Penan Permaculture Project - Borneo

I am seeking funds for a permaculture based alley cropping project in Borneo that aims to change the way the Penan people carry out agriculture, improve their nutrition and health, and save intact rainforest from destruction. The Penan were hunter gatherers just a couple of generations ago and are relative newcomers to swidden/ slash and burn agriculture. Their traditional carbohydrate was from sago palm, which they still process and eat in addition to rice. The project focus will be an alley crop trials initially based around the Penan village of Long Bangan. Once these trials are shown to be successful the techniques will be spread to other areas and tribal groups in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo). I personally have a long history with this village and lived with the people for two years in 1991-93, teaching permaculture strategies for living a settled lifestyle. I am one of the very few outsiders who speak the Penan dialect (albeit a bit rusty), and the people have adopted me as an honourary member and given me the Penan name of Uyau Amet. Much of their traditional lands have been already lost due to logging, palm oil, and monoculture timber plantations. During that first project I introduced the concept of planting native fruit seeds in containers then planting the seedlings where they want. The village ended up raising and planting 10,000 fruit trees in the logged over forest surrounding the village, then with the help of Mark Biddle went on to plant 10,000 sago palms well. The area is now a magnificent tropical permaculture 'food forest', and as a bonus the wild animals have returned to the area so the people don't need to go so far to hunt. The knowledge of how to plant fruit trees spread to other Penan villages very fast and every Penan village now have fruit trees around their houses. The village still has a reserve rainforest area that has escaped 'development' so far due to steepness and inaccessibility and the people still hunt and gather in this area for their meat, fruit and medicinal plants. In 1991 the village had a population of 300 but it has now risen to around 500. Unfortunately, as the village has grown in population there has been increasing pressure on this rainforest reserve area with some families already clearing sections for rice growing. An area once used can take many years left fallow before natural processes restore the fertility sufficiently to grow food again. With alley cropping the trees maintain the fertility of the soil and the same area is used every year, drastically cutting down the amount of land each family needs for food growing. Most of the funds raised will be used to take a Penan tribesperson and subsistence farmer, Paulus Lucas, from the village to a 2-week 'Green Warrior' Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) in the Philippines this September. Although I will be initiating the alley crop trials and providing ongoing support he will ultimately be the one organising and managing the trials. I first met Paulus on my first trip to Long Bangan when he was a young teenager and he is now in his late thirties with a wife and three children. (He is one of Paren's grandchildren, the lovely old guy in the photo with me). Paulus has wanted to gain his permaculture qualifications ever since that first project back in 1991-92 and is very excited about attending the course. I will be flying from Australia to Borneo and then on to the Philippines with him and am helping teach the Philippines PDC so will also help him through the course. I am teaching at the Philippines course for free as all the money raised from course fees is being used to fund locals to attend at a quarter the cost and to fund local projects.  The alley crop trials in Borneo will be along the lines of those run by Mike Hands and the Inga Foundation in South America (but with much less funding). In addition to airfares and PDC course fees for Paulus the donations raised will help fund the first stages of the trials. Some funds will also be left with Paulus's wife and children to purchase food while he is away on the course. The remainder will be left with him to purchase project materials such as rock phosphate, seedling trays, etc. and to pay children to collect seed and pot them up. Children enjoy collecting Inga seed as they love the sweet pulp around the seed that taste a like vanilla icecream. Some food supplies will also need to be purchased as the trials will take people away from hunting and gathering. The trials will be conducted voluntarily and only by those families that wish to be involved. I will be spending a week in Long Bangan prior to the Philippines course to explain the project and  to make sure the full and informed consent process is followed. I have been a permaculture designer and teacher for around 25 years and know this project has a fantastic chance of working. In addition to a Diploma in Permaculture in Education and Community Services I have a Bachelor of  Natural Environments and Wilderness Studies (UTas). I was awarded the Permaculture Community Service Award in 1992 for my work pionering permaculture in Malaysia. I know the people, the culture, the terrain, and the climate. Of more importance though is that it will be run and managed by a local person, who will have the necessary training and skills as well as local knowledge.  Unlike other Dayak groups in Borneo the Penan have no long cultural or religious traditions tied up with the growing of rice and so of all the groups they will be the most amenable to trialing other growing systems to swidden agriculture.   Paulus is the secretary of the village development committee and also helped organise the Penan Cultural Festival I funded a few years ago (with the help of some wonderful people) . He is a born leader and teacher and has the respect of the village.  Please help him become the first fully qualified Penan Permaculture Design Consultant, and also help kickstart this important alley cropping project. Like most Penan he is a shy and quiet person and the permaculture course will give him the skills and knowledge he needs to run the project and also will boost the confidence and respect the other villagers have in him and his abilities. There is some more info about me and my permaculture experience on my LinkedIn profile. The Inga edulis trials in South America had 2 million euros in funding. Lets see what we can achieve with just AU$5,000 :-)