PR/June 11/Permaculture Around the World Series/Mesoameric

        Santa Barbara Permaculture Network continues to learn about the world and it's people with its special series “Permaculture Around the World”, this time focusing on Central America with a talk by Juan Rojas of the Institute of Mesoamerican Permaculture (IMAP).

   Mesoamerica is a term that recognizes the cultural, ecological, traditional, and sociological similarities, rather than political boundaries of what currently makes up the countries of Central America. Juan Rojas is a certified permaculture instructor and one of the founders of both the Institute of Mesoamerican Permaculture and the Permaculture Institute of El Salvador who has worked with others to acknowledge these similarities along with the comparable dilemmas and obstacles that countries in the regions share.

     Juan Rojas was born in El Salvador, who after qualifying as an industrial electrician became involved in the trade union struggles of the 1980's. Forced into exile by a brutal military regime, he spent four years in Mexico, and later eight years in Australia where he studied Permaculture as a useful tool for rebuilding his home country following the peace accords of 1992.

Rojas has been instrumental in establishing grassroots organizations aimed at appropriate methods of farming and land restoration, always seeking the skills and expertise of local farmers.   Since 1994 Rojas has been a part of the thirty year old Campesino a Campesino (Farmer to Farmer) movement that has helped farming families in the rural villages of Latin America improve their livelihoods and conserve their natural resources by individual farmers sharing their wealth of wisdom directly with each other.

Rojas will speak about his experience convening with Permacultura America Latina and the Institute for Mesoamerican Permaculture, an eight day Mesoamerican Convergence on Sustainable Development and Permaculture on the shores of Lake Atitlan in the highlands of Guatemala. With the pressures of globalization, free trade agreements, privatization, and open market approaches to poverty reduction, the Convergence hoped to address the urgent environmental and social threats facing the region, and create a Mesoamerican alliance. Forty grassroots organizations from the region attended including representatives from Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. Since devastating hurricane Stan had recently impacted the area, participants discussed how vulnerable Mesoamerican countries could better prepare and mitigate the effects of disasters such as earthquakes, mudslides, and hurricanes.

The event takes place at the Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery, 40 East Anapamu St, in downtown Santa Barbara, on Thursday, June 11, 7pm, 2009. No reservations are required, donation $5. For more information please call (805) 962-2571, or email margie@sbpermaculture.org; www.sbpermaculture.org. Sponsored by the Santa Barbara Permaculture Network Non-Profit.