Permaculture At Uryadi’s VillagE
What is permaculture?
“Permaculture is…the harmonious integration of landscape and people - providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.”
We have thoughtfully incorporated permaculture principles and practices in as many places as possible in the design and layout of the village. This includes our food forest, which is a multi-layered polyculture of tall trees, medium height shrubs, and lower growing plants which all have a role and a purpose, most of which produce edible fruits or vegetables for our children.
Using the regenerative practices of permaculture, we have created a food system onsite that produces approximately 40% of our fruit and vegetables for the village.
We hope to increase that percentage as our food system matures, and becomes more and more abundant. Our children not only get to enjoy nutritious, sustainably grown food, but they also get to participate in growing and harvesting it. This is a crucial skill for them to have later on in life, not only for being able to grow their own food, but also as a valuable contribution to their communities, no matter where life takes them.
Why Permaculture?
Our project area is part of a unique and diverse bioregion, where a great majority of the flora and much of the fauna is endemic, and which provides habitat for many rare and endangered species. The traditional, row-crop agricultural systems are based on deforestation, plowed soil and monocultures which deplete the soil of nutrients and cause severe erosion to the landscape as seen in the United States in the early twentieth century. These systems are dependent on continually escalating inputs of fertilizer, pesticides and labor but yield diminishing returns and are financially unsustainable for the farmers. Often the fields are left depleted and devoid of nutrients while local water sources have been contaminated and degraded from runoff laden with fertilizers, pesticides and eroded soil. This is not a sustainable agricultural system and the potential food output of the land is not being met for the population. There are alternatives, however.
A main goal of Uryadi’s Village is to enact solutions to the problem of malnutrition and environmental degradation, through the use of sustainable, high-yield agricultural systems that tap into the local based-knowledge, as well as cutting edge science.
One of the paramount objectives of Uryadi’s Village is to become as self-sufficient as possible, especially with regard to nutrition. Permaculture offers not only a sustainable way to do this, but a regenerative way, which means we aren’t just sustaining the state of our soils and environment, but are actually able to improve it.
This type of agriculture is not only sustainable over time, due to it’s low inputs, but can produce up to 70% more food and products per acre/hectare than conventional monoculture agriculture, all while improving the soils and storing water which can be accessed by plants in the dry seasons. When mature, these food forest will likely grow an excess of produce which can become another resource to the village and our community These sustainable agricultural systems are a big part of the solution to both malnutrition and economic dependency.
Our food forest has helped to transform our grounds into a virtual Garden of Eden. Trees shade the homes, community center, and play areas, while slowing evaporation of precious water.
Our goal is to offer a far more resilient form of agriculture to our children, staff, and surrounding community. It is extremely important to us that our Village is not a drain on the extended community but rather an integral part of the community, providing valuable resources including food, medicinal plants, skills and knowledge.
Permaculture offers our children and our community in Soddo a practical, accessible way to make a real positive difference in the daily lives of our children, our neighbors, and our landscape.
Uryadi's Village is a 501c3 Non-Profit (EIN #47-1129664) in the USA, as well as registered charity in Canada (#820329167RR0001) and Ethiopia.
All contributions in support of Uryadi's Village are tax deductible in the US and Canada as allowed by law. US residents please donate in USD and Canadian residents, please donate in CAD to receive your charitable donation receipts.
To donate to Uryadi's Village, please use the Paypal link below:
You can also send your donations by check directly to: Uryadi's Village, P.O. BOX1086, Sandpoint, ID 83864
