Monday, January 19, 2009

Panya Project Smorgasbord

A slew of fresh photos from the incredible Panya Project in northern Thailand, where we're 9 days into a Permaculture Design Certification Course...

In the mud-pit, the class mixes up a fresh batch of adobe for brick-making & earth-plastering. Clay, sand, rice hulls, water, and feet.Geoffroy

Students pour adobe into 4x8x16" brick forms. On a good morning the Panya crew makes 150 bricks. Many of the structures on site are built from 1200-1500 bricks. These will sun-dry...
Everything you see in this food forest was planted 2 years ago. Incredible how quickly things grow in the tropics!
In the food forest, wow. Papaya. We just don't grow fruit this big in the temperate climate. Wait till you see the jackfruit.
One of the many fast-growing nitrogen-fixing shrub species -- a pioneer species to provide shade and improve the soil for the longer-term tree crops.
The fruits of tropical labor -- Parkie brews up a ginger-chile wine named "The Ginger Temptress".

More from the Panya Permaculture Course soon! Also check out www.panyaproject.blogspot.com for the ongoing COMPOST SAGA ---->

Friday, January 16, 2009

Permaculture in Thailand!

Howdy All! I'm blogging live from the Panya Project in Chiang Mai, Thailand -- an emerging permaculture paradise bursting at the seams with fresh bananas, passionfruit, garden greens, and joyful permaculture students of all ages!

Here I am with Ping Sodantha, the kinetic and bi-lingual 3-year old daughter of our head chef Kae.
For more of our adventures, check out www.panaypermaculture.blogspot.com -- I've just uploaded photos of the class building our compost pile.