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"Permaculture Design Certificate" (PDC) course and intercultural exchange program in Marda, Palestine   

preparing the plots for plantingThe following Permaculture education opportunity is a unique one. It comes from my good friend and colleague Murad Alkhuffash who has established the Marda Permaculture Education Center in Palestine.

Murad's goal is to empower Palestinians to produce healthy food for themselves using traditional and modern methods without using expensive and environmentally damaging industrial fertilizers or pesticides.  Using gravel filled car tires to create terraces and Permaculture planning to incorporate rainwater harvesting, a covered nursery and compost production he has developed a small farm which produces much more than organic vegetables and fruit. 

Kaya Michener from Austalia, a 2009 graduate of Kibbutz Lotan's Center for Creative Ecology Green Apprenticeship Permaculture Design hot house nursery for seedlingsCourse (PDC), is the administrator for the PDC that will be held at the Marda farm April 10th –  24th, 2011. The course is open to Arab and International students (special funding opportunities are available for Australians).  According to Kaya, "the aim of the course is fostering cross-cultural exchange and learning between Palestinians and students from around the world in the areas of agriculture, regional history and culture."

Murad's farm is special as he has combined traditional Middle Eastern agricultural techniques with modern Permaculture concepts. The farm was designed jointly by Murad and drylands Permaculture forestation expert Julie Firth of Australia.  Participants will learn from his experience as a farmer, have an opportunity to learn from the culture of his community, and will be supporting with their hands the development of an important resource center that Palestinians need and deserve.

The 2010 course was led by internationally renowned rainwater harvester Brad Lancaster.  This year, in affiliation with Geoff Lawton's Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, the course will be led by Murad and two international teachers.  Rhamis Kent has recently lectured Murad preparing to plant seeds and treesabout the social utility of permaculture at the Schumacher college as seen in the midst of the active urban agriculture movement in post - industrial Detroit.  Klaudia van Gool learned Permaculture in the UK, has a degree in Environmental Science and she has worked advising and training businesses on environmental improvements.

Please pass this information on to others who may consider attending.

Inquiries can be addressed to Murad, Maya and Alex (emails below).

for more information and contacts

A full report on the 2010 PDC course can be viewed at THIS LINK.

Thank you - Salaam and Shalom,

Alex --
Alex Cicelsky
Director of Research and Development
Center for Creative Ecology
Kibbutz Lotan
website: www.kibbutzlotan.com
tel: +972-54-9799009
alex@lotan.ardom.co.il

Contact Lotan Center for Creative Ecology

Leah Zigmond
lotanecocenter@gmail.com
Tel: +972 8 6356811; +972 8 6356935; +972 54 9799024
Toll free (while in Israel): 1800 2000 75
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