4 years on, a greener future for Tsunami communities

Following 2004’s tsunami in south-east Asia , Trócaire has been assisting communities to re-build their lives thanks to the generous support of the Irish public.

Since 2007, Trócaire has been supporting the Greenhands Field School , the first permaculture school in Aceh, the area hit first and hardest by the tsunami.

The aim of the Greenhands Field School has been to support the villagers of Birek. Only 180 of the 1,800 villagers survived the tsunami and most of their buildings, roads and bridges were destroyed along with their sources of income, such as paddy fields, gardens and fish ponds. Despite being traumatised by the tsunami the villagers were keen to return to the fishing and farming that they had worked on all their lives.

The focus of Greenhands Field School has been to help villagers become self-sufficient by using local resources, to help them re-plant their home gardens and re-establish their agriculture.

This was no easy task when the soil had been almost destroyed by salt water, irrigation systems had to be rehabilitated and the landscape was utterly changed by the water’s force.

But the ethos of the school was based around the idea that the new beginning offered an opportunity to introduce more sustainable approaches that would be less damaging to the environment and would enable to villagers to be more self-sufficient in the long term. And so, permaculture came to Birek.

What is permaculture?

Permaculture means Permanent Agriculture and Permanent Culture. Permanent agriculture is agriculture and animal management which improves the quality of the land. It also provides income and produce and is sustainable now and in the future. Permanent Culture means conserving, supporting and working together with the local culture, while at the same time moving forward. It is about working with nature and people, as well as learning from them, and not working against or in competition with them. The ethics of permaculture are; Care for the land; Care for the People; and, Care for the future.

Permaculture is a holistic, kind, environment, a friendly way for designing and building our living environment, as well as improving living standards, including housing, water supply, health, waste management, farming, energy, aquaculture, rivers, forests, livestock and much more.

With the support of Trócaire, 300 people from Birek and surrounding villages have been able to train in permaculture practices and 70 people from Birek have already re-established home gardens. Families are now growing spinach, lettuce, ginger, egg plant, tomatoes, water spinach, chilli and corn with tools supplied by Trócaire’s partners.

These gardens are fed by homemade compost instead of expensive and environment polluting chemical fertilisers. This has benefitted families by giving them access to nutritious, stable, home grown and organic food supplies.

The permaculture techniques used by the villagers in Birek have proved so successful that villagers from other parts of Aceh now visit them to learn from them.

The news of a brighter, greener, better future is spreading.