Organisation: Permatil

Permaculture is a sustainable philosophy that enables people to abundantly provide for food, energy and shelter in a way that works with and preserves water supply, agricultural land and the greater environment.

In 2006, Permatil (a Timor-Leste NGO) first published The Tropical Permaculture Guidebook – a practical reference for implementing permaculture techniques in tropical climates. The book has since been reprinted several times and is used by numerous international NGOs, including GTZ, World Vision and Oxfam.

In 2012, a partnership was formed to republish the book for an international audience. The three key partners are Permatil, who as experts in permaculture are responsible for content development; the xpand Foundation, which has been instrumental in sourcing funding and leveraging its extensive networks, as well as providing governance to oversee the project; and Disruptive Media, who are leading the design and production of the updated guidebook and website..

We’ve worked to scope the objectives and develop a look, feel and tone for a new edition of the guidebook that would resonate with the permaculture community, be accessible to subsistence communities the world over, and acknowledge Timor-Leste as the source-point.

Now, the design and production of the international English edition of the book is nearly complete. At over 1,000 pages, the reference is available in print and digital formats and is an extensive guide designed specifically to support subsistence communities to achieve both food security and sovereignty. It’s already been downloaded more than 14,000 times in 142 countries (as at March 2018) – and that’s before its official launch!

Our contribution to the partnership also includes the development of the communications tools and the crowd-funding campaigns. We’ve created a website, campaign branding and supporting social media pages to kickstart the project’s funding and establish widespread support.

Funding is continually being sought to update, extend and republish the book in both print and digital formats. The new international edition will enable more people across the developing world to build knowledge around sustainability and food security.

To contribute to this initiative visit permacultureguidebook.org or the GoFundMe page

To stay up to date on progress of the international edition visit the Tropical Permaculture Facebook page