Creating realities and hopes, inspiring and rejuvenating the communal spirit, and living through the Permaculture Sustainable System.
The year, 2022 has been a tough but successful year for the Ghana Permaculture Institute. Every year comes with its ups and downs, pains and happiness, darkness and light. The principle of permaculture tells us that there is ‘No waste’, the ‘output of something can become an input and vice versa’. Mostly many people see the output as challenges, difficulties, pains, and darkness, but successive and progressive works could turn these adversities into new opportunities, new realities, and happiness. We celebrated the year of our late founder, Dr. Paul Yeboah who demised on 14th September 2021 by honoring him by awarding 4 peasant farmers with a cash prize of GHC 1000.00 each for their involvement in Ghana Permaculture Activities in their respective communities and championing the permaculture practices in their communities and regions. We have a plan to continually honor farmers for protecting the environment and creating and preserving a better future for the unborn world.
GPI together with the Southern Networks for Environment and Development (SONED) in Berlin began a new project in September 2022 on Improving the economic well-being of farmers in the permaculture value chain through GPI agribusiness expansion. Between September to December 2022, over 315 youth, women, and peasant farmers directly participated in our permaculture training workshops at the Ghana Permaculture Institute, and over 5000 people were indirectly reached through our TV, Radio, and social media advocacy programs. Over 105 youths, between the ages of 18-35 participated in our 3 youth workshops organized. Over 90 women and 60 peasant farmers participated in our women and peasant farmers workshops. We had 30 participants participate in our stakeholder workshop, and 30 staff participated in our capacity-building training for our new agribusiness development activities. A Television and 2 radio advocacies were made to advocate the permaculture sustainable system, promote farmers' organic products, and increase the number of members of the permaculture network in Ghana. GPI has made very good renovations at the center. Greg hall, Paulo hall, SONED Hall, LUSH hall, and the Cafeteria have been renovated. A new Moringa oil press is bought and in total, we are able to process over 1000kg of moringa seeds into oil a day. We have installed a new solar system that is able to power all our industrial machines and lighting system at the center.
One of the greatest successes of GPI in 2022 is attaining the certification of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI). This NVTI is the Ghana Institutional body that gives certification to run vocational training, Competency-Based Apprenticeship, Master Craftsmanship, Testing, and Career Development for all persons from basic school through to tertiary both literate and illiterate. GPI will begin admitting students in March 2023 for 2 years of Agricultural Proficiency Courses and Cosmetics Production Courses. The proficiency courses are flexible which will enable us to gradually introduce the permaculture agroecological systems into our agricultural proficiency program thereby introducing the permaculture system into our agricultural educational curriculum in Ghana.