Comments on: Letters from Sri Lanka – Sarvodaya’s Home Gardens

By: RASAKUMARAN

RASAKUMARAN — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:39:22 +0000

i was looking for an article to write some sentences on home gardens for my daughter studying in grade one. this one gave me a lot and i was able to gain a lot of knowledge. very interesting and illustrative thanks for the author

By: kula

kula — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:00:44 +0000

I like to start free rangee chicken farm If you interestd please sent the letter father .
thanks
kula

By: Amberber Wasihun

Amberber Wasihun — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:05:37 +0000

I have graduated from Haramaya Universirty in the Department of Conservation enginering in Ethiopia. I am working in Mizan Agriculture College as instrucror in Natural resource department, on the course of soil water conservation and Alternative Energy. I have read about the Biogas technology in your websitews, . Even I do have a research which might be your institution help me. My research title cocern on ‘evaluation of the potential of veteever grass on production of Biogas’. The main reason why I am doing this research to motivate farmers on plantation of vetever grass on their soil water conservation structure activities. I could send my proposal if necessary for your institution. What is your advise as well as your technical or training support on this burninig essue?. I am looking forward your posative response.

Your best

Amberber Wasihun

By: Darren J. Doherty

Darren J. Doherty — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:05:23 +0000

G’day, Nice work Craig….its been interesting to watch your series as I was in Sri Lanka in the last days of the war and in the weeks after that working for World Vision assessing their USDA projects. We spent most of our time in the Batticaloa region where things are a bit dryer; nonetheless there was a lot of good work going on with a couple of programs that were working with over 17,000 households doing much of the work you’ve described…I will forward this all to my colleagues over there in the hope that further collaboration might occur….

All the best and more of it please….

Darren

By: Craig Mackintosh

Craig Mackintosh — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:20:22 +0000

Hi Cyrus. I didn’t see any solar ovens in Sri Lanka.

By: Cyrus

Cyrus — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:18:07 +0000

Do they use solar ovens on sunny days?

By: Tom Toogood

Tom Toogood — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:30:33 +0000

Wonderful Sarvodaya home gardens news, thanks Craig, (can’t we promote & install biodigester free gas cooking in Australia or USA…what’s stopping us, the big gas companies?) glad you emphasised the pro-nature ethics coming also from their Buddhist values. I realize the global eco crisis won’t be solved with just techniques, even those as good as Permaculture with DIY bio-gas cooking. The global community also needs the deep, enduring motivation of nature-honouring spiritual values.
In past comment I mentioned that David Suzuki says in his book “The Sacred Balance” that a key reason why we in the west lost the plot with the environment, was our loss of the concept of sacred value of the earth and all its species. I’m continuing research and action in Islamic, Buddhist, Christian and Aboriginal traditional beliefs as a basis to work with church & inter-faith groups organising seminars on environment, Permaculture and faith or spirituality……I welcome other people to network with me on this.

Actions have included Permaculture workshops at Uniting Church national Eco-Social Justice Expo “Faith and the Eco-Crisis” and a 1 day seminar at a theological college next to Macquarie University, Sydney, inviting everyone interested from the community and Uni.
The 40 seat room was crammed, there was only standing room for the late-comers. We’d arranged a diverse panel of well-informed speakers (e.g. spiritual types from Wilderness Society, Uni dept of Enviro Science, and an overseas aid agency, etc).

NOte that some of the right wing/redneck climate change scorners, try to stir up spiritual fears against our efforts, so we need to refute them with spiritual answers. They claim that the whole climate change and environment movement “is a plot to bring human society under pagan nature-worship”…I’ve argued with 2 of them , one is a prominent business leader (pro-development, naturally – or more accurately, “un-naturally”) in Tweed Heads near you, Craig at PRI.

Fortunately there are some religious groups doing eco-renewal and planning Permaculture community gardens. One is Al Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences and Human Culture in Sydney, who do bush regeneration at Cooks River, and plan to partner with a Christian church in a community garden (like Geoff’s in Jordan).

A wonderful book on faith, nature and the eco-crisis’ cultural-spiritual roots, by an Islamic scholar is
“Man and Nature – the Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man”, by Professor Seyyed Nasr (Ph.D Harvard), who taught at Iran University and Washington University in the USA. He takes a Sufi-based approach and covers Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism and Hinduism. Brilliant, inspiring stuff, I keep on re-reading it.

He does not spare the grossly materialisic consumption obsession of our dominant western values.

By: Marcin Gerwin

Marcin Gerwin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:37:36 +0000

Excellent photos, Craig, and a good article too. It is inspiring to see solutions put into practice.