Promoting permaculture in Lebanon

In the quiet village of Saidoun in the Jezzine area of south Lebanon, a silent revolution is taking place. A fledgling organization founded by four Lebanese environmentalists, SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon, is encouraging local farmers to abandon pesticides and chemical fertilizers in favor of self-sustaining agricultural methods such as composting, mulching and using natural, nontoxic insecticides.

But permaculture, a movement founded in the mid-1970s by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, is about far more than organic farming.

“Permaculture is a new concept in Lebanon,” says Alexis Baghdadi, one of the association’s co-founders. “It’s not very well publicized, even though a lot of people are already doing it – they just don’t call it permaculture.

“Basically, it’s a system and a way of life, a way of providing food, shelter and a more sustainable lifestyle for yourself. You reduce your impact on the environment, you grow your own food and you also change your consumer habits … it’s about shopping locally and responsibly, buying local produce instead of importing food … and reducing the use of chemicals in agriculture.”

The word “permaculture” was originally an amalgam of “permanent agriculture,” but as the movement has expanded and evolved, it has come to be associated with the term “permanent culture,” emphasizing its social aspect. Permaculture is not just for farmers. It can also be practiced in urban settings, Baghdadi explains.

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Promoting permaculture in Lebanon