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[amarynth]

So, I'm new here to the New Shangri La.  Hi all.  I've read a few times.  We've most probably read all the same things, and discussed similar things.  And we're all reaching for what I can only call 'right living'.  And we're also doing the things one needs to do to create 'right living'.  And we're also processing what this is, how it works and how to set it up  together.  We have to rebuild.  We have to create a different living. 

I've been to most of the places discussed here (Bocas del Toro, Panama, Caribbean Islands and other places mentioned).  Its been a long road of seeking.  We made some progress to self-sustaining community in Central America,  but then, the thing Clif High calls Universe, dropped me right back into Africa.  So, we think we found a place and I think I have a concept.  So, here goes .. just as it comes.  (legacy of African English, American English, Canadian English and English English - and different first language).

Concept - Vibrant Rural Village - sustaining self and community - with excellent communication and staying on top of developments such as free energy.  Rural, but not backward, if you get my meaning here.   

Place - in Africa in a spot that has been a gold and precious stone trading center for many generations between the East and East Africa.  Undeveloped for many years as a result of war but now 20 years of peace and no energy in amongst the local population to make war. They've been there and done that.  The place is good close to border with 3 other countries with a humongous lake in the center.     

Land - So, the land is virgin, fertile and ready to be used responsibly to sustain a number of people.  The land comes from a Governmental Concession based on an accepted project plan for 'development'.  So, one does not pay for it but there are costs.  And one has to do what one undertook to do on the land.  (As our world changes around us, this will change.)  We're trying to choose the specific spot now - more than 400 hectares, wooded and with some contour, with hills, with water - beautiful, the piece that feels right and speaks to the heart.  Fertile for growing - ideal for permaculture design. 

Land Design - Permaculture principles.  Organic methods.     

Water - lots, and close to a great lake with beaches.  For daily swimming, a farm dam will have to be constructed.

Climate - tends toward tropical, but probably more like sub-tropical with 2 seasons, dry and rainy.  There is a change of seasons, but this is short duration - a few weeks.

Elevation - 2,500 to 3,500 feet above sea level, so, not tropically hot.   

Energy - for cooking and canning and fire type stuff -  methane made from chipped undergrowth wood and compost.  There are a few youtube videos as to how to do this and a few farmers doing it already with animal manure quite successfully.  Initially a silent type generator for powering a satellite internet, as well as a short wave radio and for other temporary power needs, e.g. musical instruments.  (I'm thinking about that Jimmy Buffet song - "and they blew the circuit breakers in the souvenir shop"!)  In time we can change the generator to either a biodiesel generator, or a methane one.  Input costs to these methods are much lower currently than solar.  Warm water for showering can be solar.     

Shelter and 'inner village' design - the good thing about this area, is that one does not have to get all kinds of permissions for anything.  If you want to build, you build.  There are regulations, but not as controlled as first world.  So, overall design as everybody chooses - overall design to be agreed by community.  I have some ideas - the area has basic materials available - clay and wood and stone.  Roofs are generally made with thatch or banana leaves.  The local architectural vernacular can be used easily - and something like this is not so visible to the Google effort to take pics of everyone and everything. 
http://www.lammas.org.uk/ecovillage/images/simonfronthouse_003.jpg
http://www.lammas.org.uk/ecovillage/images/sijashousewest.jpg

(initial shelter for starting)
- excess stock military tents, not sure yet if we complete the inner village design, put down some floors and put the tents right on the floors or what .. this will shake out eventually.
- communal showers and composting toilets
- a large common area, perhaps just a thatch roof, floor and cooking area with netting.
- currently a large rented house in the town, where some growing is already happening.   

Initial Income and beginnings of Economy - a give and receive economy
- Food (Vegetables for community and local market and seedlings), organic seeds and heritage seeds - Seed Bank.  (We've gathered a large seedbank .. many varieties but not a massive amount of any one thing.)
- Honey - the area has not been overcome with chemicals.  So, old hives exist.  Uhm, anyone for mead?
- Permaculture Educational Center.
- Probably 6 months or so without income, although there are other methods.
- Other activities - goats for milk and perhaps some angora goats for wool, chickens and so on.
- Wormery .. both for community land use as well as selling compost and worms.
- Oil Crops - short term sunflowers and flax .. and longer term Oil Palms.     

Communication -
Sattelite internet and shortwave radio - cell phones work.   

Transportation -
- In Village, foot and bicycle .. as few as possible farming implements (these compact the soil).
- To Town - local transportation is available and one vehicle for travelling .. (not sure about all of this.)  To the nearest big city .. by bus or by plane. 

Medical - we use a whole raft of herbal and spices for maintaining health.  MMS, colloidal silver and food as medicine .. There are medical services available in the town.  If you have something specific that you need, better bring it along, or find a herbal or spice or natural alternative.   

Animal and Wild life - the big animals are still there .. more north however.  There are snakes .. there are spiders ... one will have to be aware of this and deal with it - some education goes a long way.  So, existing wildlife will become apparent once the final land is chosen.  Be aware, friendly and unfriendly wildlife.   

Cost - This is a thing that is unsure.  Each member of the community will have to become self-sufficient.  So, if anyone can make say ... cloth out of raw hemp or cotton, then this is a measure of self-sufficiency.  I think perhaps we should see who comes and discuss this then instead of setting an up-front amount now.  Initially I think one will have to be able to sustain oneself (plus family if you have a family) for 6 months or so - given that there will be vegetables to eat and for the meat eaters, goat and chickens.  If there is something left over to give to the community, so much the better.  I can work out a better idea here as we go.  Initial idea is 10 long term families or members.

What do we need?  We need what we decide we need.  We have the basics.  The seeds, the knowhow, the land is almost selected, the generator, the shortwave radio, not yet the sat dish, but that is easy .. the building know-how and some money - sufficient to build a place of shelter for us, bring water to where we need it to be, grow our first food and get our first animals.  That I think is the core.       

Inner Village Community
- People - currently 3 and 1 child (skills - sustainable building, permaculture design, computer technology, organization, canning, drying and other methods of food preservation - all artisenal style, some art, some music).  (Hopefully one other will join with mechanical skills.)
- Children and families absolutely welcome .. hopefully eventually a little alternative school.
- Any skills welcome.

The Inner Village Community Vision
- Homes - local vernacular, comfortable and beautiful - small unless needed otherwise.
- Space - include some little spaces for worship, silence, meditation and discovering.  This I think will develop.  These spaces and places will appear and people will add there what they need- a stone, a feather, other objects of spirit.     
- Evenings .. fireside activities and going off by oneself - perhaps a video, perhaps joining the local capoeira group and trying it on for size.  Perhaps a game.  Whatever develops.   
- Communican style - a style of love and support - how to say this? - we are one spirit I think, but we have different personalities.  If more structure is needed, it can be developed.  This does need to be a working community however.  But if you need space, this is also a supportive community.  Where is the balance?  I don't know, but it will appear.       
- Activities, preparing the soil, planting the seeds, transplating the seedlings, making food, gathering and drying seeds .. let's talk to those plants and find their soul.  Milking the goats .. well, love 'em already!   Water works, building, selling produce, selling seeds, arrange and do permaculture courses .. enjoy visitors.     
- A place where people like Dr Jim Humble and others can come for support and rest.
- Music - lots, Art - everywhere.

Founders, Leaders, Ownership - not sure about this at all.  Open to discussion.  If paper money is going to go gone in our lives, how does one work with concepts such as ownership?  I don't know.  I've never lived without money.  The vision is to work with local gems and earth based wealth.     
Leaders/Founders - well, I don't know.  I am an organizer, a computer person and I plant stuff and make seeds and preserve food.  Am I a leader?  Perhaps.  Is this function necessary?  Or is it more a question of facilitation?  Is one a leader, or a catalyst?  Is this function more necessary than a spiritual orientation?.  Some talking needs to happen here.  Talking needs to be ongoing.  Founder?  Yes, that I am, but there are many of us that are 'finding' this strong need to live right.  I guess I can draw something up that will work for a start to set out ownership and leadership - based on function.  But, I know, we're moving into the new, so, perhaps, there are no previously defined rules.  Yet, everyone that has ever lived in community, calls for a method of communication and a firm structure - How do we 'manage' the land and the people.  Is the biggest question not learning to live with one another, to live with the land?.   Yes, let's plan, let's vision, but let us not plan to death.   
. 
Yes, I can do this .. write something down I mean, just to have a starting point.   It can only happen if it wants to happen - heart and passion will allow it to happen.   

Complete Focus - food security for the community, sustainable life security for the village, right living.  Wide external community for solution brainstorming and help. 
       
Outer Village - just a brainstorm ...
- Why not construct a few very beautiful 'grander houses' and sell them to folks that want a level of comfort, or temporary accommodation?  (good folks of course).
- Outer village people - permaculture interns, woofers, camping and tours, natural building and whatever anyone wants to bring.

Here is an idea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVLNUHqjeA&feature=player_embedded#at=965

I'm going to refine the words a little, make some pictures and then send them here http://www.clear-village.org/contest
   

[amarynth]

We're making a little progress here in Africa.  Our concept and request for governmental concessionary land is in and accepted.  So, now we wait a little to hear what whoever has to say.  The land is lovely, still some old growth trees and not fully cleared for farming.  It is at a higher elevation.  We're looking at 400 hectares which is small for farms in the vicinity. 

Just a little background, a few of the African countries have now put land available on a 50 to 100 year concessionary basis for farmers in an attempt to create some kind of food security.  It feels really good not to have to pay for the land portion of the village that we're planning.   

So, we will know soon if we can secure the piece that we like without too much hassle.  In terms of community design, I do like the oval design for the 'inner' village' as detailed on this thread.  http://www.new-shangri-la.org/index.php?topic=60.0

We also tend towards the Nader Khalili style earthbag building which is good for our location.  So, as soon as we've secured the land, we'll get to planning more seriously as to method and layout.   First however is to get the organic seed production going as well as permaculture workshops to get some overall community income established.

It is getting to the exciting part now and we hope to have a final answer on land before the end of the year.   

     

     

[m_astera]

This is a well done post, Amarynth.  Nice to see you are "doing" it.

A suggestion: Have you had a soil test done for minerals?  If not I would say it's a good investment; not an expensive thing to do, around $30 in the US.  If some minerals are missing or in short supply, they can be brought in.  The payoff is in nutritionally complete food.  Little things like a kilo per hectare of cobalt, selenium, or molybdenum make the difference between life and death for grazing animals and humans who depend on them.

[amarynth]

Hi m_astera

Thanks for the comment.  One of my family who is working with the land issues came across a little miracle.  7 African villages still under the guidance of an old style african King in that broken country of Zimbabwe.  The kingship is honored and they had nothing to do with any war.  To make a long story short, when it became clear that their country was falling into ruins around them, they decided to adopt permaculture as a way of life.  So, there is full food security here, and it is beautiful.  My family member, a fellow around 33, said he cried because it is so beautiful.

No, we have not done any soil tests, but will absolutely do so when the time is right.  I want to grow food that is fat and bursting in nutritional completeness, complexity and ability to nourish.  My husband is a compost fiend, and not too bad in measuring things, so, this is his job and depending what we find, we will adapt our composting to fill the gap.     

The 'finding land' process is a little bogged down because of 'african affairs' :-).  Firstly they had elections, then the one department 'lost' the paperwork (we are not sure if it is time to 'grease a palm', which is common in Africa - payment for services rendered or payment for someone to lift butt and do job!).  And now it is holiday time.  So, we are waiting for the offices to open, or for someone to sober up, whichever is first, and then we will again follow through on the paper trail.  I am so looking forward to the time that we can say ... Hey, we have food growing, we have water flowing, get on a boat or a plane with your tent and your family, and come visit! 

There are two other issues that are of a bog-down type.

- mostly the learning that we're trying to do from other communities.  These mostly are gathered around an 'issue', either religious as opposed to spiritual, or solely ecological, or some other type of belief system that seems to be limiting to me at this stage.  I seem to not be able to make it clear to people ... or, few understand ... we pursue 'right living', spiritually, ecologically, physically, to others, and to ourselves and to the earth and cosmos.  But we do not want to be exclusive.  There is no nirvana, excepting the nirvana of the heart, spirit, soul and mind, hopefully in unity with creator and creation.
         
- the other issue that has been worrying of late is the talk about a possible pole shift.  This bogged me down in my mind for a month or so.  Our chosen area is a safe space, depending on who, which expert, is talking.  Now, over the past few days, I seem to see that this is another fear message and the right way to deal with it, is to continue creating - not in denial of the possibility - but to continue creating regardless.

(smiles)  Namaste.  My soul greets your soul on this first day of 2010. 



 

         

[Hantayo]

Hi Amarynth I have been following your postings, and it sounds wonderful there, but... I have a question? Which African country are you speaking of? In your last post you referred to Zimbababwe. Are you living and farming in  Zimbababwe? From all the news sources I’ve encountered that is one of the most dangerous countries in Africa for a white foreigner. Isn’t it true that most if not all white farmers have had their farms forcibly taken away from them over the past two decades? Namaste Oliver

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/world/2008/06/13/zimbabwes-corrupt-ruler-uses-violence-to-hold-onto-power.html

http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/feb1999/zim-f26.shtml

[amarynth]

Hi Hantayo

No, we are not in Zimbabwe and there are indeed tremendous problems.  This is why the discovery of the 7 permaculture villages in this old African Kingdom was quite a sweet small miracle.   But one cannot believe everything you read in the newspapers.  The design part of the last permaculture conference (2009) was held in Zimbabwe.  http://www.ipcon.org/

We are in the process of finalizing land in one of the Southern African countries.  I would like at this stage to keep the exact place unnamed, just until the land thing settles.  It is a farming community, there are a number of other farmers and it is no more or less dangerous than many other places in the world.  Traditionally the farmers have created 'security response' networks amongst themselves.  The country that we are securing land in, is safe, has a farming community, with natural resources still pristine in certain areas.  It is no more dangerous than say being a gringo or extranjero in a central or south american country.  One's security is in the main dependent on your integration in your community and also, how you live. 

Contrary to perhaps popular opinion and the gyrations of the main stream media, there are democratic and some prosperous countries in Africa.  These are the ones that did not drink too deeply of the poisoned well of IMF funds for so-called development (in reality, theft of resources).  Refer the Kingdom of Swaziland, the Republic of Botswana, the Republic of Malawi*, the Republic of Mozambique and the Republic of Namibia.  South Africa currently still has deep racial divisions and is a very dangerous country.  The farmers here are also under threat zimbabwe style and the government has announced that they want to get rid of at least 30% of white farmers.  Many other african countries are inviting farmers in and handing them land to come and farm.  Refer Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), *not* the Republic of the Congo.

*Malawi - a long time stable breadbasket of Africa and then absolutely spoilt by IMF funds, but are now digging themselves out.           
   

[amarynth]

This is going to be a momentous year.  We've found our land but I don't have any pictures yet.  A fellow communitarian called me early this morning to say ... "I am Standing on It!  We can lay the first building blocks on top of the other even this morning if we choose to".   As things stand now, there should be 3 of us on the land in 3 months time.   

Now, the final talks with the government on a 50 or 100 year leasehold :-) and this is just about a done deal and will be completed within the next few days. :-)  The land is in excess of 400 hectares and is forest.  Just exactly right for permaculture.  Rolling hills, one river but more small riviers that flow only in rainy season and have underground water in other times.   

The 'things to do' list is simple:

Spirit, Food, Water, Shelter, Self-Sufficiency - all at the same time :-).

Spirit will come with people and ourselves, forest, land and water.
Food will happen with people and nature spirits/devas.
Shelter will be some work but we are following the simplest design possible and everyone can build!  Most of the raw material is available on the land.  Cost here will be barbed wire for the sandbag building and whatever fixtures and fittings.
 
Self-Sufficiency plans are
- seedling, vegetable/fruit and food (e.g., artisenal cashew and peanut nut butters)
- angora goats for clearing land, helping to compost and shear for mohair fleeces twice a year - eventually processing the fleeces for spinning the mohair for use both in the community and for selling.   
- similar process with silk worms for silk but here mulberry trees must first be planted (both for food for worms as well as for the berries)
- the area is rich in alluvial deposits and other earth wealth.  This a whole thing by itself.
- issues such as planting hemp crops will clarify as we go along.  This will also depend on who joins and who feels led to start this initiative.  We need many friends in the community first in order to spend time in productive earth based activities, and not activism.    But, the land is a forest and no more needs be said.

Costing for the community is becoming clearer as well, but this truly is the hard part.  We do not pay for the land itself, but there are costs to establish on it what needs to be there.  Anyone that is interested in working with spirit, with land just right for permaculture and with a rural self organizing spiritual community can now contact me through the board here to chat.  It is still necessary to be able to sustain yourself for at least 6 months, have your own tent and camping equipment and preferably make a donation to one of the community efforts.  The idea of having small community 'businesses' within the whole seems to be worth while thinking about.  So, someone can decide to take on the goat farming piece, assist in buying the goats and then do a sharing plan with the larger community.  I am working hard on getting a good costing model going as well as figuring out basic guidelines.  We would like to get more families involved.   


     


     

[amarynth]

And the good news is, the initial tent camp is being prepared and we're having our first visitor in May.  Apparently the beer drinking with the Tribal Leader to seal the agreement, is still in full force!   Yes, there will be the required paperwork as well, but this is Africa.  First, one has to slaughter a goat, and then you have to consume vast quantities of beer (the men have to do this, the women stay a little in the background) and then you have to make peace with the medicine man and honor him, but just a tiny little less than the honor to the King!  Politics  :-)