Permaculture here we come!

[Amigas del Señor]

From Sister Confianza

(I started this over a month ago.  Apologies for not getting it out sooner.)

After lots of reading, research, prayer and discernment, Sister Alegría and I decided in late March that I should take an online permaculture course through Oregon State University.  We feel that God is leading the monastery to focus more on our value of caring for Creation in this era of human-caused climate chaos and ecological destruction.  We want to do our part in healing humanity's relationship with Earth and her creatures.  Humans can't live without the rest of the natural world.  By learning to live and grow food in harmony with nature's ways, we are following our Master's teaching to love God by loving ourselves and our neighbors--human and beyond. 

In this photo by Paul Jeffrey, I am picking katuk, a perennial green.  You can also see a coconut palm in the background, and the palmate leaves of a yuca plant (cassava or manioc) in the lower right.

Permaculture is a method of designing homes and landscapes based on natural ecosystems to effectively use resources, produce food, and create abundant diverse communities of people, plants and animals.  I have wanted to learn about permaculture since I first heard of it some years ago.  In January, Sister Alegria showed me some inspiring videos that showed up on her feed.  They told stories of ecological restoration happening around the world and were made by Andrew Millison (check them out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amillison).  At the end of one, Andrew promoted an online permaculture design course he teaches through Oregon State University.  Intrigued, I looked at the webpage (https://workspace.oregonstate.edu/course/permaculture-design-certificate-online), and mentioned it to my sister Autumn who does organic gardening and nature teaching near Boston.  As my excitement grew, I realized that perhaps this course was actually for me.

Since then, I've been looking into permaculture more seriously, watching videos online, viewing websites, and reading a handbook we bought last year.  I want to be familiar with the ideas and vocabulary so that I will be able to get the most out of the course.  I've always liked learning new things, and I find it fascinating and engaging.  Understanding the natural world better (including the sciences of climate, soil, food webs, ecology, and more) gives me a more solid framework for the scattered knowledge and experience I already have of simple living and regenerative agriculture.

It was pretty easy for us to say, yes, we can embrace the ethics of permaculture, because they line up with the Christian values fundamental to our lives:  earth care, people care, and fair share.  (See https://permacultureprinciples.com/ for more on the ethics and principles.)  In our discernment, we also acknowledge that as a monastery, we may be moving from a focus on public health, to focusing more on practicing and teaching ecologically sound farming and living.  However, we aren't stopping our support of the clinic any time soon!  We've recognized for years that our public service should align with the gifts and interests of the Sisters, and with Sister  Alegría's work waning, my work is growing more prominent. 

I spent much of April applying for funding, and have received a grant through Multnomah Monthly Meeting and a scholarship through OSU which together cover the cost of tuition plus some of the supplies (tools and other materials) needed.  We are collaborating with Comunión H, the non-profit that owns the 1.1 acre lot where we live in Limón.  The plan is to create and begin to implement a design for to grow food for the children's feeding and after-school program they run in the former orphanage.  Last week, I visited one of the two ag teachers at the junior high school across the street, and he expressed his willingness to support the project with some youthful muscle-power. 

I am now enrolled in the PDC-PRO (Permaculture Design Course Pro) extended course that begins June 23, and goes through mid-December.  It's mostly online reading and assignments with some outdoor observation and measuring plus bi-weekly Zoom meetings with an instructor and small group of fellow students.  It's a good way to take advantage of living in Limón where we have a decent internet signal.

If I do well, I will earn the internationally-recognized Permaculture Design Certificate, and be a trained designer.  After that -- create a design for the monastery property and motherhouse, which is in a very different setting than here (hilly with rocky clay soil as opposed to relatively flat sand)! 

I invite others to join me this year and beyond to participate in this exciting venture!  We also invite donations to help cover any further expenses related to the permaculture project.  Besides purchasing planting materials and supplies for an irrigation system, we may need to hire Lorany or someone else to come work extra hours, since I will be tied up with the course.  Thanks in advance for your support through prayers and finances!

Bendiciones,

Sister Confianza

Amigas del Señor Monastery

Limón, Colón

Honduras

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