Permaculture Project for Suai

Permaculture Project Suai Agriculture High School -Akar Laran

The Akar Laran Agriculture High School was very pleased to receive a donation of $2000 from Veg Out Community Garden in St Kilda Australia. The funds are being used to establish a practical garden for year 10 students at the Agricultural High School. Resources especially tools and and seed is scarce and the project has enabled the students to actually turn the soil and plant some produce. The students have planted and are harvesting long beans in the garden. Additional seeds for the project will also be planted in the growing season – September 2008 to grow a variety of vegetables.
The Agriculture School was destroyed by the Indonesian militia in 1999 and in recent years reopened a small section of the school to provide opportunties for education in agriculture at the secondary level. Agriculture is 80% of E Timor economy. Students are keen to learn practical skills and this small donation has meant that seeds and tools have been provided in cooperation with the Suai community centre who are supporting and monitoring the project. The school community has also had the benefit of harvesting the beans crop which has supplemented meals as food is still scarce in Suai and E Timor generally.
Permaculture is new to Suai and Friends of Suai provided some books written in local language – Tetun by the E Timor group Permatil for the school community to study. Sebastian a young man from Daylesford working in permaculture also visited the school in June 2008 to share some additional insight into the permaculture techiques.
Friends of Suai will be providing 2 scholarships to one girl and one boy who achieve well in their final year course with a tertiary scholarship to university.
Watch this space for development of future crops in the garden.

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