Addressed to:

Vision

To reflect together and share our experiences in order to improve the understanding of Permaculture as a concrete movement geared towards the re-discovery and appreciation of existing ancestral cultures, and the creation of new permanent ones.

To provide a space for the exchange of experiences and practical skills.

This congress comes to life as a supportive tool for the regional Permaculture movement, aimed at resolving the serious ecological and social crisis in Latin America.

In the new emerging millennium, South American Permaculture wants to express itself loud and clear as a real and viable proposal for the planet.

Specific Objectives

• To share the practical skills, challenges and projects that all participants develop in their regions, and that are common to our Latin American reality. To open up the possibility for those interested to display the Permaculture projects taking place in each region.
• To strengthen the Latin American Network between Permaculturists and Permaculture Institutes as a foundation for an intense future exchange of experiences and information. To create a data base based on bio-regions of Permaculturists, projects, tools, abilities, etc.
• To create a Latin American Network of Seed Banks with a simple and effective strategy for support and exchange.
• To develop strategies for the creation of alternative economies and productive projects.
• To establish a bank of resources and diverse educational materials with local adaptations, to support and encourage design courses in Latin America. To make a compilation of appropriate technologies applied in Latin America, to be included within the local resources.
• To establish Permacultural guidelines for the conservation of genetic diversity and management of natural areas.
• To strengthen and stimulate the regional exchange within the Eco-village Network of the Americas. To define steps in the design of Eco-villages and re-design of existing Eco-villages, with the goal of establishing a Latin American strategy of permacultural villages.
• To coordinate efforts to achieve the recognition and introduction of Permaculture in educational curricula and governmental policies of each region, as an efficient strategy for resolving some of the crucial social problems of Latin America.
• To establish strategies to spread Permaculture within the population at large.

Among the main subjects proposed, we include the following:

• Alternative economies: exchange of existing experiences in Latin America and development of new strategies.
• Productive projects: productive experiences based on Permaculture.
• Challenges in Eco-village design.
• Aboriginal knowledge of permacultural practices.
• Permaculture Design Course: format and curriculum.
• Update on the Academy of Permaculture.
• Seed Production, creation of seed banks and exchange systems.
• Decision-making process and conflict resolution. Workshop on Facilitation by Consensus.
• Appropriate technologies: simple experiences developed in the region.
• Urban Permaculture: experiences and new strategies.
• Natural Building techniques. COB hands-on workshop.
• Bio-regionalism: Concept and organization. Bio-regional Movement of the Americas, Council of Visions.

Marsha Hanzi
Founder of the Permaculture Institute of Bahia, Brazil.
Pioneer of the permaculture movement of Brazil, has been working on permacultural designs in arid and semi-arid areas of Brazil and projects with marginalized communities since 1991. She is also an enthusiastic and inspiring teacher of permaculture.

Beatrice Briggs
She is one of the founders of "Facilitators and Consensus", a professional team providing planning and facilitation services to all types of meetings and conferences. Beatrice has given dozens of workshops in Mexico, U.S.A. and Canada since 1994, training individuals and groups in facilitation and the process of decision-making by consensus. She has facilitated meetings of 3 to 300 people. Beatrice lives in Huehuecoyotl, an eco-village close to Tepoztlan, Mexico. She is a member of the Bio-regional Movement of the Americas.

Juan Manuel Madrigal
From the NGO Viva Natura A.C., located in Urapan, Michoacan, Mexico, he is one of the promoters of permaculture in Mexico. He has just finished building an eco-centre in Urapan which is the only model of sustainable agriculture and appropriate technologies in the area.

Fausto Lopez Rodriguez
He is a member of FUNAT, Cuba, an organization which coordinates Permacultural activities throughout the country. He has worked in Permaculture projects since 1995, with the first Australian specialists arrived in Cuba. Since 1998 is Project Officer of the Foundation, implementing Permaculture projects. He was the first Cuban to teach a Permaculture Design course, and gave more than 10 community workshops, introductory and advanced courses. He edits the newsletter "The Permaculturist" which circulates among Permaculture gardeners. He manages the magazine "It is possible to live in Ecopolis", and at present is implementing two projects which include model gardens.

Skye
Since 18 years ago, when he took his first Permaculture Design course, he has been involved in community projects. He has lived in "Crystal Waters" Eco-village, Australia, where he created the educational centre Earthcare. He is known for his creative and innovative technique of aproximation, and the teaching of Permaculture. In 1992 he published the "Creative Teaching of Permaculture Manual". He has travelled and taught Permaculture in Cuba, England, Japan, Kenya, South Africa and Mexico.

He presently lives in Mexico, where he is Director of the Mexican Permaculture Institute, and co-founder of the Training Centre of Juitepec.

Gustavo Ramirez
He has several years of experience in sustainable agriculture and design of natural areas. In 1991 he founded with other members Gaia Association, which main porpoise was the Ecovillages project. He started the permaculture design of the site in 1996. He is very experienced in educational techniques, and since 1997 has been offering the Permaculture Design course regularly.
 
 

Preliminary Program
This program has been based on received and confirmed works, and as more presentations continue to arrive, it is subject to pre-Congress changes and it can also be adjusted during the Congress.

Special Presentations: By experienced permaculturists and representatives of various countries, who will share their experiences in conferences and/or workshops over 2 hours long.

Morning Circle: The daily program will be reviewed to include changes and suggestions.

Presentations by Participants: Approximately 40 minutes long, open to all participants (previous sending of a summary), to share projects, research or personal and group experiences.

Circles for Sharing and Exchange: Open circles (with a facilitator) on diverse subject areas, conducive to the deep reflection of our challenges, achievements and difficulties as we search for sustainable tools.

Workshops: Hands-on, open and practical spaces.

For presentations and lectures to be accepted, a preliminary outline of 200 words maximum must be sent before March 15, 2000. These summaries will be handed out at the beginning of the Congress. The proceedings of all presentations and lectures will be published along with plenary conclusions. To this effect, the authors must present their complete work during the Congress on a computer disk, with a similar format to the summaries.
 
 

Instructions for the preparation of summaries

Format:
Maximum 1 page A4
Disquette, word 7 or under
Letter type: Times New Roman, 12
Spacing: 1.5
Top, bottom, left and right margins: 2,5 cm.
Summary Heading:
Title: Centered, Times New Roman 14, bolded
Authors: Left alignment. Name, work organization and address.Telephone, fax and e-mail of first author.
 
 

Posters, Photos and Flyers Sector
All participants will be able to display posters, photos and flyers from their projects or works.
 
 

Exchange Fair
A space will be provided where participants can exchange their products, crafts, books, seeds, tools, etc. We encourage everyone to bring material for exchange.
 
 

Site of the Congress
The Congress will take place at the Eco-village Project, located in Navarro, 110 km from Buenos Aires city, Argentina. The 20.3 Has. plot of land is located in a serene and beautiful rural area. It has been designed following permacultural principles, thereby offering an inspiring space for this event.

Its varied groves alternate with open spaces, thus creating an ideal environment for vegetable and ornamental gardens, ponds and orchards. We have recycled a great portion of an abandoned dairy factory, and currently dispose of bedrooms for visitors, meeting and conference rooms, library and office, communal kitchen and dining rooms, workshops, composting toilets, solar showers, biological water treatment, camping area.

We are 100% self-sufficient in electricity, generated by a small wind farm. All this is sustained by the social weave of a small and constantly evolving community.

The site houses the Argentinian Permaculture Institute as a space for experimenting and implementing different permaculture systems. It offers an updated library covering a wide range of topics based on sustainability, as well as interesting videos. The center enjoys the on-going support and advice given by Max Lindegger, who gave the first Permaculture Design Course at the eco-village in December 1996, and the Advanced Design Course in March 1999.

Registration
Due to limited spaces, those interested must send the registration form, along with 50% advanced payment.

Partial Participation
Those who are unable to participate in the full program of the Congress but wish to attend some workshops or presentations, may request to the organizing committee that spaces be reserved, subject to availability.

Daily fee: $70.-
 
 

Accommodation and facilities

• Meals will be natural, tasty and vegetarian.
• Participants must bring bed linen or sleeping bag, flash-light, hat, rain grear and personal hygiene supplies.
• Rooms are shared. Camping space is available.

Cash: At the Ecovillage, or at Gaia Association office: Almafuerte 1732 (1650) San Martin - Buenos Aires - Argentina - phone (011) 4752-2197.

By postal money order to:
Name: Gustavo Daniel Ramirez
Address: Almafuerte 1732
Locality: San Martin
Province: Buenos Aires
Country: Argentina

From other countries:

Postal Money Order through Western Union to:
Name: Gustavo Ramirez
Address: Almafuerte 1732
Postal Code: 1650
Locality: San Martin
Province: Buenos Aires
Country: Argentina
 

General Information
Participants will be given certificates of attendance and a folder with materials from the Congress.
 
 

Registration Form:

Name.........................................................

Organization .........................................................................

Address ................................................................................

City ......................................................................................

Province, State or Region ........................................................

Postal Code .............................................................................

Country ...................................................................................

Telephone #...............................................................................

Fax #............................................................................................

E-mail .......................................................................................

Background ............................................................................................................................................................................
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Hosting Organization:
Argentinian Institute of Permaculture
Gaia Association
Fax: 011-47522197
Email: gaia@wamani.apc.org
Site: Gaia Eco-village, Navarro, Buenos Aires - phone (+54) 02272492072
http:/www.ecovillages.org/argentina/asocgaia/