"From Cuyama to Kenya: Interweaving Permaculture & International Development" excerpt from article by Zeya Schindler
The wisdom and care that characterized the relationship between the residents and the ecology of Quail Springs were mirrored in the quality and the delivery of the course. The combination of practical knowledge and deep insight provided by Warren Brush and a wealth of guest teachers spoke to a profound understanding of both the challenges we face and the potential to meet and transform them by living with integrity in our relationship to the natural systems that sustain us.
As I had hoped, what was on offer was not just instruction in practical aspects of design but an opportunity to develop a different way of seeing and experiencing, of valuing interdependence and designing for the kind of resilience that is only possible through recognition of relationship to our ecology.
The course was a powerful confirmation of the value of bringing the principles of permaculture into increasing connection with the world of development and international aid. And that confirmation has shaped the unfolding of my own life as well. My relationship to Quail Springs has grown and deepened in the years since my design course, with frequent visits to learn and share.
In January of this year, I had the great fortune of traveling to Kenya with Warren Brush to help facilitate that country's first ever Permaculture Training of Teachers. Organized by Permaculture Research Institute Kenya, the cohort was an amazing mix of community leaders, teachers and NGO staff from around East Africa and beyond, developing their skills as permaculture teachers so as to impact their own communities and enact positive change.
What began for me as an inquiry into the potential value of permaculture design in development has brought me into connection with many amazing individuals and projects also working to bridge those two worlds. Having one foot firmly in the world of ecological design has not led me to reject the world of development....
My hope is that as these many bridges continue to take real and definite shape, allowing the best of both worlds safe passage across.
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Zeya Schindler is a writer, storyteller and photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds a master's degree in Development and Emergency Practice from Oxford Brookes University and is a student of permaculture, ecological design and natural building.
zeyaschindler@gmail.com
