Ghana Permaculture Center
Donation protected
I am Andrew Millison and I’m a Permaculture instructor at Oregon State University in the USA. I am organizing this fund raising effort for Aaron Justice Tsatsaku in the Volta region of Ghana to build a Permaculture demonstration center there. We have obtained letters of support for this project from the Global Ecovillage Network of Ghana and Motherland International Relations (see below), who are on the ground in Ghana and have vetted Aaron and believe in his vision. Read Aaron’s proposal below to get a sense of his passion and caring for his community, as well as the deep problems they face in Ghana.
HERITAGE REGENERATIVE PERMACULTURE GARDEN
(Regenerating Humanity and The Earth)
PROJECT PHASE ONE(1)
I am Aaron Justice Tsatsaku, the Regional Rep. for Global Eco-Village Network, Ghana (GEN-Ghana). I was born on September 6, 1993 and currently live in Peki Adzokoe in the Volta Region of Ghana, West Africa.
I completed Peki Senior High School in the year 2013, and in 2016 took part in the 1st Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) Course which took place at Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA). I have an EDE certificate and had become the Volta Region GEN GHANA REPRESENTATIVE in June 2016.
I work on farms and school gardens in and around the locality, and also facilitates in GEN-Ghana training programmes and conferences.
I am very interested in developing sustainable energy, organic agriculture, and regenerating of the earth. I also have keen interest in developing local energy policies that promote permanence in a system that is regenerative, efficient, and progressive.
WHAT IS MY VISION?
My vision is to acquire an acre of land for the construction of a Model Ecovillage Demonstration and Educational Center for educating and empowering farmers and school children in the Peki Traditional area and South Dayi District in creating communities that are energy-efficient, hygienic, and self-reliant in food productions by implementing Eco strategies such as Composting, Water catchment, Solar Energy, Seed Banking, Tree planting, Re-Cycling, Green/Natural Building and sustainable living practices.
WHAT ARE MY OBJECTIVES?
My objectives are to;
1. Acquire at least an acre of land for the model Ecovillage Demonstration and Educational Center.
2. Register the project and fence the land.
3. Start demonstration gardens comprising herbarium, fruits, vegetables, moringa, plantain, mushroom, etc.
4. Train and support local farmers and school children to promote regenerative agriculture.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Artwork by Shanita King
Ghana, with a population of over 27 million is dependent on the central government for almost every need; be it sanitation, energy, food, employment, etc. Most rural villages and slums in Ghana are extremely poor struggle to make ends meet. This has led to the youth migrating to cities and making dangerous journeys through the saharan dessert for non-existent jobs just to make a living. Most end up as sex slaves, househelps, etc. in strange lands without their families’ knowlegde.
In order to escape from this cycle of poverty and become responsible citizens contributing their quota to national development, the youth must be empowered with tried, tested and reliable knowledge and skills that will enable them take their destiny into their own hands.
In a world where the effects of climate change are visible everywhere, a programme which aims at regenerating mother earth for sustainable energy to drive personal, family, communal and national development agenda using available natural resources cannot be underestimated.
The Ecovillage movement in Ghana embraces these concepts of sustainable developmet, but its yet to have a widespread attention from government and other stakeholders for a mass replication of these concepts across the country.
The Model Ecovillage Demonstration and Educational Center is an effort aimed at helping GEN-Ghana spread the knowledge and skills about regenerative organic agriculture for economic independence, environmental sustenability, amongst others.
TARGETED GROUPS
The target beneficiaries of the programme shall include
a. local farmers.
b. basic school children (Basic One to Nine pupils).
c. rural women in the South Dayi District.
d. graduate youth in the catchment area.
IN WHAT CONTEXT IS THE PROJECT PLACED? Population:
The population of South Dayi District, according to the 2010 National Population and Housing Census, is 46,661 representing 2.2 percent of the region’s total population. Males constitute 47.4 percent and females represent 52.6 percent. The District is predominantly rural as 61.2 percent of its population resides there compared to urban areas inhabited by 38.8 percent (Source: Ghana Statistical Service (2014), 2010 Population and Housing Census, District Analytical Report, South Dayi District).
Geography:
The project will take place in Peki-Adzokoe in the Peki Traditional area in the Volta Region of Ghana and replicated in other communities to cover the entire South Dayi District of the region in the future. South Dayi whose capital is Kpeve lies approximately between latitude 3o20N and 3.5o05N and longitude 0o17E with a total area of 1000km2. It is bounded to the West and South by the Volta Lake. Two main types of vegetation can be found in South Dayi namely the guinea savanna woodlands and semi deciduous forests.
The District falls within the Tropical Equatorial Zone and is greatly influenced by the Southwest Monsoon Winds from the South Atlantic Ocean and dry harmattan winds from the Sahara Desert during the wet and dry seasons respectively. The area experiences two rainy seasons; the major rainy season is from mid-April to early July and the minor season occurs from September to November. The average annual rainfall ranges from 900mm to 1300mm. The area experiences average annual temperature of about 27°C whereas the daily mean temperature ranges from 22° C to 33° C with an average relative humidity of 80 percent. This climatic condition is favourable for agricultural activities in the District. Yet because the youth find agriculture unrewarding they prefer migrating to urban centers.
Political:
Ghana is a country which has seen progressive economic growth, with a relatively peaceful and democratic political system. But the Government of Ghana (GoG) is slow in terms of implementing environmental policies and practices. It is the NGOs and CSOs that have taken the lead in promoting sustainability and environmental initiatives in Ghana, without any political direction and/or support.
Economic:
About 65.8 percent of the population aged 15 years and older is economically active while 34.2 per cent are economically not active. The main economic activity of the area is farming and fishing. This means the people must be equipped with knowledge and skills about sustainable farming practices that are rewarding yet causing no harm to the environment leading to drastic decline in high reliance on imported foods.
Social:
Over the past generation, many well-meaning development and aid projects, at both the national and local levels, have adversely affected the mindset of many Ghanaians. Many of these aid projects were based on giving "hand-outs" to the participants involved, whether that be in the form of money or physical resources. This expectation of "hand-outs" has become engrained in the psyche of many youth and is disempowering. As these youth transition to adulthood, they have not been equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to create their own job opportunities or take initiatives.
Cultural:
The diet of most Ghanaians is heavily based on a limited selection of carbohydrate-dense staple foods, such as rice, maize, wheat, cassava etc. Although these foods are relatively inexpensive, readily available, and calorie dense, they do not provide sufficient levels of vitamins and nutrients. Vegetables and green foods are expensive in comparison to these staple foods, and consequently do not make up a large component of the average Ghanaian's diet, which can be especially detrimental to the proper development of young bodies and minds. Furthermore, when vegetables are eaten, they are often very overcooked, reducing the nutritional quality of the raw product. This overcooking stems from the belief that overcooking will sterilize the harmful chemicals used in production, which are often over-applied and at improper times, such as immediately before harvest.
WHICH PROBLEM DO I AIM TO SOLVE?
1. Unemployment
2. Hunger and malnutrition
3. Improved health
Conclusion:
Championing the concept of Permaculture in our communities is the solution to the problem of food insecurity, environmental degradation, etc. in Ghana. Permaculture, known since the 1970s, aims to form agriculturally productive yet resilient ecosystems. Instead of continuing to promote monocultures, local environmental factors are considered in the architecture of cultivation during the planting of the fields. This allows symbiotic effects between different farming products and an integrated, sustainable use of the soil.
This results in higher agricultural yields that can be used by subsistence farmers for their own consumption and sale, offering farmers the option of entrepreneurship. As climate change creates uncertainty, utilizing more sustainable farming concepts will create numerous positive side effects while directly and indirectly combating the problems of food scarcity and malnutrition. Let’s Go Permaculture, Ghana
THE BUDGET
Item Quantity Price
Land 1 $1,750
Registration 1 $500
Iron Poles 10 $500
Metal Wire 4 $500
Binding Wire 4 $30
Cutlass 5 $37.50
Hoe 5 $31.25
Shovel 4 $20
Pickaxe 4 $30
Sprayer 1 $37.50
Digger 2 $12.50
Hammer 5 $37.50
Water Hose 100m $37.50
Water Tank 2000L $450
Seeds - $75
Total $4,048
NB: Educational materials can be donated (projector, flip charts, white maker boards, makers, camera for taking pictures and videos, etc.) All interested volunteers who want come and help with the successful launching and implementations of this project are warmly welcome; you can contact me for more details ([email redacted]).
This funding will help Heritage Regenerative Permaculture Garden be well established and sustainably for many generations to come.
With your support, Heritage Regenerative Permaculture Garden can be well established and continues to grow and provide self-sufficiency and resilient to many communities, and help regenerate the land in rural Volta Region of Ghana.
Heritage Regenerative Permaculture Gardens is not only going to generate income, but also going to enhance people in capacity building, create a great room for self-employment and development for people from near and far. It will also help people to embrace their cultural heritage, embrace diversity, and re-connect with nature and re–in store the natural environment for the present and future generations. WHAT IS MY PASSION?
I’m very passionate about building the younger generation for the future and am very passionate about education. Am also passionate about motivating and influencing my generation as well. My intention is simple: if we lose sight of them (the young ones), they will create mess at their age and bring it into the future {the time we are working on now}.
Imagine working with all passion to make the world better than you came to meet, only for someone to come and create a mess out of it. Also if our focus is all about them, forgetting about our own generation, forgetting about the influence and the change we need to make on this generation now, we may end up leaving down mess for them to come and clean.
No debate about this: their future is their own responsibility but imaging they also working hard to have the future they only to come and see that, that future has been dented by some people.
There is a need to transform our generation and there is a need to prepare the next generation to come and meet that transformation. That will ensure continuity of the progress we would have made. A failure in one will be like taking a step forward and taking two or even three backward. There is a Ghanaian proverb which says
(SANKↃFA ENYE BↃNI) which means TO GO BACK FOR SOMETHING IS NOT A SIN.
Help my community vision take a step toward becoming reality! SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL, BIG IS SUBSIDICED. “AKPE NA MI” {THANK YOU ALL}
“REGENERATING HUMANITY AND THE EARTH”
It is possible for humans to be agents of repair on this planet.
Letters of Support:
THE TEAM
Lead Organizer - Aaron Justice Tsatsaku
Born September 6, 1993. Currently lives in Peki-Adzokoe, in the Volta region of Ghana. Regional rep of the Global Ecovillage Network Ghana (GEN-Ghana) for the Volta Region. Completed Peki Senior High School in the year 2013, and in 2016 took part in the first Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) course, which took place at the Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA). He has his EDE certificate, and became the Volta Region GEN Ghana Representative in June of 2016. Currently, he is actively working with school children in and around the locality, teaching permaculture, and facilitating GEN-Ghana training programmes and conferences.
Campaign & Project Oversight - Andrew Millison
Andrew brings nearly 20 years experience in designing and building permaculture projects to the table. He has been designing, building and teaching about Permaculture since he took his first course in 1996. He began his Permaculture career in the deserts of Arizona, where he attended Prescott College and the Ecosa Institute for Ecological Design. He went on to teach at both of those schools, received a Master's degree studying heirloom fruit trees, ran the small desert farm at Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti, worked in a Landscape Architecture office, and has since co-founded Permaculture Design International where he has continued to work on numerous site designs for a wide variety of clients. Andrew also teaches Permaculture Design at Oregon State University in the Horticulture Department.https://www.permacultureintl.com/andrew-millison
http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/andrew-millison
HERITAGE REGENERATIVE PERMACULTURE GARDEN
(Regenerating Humanity and The Earth)
PROJECT PHASE ONE(1)
I am Aaron Justice Tsatsaku, the Regional Rep. for Global Eco-Village Network, Ghana (GEN-Ghana). I was born on September 6, 1993 and currently live in Peki Adzokoe in the Volta Region of Ghana, West Africa.
I completed Peki Senior High School in the year 2013, and in 2016 took part in the 1st Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) Course which took place at Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA). I have an EDE certificate and had become the Volta Region GEN GHANA REPRESENTATIVE in June 2016.I work on farms and school gardens in and around the locality, and also facilitates in GEN-Ghana training programmes and conferences.
I am very interested in developing sustainable energy, organic agriculture, and regenerating of the earth. I also have keen interest in developing local energy policies that promote permanence in a system that is regenerative, efficient, and progressive.
WHAT IS MY VISION?
My vision is to acquire an acre of land for the construction of a Model Ecovillage Demonstration and Educational Center for educating and empowering farmers and school children in the Peki Traditional area and South Dayi District in creating communities that are energy-efficient, hygienic, and self-reliant in food productions by implementing Eco strategies such as Composting, Water catchment, Solar Energy, Seed Banking, Tree planting, Re-Cycling, Green/Natural Building and sustainable living practices.
WHAT ARE MY OBJECTIVES?
My objectives are to;
1. Acquire at least an acre of land for the model Ecovillage Demonstration and Educational Center.
2. Register the project and fence the land.
3. Start demonstration gardens comprising herbarium, fruits, vegetables, moringa, plantain, mushroom, etc.
4. Train and support local farmers and school children to promote regenerative agriculture.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Artwork by Shanita KingGhana, with a population of over 27 million is dependent on the central government for almost every need; be it sanitation, energy, food, employment, etc. Most rural villages and slums in Ghana are extremely poor struggle to make ends meet. This has led to the youth migrating to cities and making dangerous journeys through the saharan dessert for non-existent jobs just to make a living. Most end up as sex slaves, househelps, etc. in strange lands without their families’ knowlegde.
In order to escape from this cycle of poverty and become responsible citizens contributing their quota to national development, the youth must be empowered with tried, tested and reliable knowledge and skills that will enable them take their destiny into their own hands.
In a world where the effects of climate change are visible everywhere, a programme which aims at regenerating mother earth for sustainable energy to drive personal, family, communal and national development agenda using available natural resources cannot be underestimated.
The Ecovillage movement in Ghana embraces these concepts of sustainable developmet, but its yet to have a widespread attention from government and other stakeholders for a mass replication of these concepts across the country.
The Model Ecovillage Demonstration and Educational Center is an effort aimed at helping GEN-Ghana spread the knowledge and skills about regenerative organic agriculture for economic independence, environmental sustenability, amongst others.
TARGETED GROUPS
The target beneficiaries of the programme shall include
a. local farmers.
b. basic school children (Basic One to Nine pupils).
c. rural women in the South Dayi District.
d. graduate youth in the catchment area.
IN WHAT CONTEXT IS THE PROJECT PLACED? Population:
The population of South Dayi District, according to the 2010 National Population and Housing Census, is 46,661 representing 2.2 percent of the region’s total population. Males constitute 47.4 percent and females represent 52.6 percent. The District is predominantly rural as 61.2 percent of its population resides there compared to urban areas inhabited by 38.8 percent (Source: Ghana Statistical Service (2014), 2010 Population and Housing Census, District Analytical Report, South Dayi District).
Geography:
The project will take place in Peki-Adzokoe in the Peki Traditional area in the Volta Region of Ghana and replicated in other communities to cover the entire South Dayi District of the region in the future. South Dayi whose capital is Kpeve lies approximately between latitude 3o20N and 3.5o05N and longitude 0o17E with a total area of 1000km2. It is bounded to the West and South by the Volta Lake. Two main types of vegetation can be found in South Dayi namely the guinea savanna woodlands and semi deciduous forests.
The District falls within the Tropical Equatorial Zone and is greatly influenced by the Southwest Monsoon Winds from the South Atlantic Ocean and dry harmattan winds from the Sahara Desert during the wet and dry seasons respectively. The area experiences two rainy seasons; the major rainy season is from mid-April to early July and the minor season occurs from September to November. The average annual rainfall ranges from 900mm to 1300mm. The area experiences average annual temperature of about 27°C whereas the daily mean temperature ranges from 22° C to 33° C with an average relative humidity of 80 percent. This climatic condition is favourable for agricultural activities in the District. Yet because the youth find agriculture unrewarding they prefer migrating to urban centers.
Political:
Ghana is a country which has seen progressive economic growth, with a relatively peaceful and democratic political system. But the Government of Ghana (GoG) is slow in terms of implementing environmental policies and practices. It is the NGOs and CSOs that have taken the lead in promoting sustainability and environmental initiatives in Ghana, without any political direction and/or support.
Economic:
About 65.8 percent of the population aged 15 years and older is economically active while 34.2 per cent are economically not active. The main economic activity of the area is farming and fishing. This means the people must be equipped with knowledge and skills about sustainable farming practices that are rewarding yet causing no harm to the environment leading to drastic decline in high reliance on imported foods.
Social:
Over the past generation, many well-meaning development and aid projects, at both the national and local levels, have adversely affected the mindset of many Ghanaians. Many of these aid projects were based on giving "hand-outs" to the participants involved, whether that be in the form of money or physical resources. This expectation of "hand-outs" has become engrained in the psyche of many youth and is disempowering. As these youth transition to adulthood, they have not been equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to create their own job opportunities or take initiatives.
Cultural:
The diet of most Ghanaians is heavily based on a limited selection of carbohydrate-dense staple foods, such as rice, maize, wheat, cassava etc. Although these foods are relatively inexpensive, readily available, and calorie dense, they do not provide sufficient levels of vitamins and nutrients. Vegetables and green foods are expensive in comparison to these staple foods, and consequently do not make up a large component of the average Ghanaian's diet, which can be especially detrimental to the proper development of young bodies and minds. Furthermore, when vegetables are eaten, they are often very overcooked, reducing the nutritional quality of the raw product. This overcooking stems from the belief that overcooking will sterilize the harmful chemicals used in production, which are often over-applied and at improper times, such as immediately before harvest.
WHICH PROBLEM DO I AIM TO SOLVE?
1. Unemployment
2. Hunger and malnutrition
3. Improved health
Conclusion:
Championing the concept of Permaculture in our communities is the solution to the problem of food insecurity, environmental degradation, etc. in Ghana. Permaculture, known since the 1970s, aims to form agriculturally productive yet resilient ecosystems. Instead of continuing to promote monocultures, local environmental factors are considered in the architecture of cultivation during the planting of the fields. This allows symbiotic effects between different farming products and an integrated, sustainable use of the soil.
This results in higher agricultural yields that can be used by subsistence farmers for their own consumption and sale, offering farmers the option of entrepreneurship. As climate change creates uncertainty, utilizing more sustainable farming concepts will create numerous positive side effects while directly and indirectly combating the problems of food scarcity and malnutrition. Let’s Go Permaculture, Ghana
THE BUDGET
Item Quantity Price
Land 1 $1,750
Registration 1 $500
Iron Poles 10 $500
Metal Wire 4 $500
Binding Wire 4 $30
Cutlass 5 $37.50
Hoe 5 $31.25
Shovel 4 $20
Pickaxe 4 $30
Sprayer 1 $37.50
Digger 2 $12.50
Hammer 5 $37.50
Water Hose 100m $37.50
Water Tank 2000L $450
Seeds - $75
Total $4,048
NB: Educational materials can be donated (projector, flip charts, white maker boards, makers, camera for taking pictures and videos, etc.) All interested volunteers who want come and help with the successful launching and implementations of this project are warmly welcome; you can contact me for more details ([email redacted]).
This funding will help Heritage Regenerative Permaculture Garden be well established and sustainably for many generations to come.
With your support, Heritage Regenerative Permaculture Garden can be well established and continues to grow and provide self-sufficiency and resilient to many communities, and help regenerate the land in rural Volta Region of Ghana.
Heritage Regenerative Permaculture Gardens is not only going to generate income, but also going to enhance people in capacity building, create a great room for self-employment and development for people from near and far. It will also help people to embrace their cultural heritage, embrace diversity, and re-connect with nature and re–in store the natural environment for the present and future generations. WHAT IS MY PASSION?
I’m very passionate about building the younger generation for the future and am very passionate about education. Am also passionate about motivating and influencing my generation as well. My intention is simple: if we lose sight of them (the young ones), they will create mess at their age and bring it into the future {the time we are working on now}.
Imagine working with all passion to make the world better than you came to meet, only for someone to come and create a mess out of it. Also if our focus is all about them, forgetting about our own generation, forgetting about the influence and the change we need to make on this generation now, we may end up leaving down mess for them to come and clean.
No debate about this: their future is their own responsibility but imaging they also working hard to have the future they only to come and see that, that future has been dented by some people.
There is a need to transform our generation and there is a need to prepare the next generation to come and meet that transformation. That will ensure continuity of the progress we would have made. A failure in one will be like taking a step forward and taking two or even three backward. There is a Ghanaian proverb which says
(SANKↃFA ENYE BↃNI) which means TO GO BACK FOR SOMETHING IS NOT A SIN.
Help my community vision take a step toward becoming reality! SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL, BIG IS SUBSIDICED. “AKPE NA MI” {THANK YOU ALL}
“REGENERATING HUMANITY AND THE EARTH”
It is possible for humans to be agents of repair on this planet.
Letters of Support:
THE TEAM
Lead Organizer - Aaron Justice Tsatsaku
Born September 6, 1993. Currently lives in Peki-Adzokoe, in the Volta region of Ghana. Regional rep of the Global Ecovillage Network Ghana (GEN-Ghana) for the Volta Region. Completed Peki Senior High School in the year 2013, and in 2016 took part in the first Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) course, which took place at the Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA). He has his EDE certificate, and became the Volta Region GEN Ghana Representative in June of 2016. Currently, he is actively working with school children in and around the locality, teaching permaculture, and facilitating GEN-Ghana training programmes and conferences.
Campaign & Project Oversight - Andrew Millison
Andrew brings nearly 20 years experience in designing and building permaculture projects to the table. He has been designing, building and teaching about Permaculture since he took his first course in 1996. He began his Permaculture career in the deserts of Arizona, where he attended Prescott College and the Ecosa Institute for Ecological Design. He went on to teach at both of those schools, received a Master's degree studying heirloom fruit trees, ran the small desert farm at Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti, worked in a Landscape Architecture office, and has since co-founded Permaculture Design International where he has continued to work on numerous site designs for a wide variety of clients. Andrew also teaches Permaculture Design at Oregon State University in the Horticulture Department.https://www.permacultureintl.com/andrew-millison
http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/andrew-millison
Organizer
Andrew Millison
Organizer
Corvallis, OR