32. Break up compacted soil to allow water and roots to go deep

34. Two Hours Later

35. One year – and many harvests later…

36. Poor soil and no control. November 2010

37. Doable Actions with Immediate Results = Behavior Change

38. Two Months Later

39. Peace Corps Training 2-day intensive during PST

41. Control the water

42. Learn to plant correctly.

43. After 3 weeks another training group has learned the same techniques.

44. Any space – no matter how poor

45. Can be managed well

46. To help people feel Empowered for Life

47. Where small changes….

48. Can make a huge difference in people’s lives.

49. Permagardens:A Centerpiece for the PCV Experience - Helping Families Achieve Resilience and Food Security • Permanent Control Structures • High Yield Potential Very Quickly • Close and Easy to Manage • Opportunity for Year Round Diet and Bio Diversity • Opportunity for Income Generation • Gardens for Better Living

50. Peace Corps Permagardens Growing Resilient Families and Communities