In keeping with the principles of Permaculture, the community benefits from overseas volunteers being here in a variety of ways, while in return the volunteers themselves take away great memories of good times and amazing African scenery, and useful knowledge such as how to plant an organic garden. Most importantly, they get a priceless first-hand experience of African lifestyle and culture which is sure to affect the way they see the world. They may also have participated in one of the ongoing social upliftment projects. ALL their visits are of direct and lasting benefit to the local community, as well as to themselves. A good and equitable trade by any standards.
Permaculture is a holistic design system for environmentally-friendly living. It is based on a blend of traditional and innovative methods of producing food by mimicking natural systems. It's not only about organic food production, however, and involves water supply and energy needs, as well as social factors such as its impact on the surrounding community, and economic factors such as financing the project.
Ideally, all these factors must work togeher in order to achieve a result that is harmonious and beneficial to all involved - the community, the project, the tourists and the environment.
The aim of this permaculture project is to promote a self-sustaining lifestyle which is environmentally friendly, with a system which feeds and finances itself, as well as being able to see to needs such as water-supply and electricity. The project and its activities must be integrated well with the community around it, and should be of benefit to it in a number of ways ranging from employment, to being a source of vegetables only available in far-away towns, to initiating community projects such as leather-work lessons or gardening classes and competitions for kids.
As its name suggests, tourism is a large component in Magwa Volunteers' design. The project is located in an area of spectacular natural scenery, with Magwa Falls and the Goso Forest being first-rate (although undiscovered) attractions. It is also situated in a place where backpackers can experience traditional African culture at its best, and in Extreme Close Up, with the Wild Coast being probably the most traditional part of the country, and the project being located right in the village. This is simply the best place on the continent to experience first-hand what life in rural Africa is about.
The Wild Coast is also in the poorest province of the country, and this is one of the most isolated parts, so income from the backpackers passing through and the volunteers who stay for longer is most welcome, and has a ripple-effect within the community. Not only do backpackers spend cash at the two local stores (on things such as beer!), or purchase local leathercrafts, but their accommodation fees are used to employ local villagers in full-time and part-time capacities. The income is also used to finance social upliftment projects such as helping a group of builders to start a brick-making and building company, as well as other projects such as helping to improve the village's water supply.
Not only this. The volunteer centre was (and continues to be) built mostly by backpackers - their physical labour, innovative ideas and enthusiasm have added a lot to the project and to life in the village.
Being in the backpacking industry also enables the project to be involved in organising football games between the local youth team and teams sponsored by other backpackers on the Wild Coast. This is an important thing for the youngsters, who rarely get to travel beyond their village. All of this is a part of the Permaculture design of Magwa Volunteers.
The idea of a system of natural parts working together harmoniously in an eco-system is not new, and the term Permanent Culture was first used in the early 20th Century by author Franklin Hiram King to describe agricultural systems that could carry on indefinitely.
In his 1929 book, Joseph Russell Smith used the words to describe a system that was an inter-related whole, and
encouraged the farming of mixed crops.
Other books by Howard T Odum and others followed. Permaculture as a method was first practiced in the 1960's by an Austrian farmer, Sepp Holzer. It became popular as a movement as a result of the work of Australians Bill Mollison (who coined the term permaculture) and David Holmgren, who had become increasingly disillusioned with the destruction wrought by modern farming methods and lifestyles. Their books evangelised Permaculture in the late 1970's, and it became a wordwide movement which has grown from an alternative system of growing organic vegetables, to an all-embracing lifestyle which includes energy and water supply solutions, environmental considerations, social factors and finance.
The guiding lights of Permaculture, which must be taken into consideration in any project, are:
Permaculture is characterised by careful planning, synergy between parts and innovative solutions. Each component must have more than one use and must support other
components in the system. In this way, you end up with an inter-linked system that thrives on itself, which is species-rich and comfortably supplies the project with all its food, energy, water and financial needs, and which carries on with minimum need of maintenance or other input.
Permaculture is academic knowledge transferred into practical application, and each element of the design is carefully analysed. The elements are shuffled around on paper first, in order to maximise their positive effect within the system. For instance, it is advisable to locate the showers above the vegetable garden, so that the "grey" (undrinkable waste) water irrigates the plants. And it is good to plant marigolds not only for their looks and ability to attract bees, but also to keep away harmful insects. Another example is growing chillis to use both in food and as a natural bug-repellant.
And backpackers are not only tourists - they are also busy workers, students of Africa, and if they've got a relevant skills, they're teachers too!
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