In November we started working on arranging permaculture training for professionals who work with vulnerable adults. In their professional life, they help people suffering from mental health issues, people with physical and intellectual disabilities, and former drug or alcohol users.

After reviewing the basics of permaculture theory and design, we’ve started to create new green areas in several spaces.

Our participants have already started growing some plants from seeds and seedlings in their working centres. These spaces will be used with service users as a tool for social inclusion and integration within the community.

We are looking for donations of a few items! They will help us to develop and promote principles of permaculture in different centres of Aġenzija Sapport and Aġenzija Sedqa) and create green spaces at their centres. If you have any of the following items and don’t need them, contact us at info@foemalta.org! Let’s prevent wasting 🙂 Here is the list:

• hanging pots
• compost bins
• pallets
• PVC pipes
• large containers (e.g. detergent)
• any seedlings or seeds to be shared

According to Permaculture Research Institute, permaculture (the word itself is a combination of the words permanent and agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is often described as a living-in-harmony-with-nature worldview as well as a sustainable approach to human interactions with the environment.

We’ve already held our first five sessions. We discussed the basis of permaculture and started planning a permaculture space in the working centres of our participants. We have been working together in a group and visited Komunita Santa Marija (Hal Farrug), Mtarfa day centre and Friends of the Earth Malta community garden.

In our last activity which took place before Christmas participants had the chance to finalize their ideas for a permaculture project and present them to the whole group and management. They were also working in groups to design their permaculture space. The design included the placement of a pond, plants, trees and energy supplies like solar panels and water reservoir. Depending on the space they had available, some participants had to be more creative. For example, vertical gardens can be a good solution if there is lack of space, but then they should be adaptive and user-friendly for the people the project participants work with (some people are in wheelchairs).

In the next sessions, we plan on learning practical planting and growing skills. Such activities provide life-skills in the aspects of planning, co-designing, executing a communal plan, and bringing together people from diverse backgrounds.

This news item was created and is maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Friends of the Earth Malta and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.