Dadamac

Attachab Eco-Village: A new appointment ! Read now

Attachab
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

One of the benefits of using a Skype typed conversation for the weekly UK-Nigeria meetings was demonstrated this week. For despite not being present (and because I was invited in my absence) I have been able to look at the archive, catch up with the news from Fantsuam Foundation, and consequently write this blog!

Firstly, the Dadamac team welcomed Jim, the new VSO volunteer. Jim will be helping John Dada develop the site at Attachab over the next 6 months.

Another Wonderful Wednesday! Read now

John and Pam at Attachab
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

Another week passes and I thought that Pam and I had had a busy one, but our activity paled into insignificance compared with the enormous strides forward that our sister organisation Fantsuam Foundation had achieved!

At this week's online skype meeting between the UK and Nigeria in our hourly update we learned:

* The full extent of FF's plans to mark the UN's global awareness day on June 19th. In fact FF have embraced this concept so admirably that they have planned two day's of activities. Their plans being so impressive that they warrant a blog of their own!

Development-trade-aid-permaculture-power generation Read now

I'm covering two events - First the GlobalNet 21 Meet-up called "The Path To Development -Trade or Aid" (yesterday evening) and secondly the March First Thursday meeting (this afternoon) which predictably did not go as planned - but was a great session involving people from three continents, eight countries and a confusing number of time zones.

Wednesday Meeting Treats! Read now

Once again,Yesterday's online meeting between the UK and Nigeria did not fail to disappoint. As well as addressing the items on the agenda in an informal but business-like way, we had two welcomed treats.

The first treat

March FT- Kitchen Gardens and Jatropha Read now

The First Thursday chat on March 4th at 12.00 GMT/UTC will focus on two of our permaculture interests - kitchen gardens and jatropha. The plan is that Marcus Simmons will join the chat as our permaculture adviser. One or more people from the Dadamac team in Nigeria will also chat. They will discuss what has been happening since Marcus's visit a few months ago. It is still very early days, so the discussion will be about first practical steps that have been taken (or are being planned) by the permaculture early adopters, and what else they need to know.

Down to earth

It will be very down to earth. How are the jatropha seedlings getting on? They are being carefully tended during the intense heat of the end of the dry season, waiting for the rains to come to give good conditions for planting out - but are they surviving okay? What of the kitchen garden ideas? What is the feedback on the keyhole gardening? Has anyone done any follow up on setting up a personal kitchen garden? What problems are people facing? What information is it useful to exchange?

Jatropha Read now

Hi Vijay

Sorry you could not make it to February First Thursday, but I know you are very busy at present. You would have met some interesting people including members of the Dadamac team in Nigeria. It would have been interesting to compare some of the eco-developments there, such as growing Jatrohpa, with what is happening in India

I mention Jatropha because at our UK-Nigeria meeting yesterday we were told that "we are raising a nursery of 2000 jathropha palnts we intend to transplant when the rains begin"

Photo feedback loop Read now

This is how our feedback works

Marcus Simmons taught about mulching on a permaculture training course.

Back in the UK he asked for feedback.

Feedback was requested during a Dadamac UK-Nigeria team-meeting

This photo was sent back to the UK

Marcus saw that the mulch was being laid too thinly

He sent a detailed email suggesting that one area should be covered with a much thicker mulch, so that people could see if they would get a better result that way.

February First Thursday Feedback Read now

Today's First Thursday meeting was a mixture of networking and discussing permaculture. It brought together people from Minciu Sodas, from the Video Bridge workshop and from the Dadamac Community in the UK and Nigeria.

Permaculture Introductions Read now

I love to introduce people to each other, so now that I am back from the Video Bridge (Streaming Sharing and Learning) workshop I am doing introductions for people with overlapping interests related to permaculture and similar concerns.

Learning about Permaculture Read now

A continued focus of our weekly online UK/Nigeria meetings has been the subject of permaculture.

This was not a word or principle I had come across often in my day-to-day life in South London.

However over the past two years I have been lucky enough to begin to learn more about it -  and to appreciate the importance of designing the proposed ecovillage at Attachab along the principles it dictates.

Even as a relative newcomer to the discipline, I recognise it is the most practical and commonsense way to proceed. Not only does it make ecological and financial sense ... it should also help provide sustainable communities. In short, I am very much a convert!