The Permaculture Research Foundation Malta (PRFM) is a voluntary organisation which works in the field of permaculture, food security, agro-forestry and creative ecology. PRFM was founded by Peppi Gauci and Malcolm Borg in June 2008, when a group of like-minded individuals attended a training camp where they explored positive solutions towards sustainable development.

After interviewing Mr Gauci in a former article entitled: ‘A Green Oasis in the Med’ published in this newspaper back in January 2011, I finally managed to visit the site where the Permaculture Research Foundation Malta was formed.

After 10 years of putting Permaculture principles into practice, a wind-swept patch of soil in the Fomm ir-Rih valley, has been turned into the Bahrija Oasis – a self-sufficient permaculture farm and thriving food forest. Bahrija Oasis consists of a large piece of land in the outskirts of the quiet, almost sleepy town of Bahrija. This beautiful land is full of innovative permaculture designs Peppi Gauci has been implementing with the help of a few volunteers in the last 10 years. It is an Ecological Farm in its true sense, including a large selection of crops and a number of farm animals. The happy population of geese, chickens, goats and a dog are also part of the natural balance.

This farm is a permaculture showpiece, where we can see working examples of some of the most inspiring techniques of permaculture design.  From the first day, everything was carefully constructed to be in a synergistic relationship with the forces of nature.  Not the common practice of bending nature to our will, rather designing so intelligently, that these forces are harnessed to help provide for our human needs, whilst at the same time benefitting the natural environment and contributing to the ecological health of the land.

Mr Gauci explained why it is so important to include a Holistic Design Philosophy in Farming today: “Permaculture’s main criteria is to establish systems to engage people in the existing eco-systems, in order to fix them as well and also to see the opportunities of having farms operate as ecosystems. It is a mind-set of making multiple win scenarios rather than creating competition – a structure of cooperation is created.”

In other words Permaculture is the art and science of creating community eco-systems in which plants, animals, human beings, and all forms of ecological diversity interact to produce a prolific, ecologically-sound, and regenerative system that can support itself and life indefinitely. The focus of permaculture is to design and establish societal systems that provide for humanity’s material and non-material needs such as food, water, shelter, energy, and health in a way that is symbiotic and synergistic with the Earth’s natural balanced ecosystems.

In a few words Mr Gauci’s philosophy is that: “We can find a way for farms to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem.”

The site is truly a thriving example of working in harmony with nature, and Mr Gauci grows a variety of small amounts of crops without the need of artificial fertilisers and chemicals. He also grows flowers for their beneficial predators, which he explains with a smile means: insects which eat insects. All this is mirroring an eco-system – a variety of crops which support each other. Nothing works in isolation. For example air quality goes hand in hand with water quality. They are overlapping circles. In order to live well we need health, clean water, food and a nice place to live in. All of these are dependent on the eco-system – whose most basic element is the soil. Mr Gauci goes on to explain a few of the key elements one has to keep in mind when running an Ecological Farm in Malta.

 

Soil

Locally in Malta we have problems with the quality of the soil and ways of practice of conventional agriculture. With regards soil erosion a number of issues correlate directly –

1. The ways the farmers have been using or not using the soil

2. The infrastructures implemented such as over-construction and over-surfacing of areas such as our valleys so the soil doesn’t get enough water, and then heavy rainstorms erode the soil to the sea.

For hundreds of years farmers have been looking after the lands they live on, however our globalised modern system induces high competition for farmers and now they don’t have the time to dedicate to land stewarding. Thus our land is in a vicious circle, a spiral of erosion with no real tangible vision offering solutions. On top of it all we lack trees, and their roots to hold the soil together.

Permaculture methods offer an array of potential solutions to these issues: the landscape, the variety of methods of cultivation, the use of Biochar in the soil, as well as approaches of cooperation rather than competitiveness.

An increasing interest in creating greener farms has led us to explore urban farms. With having the major population in towns as well as greater food demands, urban farms have an important role to play. This leads to the exploration of soil-less farming. Such farms may take various forms, however, a system called aquaponics is so far the most sustainable approach. Given that such farms are designed within a permaculture directive, than solutions keep adding to a multiple win scenario.

 

Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a marriage between:

Aquaculture (the cultivation of fish) and hydroponics (the growing of crops).

Separately, they are potentially not sustainable but together they support each other in order to grow the same crops with over 80 per cent less water needed. The fish are supporting the plants with their excrements and the plants are cleaning the water for the fish. A water pump is activated with the use of two solar panels.

Rightly so in 2011 Mr Gauci won the Malta Technology Innovation Award for the design of the Aquaponics on his land. His design contains some very interesting flow-forms in the shape of kidneys which induce more oxygen to be dissolved in the water.

 

Consultancy

These systems can be designed anywhere – urban areas, roof tops etc. where people can grow their food. Aquaponics can also be created in urban spaces. It’s all about working in harmony with nature. The Permaculture Research Foundation also offers consultancy design in practice and set-up. They can help you create a roof-top where you will be able to grow your own food on a small scale.

 

Evenings at the Oasis

The idea behind these events is to give people a taster of what it’s like to run an ecological farm. There are day visits and half day visits during the summer months. These include a tour of the place, where people have the possibility to learn about forest gardening and composting, and include a healthy dinner to be held at sunset.

 

Courses

The Oasis has had a number of courses this year, last of which was held in May 2013 entitled: Permaculture and Green Living. Participants attended from as far as Germany, Romania, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. The next course will be held in October 2013 and will consist of a Six-Day Course – where students will get equipped with a set of tools and the right thinking framework needed in order to implement these practices wherever they live – whether it is an urban or rural space.

The Permaculture Research Foundation Malta (PRFM) is also working on other projects such as sustainable food cultivation practices and improving biodiversity under the EU programme Youth in Action – with schools and other voluntary organisations.

 

More information can be found at: www.permaculturemalta.org