Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Pictures of Biointensive Workshop at Ezemvelo

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President Chissano visits the Maharishi Institute



Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, visited the Maharishi Institute in Johannesburg yesterday. This visit was inspired by his recent visit to Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa USA. Chissano was in Iowa as a member of the UN’s World Food Council, in which capacity he presented this years World Food Prize in Des Moines.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Sustainable Mini Farming Centre to be established at Ezemvelo


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Tracy Gonzalez and Raj Solanki, along with their five-year-old son Makaiah, are just completing a six month internship learning biointensive sustainable mini farming with Ecology Action in Willits California, USA. From there they return to Fairfield, Iowa, USA to assist with setting up the Midwest Sustainable mini Farming Center at the maharishi University of management.

This will be one of three centers being established in the USA and part of a global network of teaching centres with at least one in every country. The first such sustainable mini farming in Southern Africa is being established here at Ezemvelo.

Excerpt:

My introduction to GROW BIOINTENSIVE came from a workshop I took from Alex Kachan, a professor in the Department of Sustainable Living. ...He showed a video on the Tula project [in Mexico], and how it changed people’s lives in the area was so inspiring. I was in tears. I really connected with my desire to help people. I wanted to learn ... to be able to teach and help others. Raj and I talked for a long time about taking an Ecology Action workshop which we did last November. Meeting John [Jeavons] was life-changing as well. It was after this that I realized that sustainability is a much higher goal to shoot for (much higher than just organic) when looking for the best possible food, and, growing it sustainably yourself, well, you can do no better.

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