In this article, we try something new. We use our professional experience and newly gathered knowledge to establish a diagnostic / report of the Namkhan eco-farm project.
We refer to permaculture ethics and principles. We also look at the key permaculture domains, i.e. domains that require transformation to create a sustainable culture. Based on those references, we reflect upon our personal experience as volunteers for the “Namkhan Permaculture Eco-Farm” project near Luang Prabang, Laos.
First, we want to inspire from David Holmgren’s “Permaculture Principles and Paths Beyond Sustainability” and recall that permaculture can be seen as “Tools to Assist in Ethical Decisions:
In attempting to lead an ethical life we need conceptual tools that will allow us to find what is appropriate, is practical for the situation and context, and yet will have some enduring value in chaotically changing times. Permaculture, and especially permaculture design principles, are conceptual tools which many people are finding useful in this journey (…) [of] ethical adaptation to ecological realities.”.
With our analysis, we want to provide objective feedback and suggest some ideas. We also want to better understand our feelings about this project and eventually justify them.

Trees are so important for so many reasons. They play an active role in the water cycle, in protecting and building soils, in hosting and enhancing biodiversity, in sequestering carbon, in providing biomass and so much more. The impacts of deforestation are well-documented: erosion, soil salination, soil acidification, desertification… which lead to water scarcity, famine, conflicts, migrations… Even though most of the permanent cultures and tribes revered trees as brothers and sisters, “modernity” and “progress” encouraged and keeps on supporting forest clearing (facts not debated here).

Plant trees to:

• Rejuvenate soils,
  
• Harvest water,
• Develop life-friendly microclimates,
• Allow agroforestry and increase yields,
• Enhance biodiversity,
• Etc.

As we volunteer on projects, we sometimes feel we could bring more theoretical and practical knowledge about sustainable lifestyles and practices. Moreover, as we travel, we see from different perspectives the complexity of the issues of our world, the destructions that our Mother Earth suffers from and the problems that our people face. In this complicated messy turmoil, we really look for more ethical paths that respect the earth, the people and share fairly the resources we have.
As Bill Mollison said, “Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”. For us, permaculture is one great path to empower people to “start with the self and develop by example and replication, moving towards change.” (D. Holmgren). Even though we do not believe in changing the world, Mathieu took this PDC to broaden our minds, better understand the permaculture approach, process, methodology, tools and techniques to effectively adapt our minds and lifestyles and efficiently support the projects we volunteer for. Moreover, this PDC will most probably be a leap forward in our Life journey.
The goal of this article is to briefly present the program of the PDC, some of the lessons learned and share about the overall experience.