Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Agronomic: flax, potatoes, sunflower
- Fruits: berries (other), cherries, grapes, melons, plums
- Nuts: hazelnuts
- Vegetables: artichokes, beets, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cucurbits, onions, peppers, rutabagas, sweet corn, tomatoes, turnips
- Additional Plants: tobacco, native plants
- Animals: bees
Practices
- Animal Production: herbal medicines, preventive practices
- Crop Production: windbreaks
- Education and Training: demonstration, display, extension, farmer to farmer, mentoring, networking, study circle
- Natural Resources/Environment: habitat enhancement, hedgerows, wildlife
- Pest Management: field monitoring/scouting, prevention, mulching - vegetative
- Production Systems: permaculture
- Soil Management: composting, organic matter
Abstract:
The Center for Permaculture as Native Science guides an on-going program of Earth-related activities on the Rosebud Lakota Reservation in south central South Dakota. In the 1997-99 period, SARE_PDP supported learning and outreach practice by Program Assistants in a project titled “Outreach Education for Permaculture as Native Science.” Most education is hands-on and on-site in the neighborhood of each Program Assistant. Topics/actions lead to sustainability and care of the environment; they include food gardening; shelterbelt planting for protection, conservation and gathering; nutrition and health education for prevention of diabetes; family honeybees; renewable energy; and Lakota Youth activities.
During the two SARE-supported years, special advances were made in self-confidence and leadership skills of the Program Assistants; in quantity and quality of food gardens to the point of establishing and supplying community WIC Farmers Markets; in interest and actual tree planting; in renewed pride in gathering and drying; in establishment of honeybee hives; and in renewable energy education, small applications and preparation for home-site installations. Youth involvement increased manifold and Elders became more willing to participate and share their knowledge.
Project objectives:
1) that participants put workshop education into practice, ie, more families begin/continue food gardening within a community permaculture design
2) that program outreach personnel and others begin community projects of planting and care
3) that program outreach personnel gain self-confidence and develop relationships with similar personnel such as Extension, NRCS
4) that nearby Extensionists join the efforts of the Outreach programs
5) that Permaculture as Native Science be brought to the school kids