Permaculture is understanding the extends of environmental services, enrich and optimize them to create an ecosystem source of abundant and diverse nutrients inside a rich and complex human niche.
We propose now a PDC in Brasil (Bahia sea side) in English. The aim is both providing with all PDC theory necessary to propagate Permaculture knowledge (using a 4D platform) and giving full perspective on soil regeneration in tropical climate.
Anovafloresta (Aflorestanova in the English instance of WordPress) is a project of soil regeneration using Permaculture as an affordable process for reforestation (food forest) and for the setup of an optimized landscape intended to produce food and building, a cradle for abundance and creativity.
This website describes the Permaculture features and concepts developed during the creation of a Permaculture farm, including a food forest, integration of animals, a vegetable garden and a low footprint habitat.
We propose a Permaculture training associated with these features and concepts . The training is not limited to the list of functions and techniques published in the website.
Our Permaculture training is adapted to any kind of public we provide with a holistic perspective and fundamental concepts like systemic approach and design simulation, Cradle to Cradle, Biomimicry, the laws of thermodynamics (energy conservation and reduction of entropy) , Top-down and Bottom-up merging methodology and project management, Process vs Function Business Plan construction, which would correspond to a master class training.
We welcome students and volunteers who wish to participate to our projects of reforestation, green building and food production and processing.
All functions are developed in a humid tropical context, except the periods influenced by El Niño causing a shift to dry tropic context, providing with an interesting platform for adaptation to climate change.
The objective is to produce a library of functions, vectors of integration (features, fauna & flora) and best of breed solutions that can be reused by low budget producers in a tropical context with the objective of regenerating desertified lands and initiate sustainable and in-fine abundant tropical food production.
The main inputs are plants and animals (local or adapted to the context, e.g. chicken, red worms, supportive and productive plants…) in order to increase positive interactions, fertility, productivity, biodiversity and resilience.
All function and concepts listed in this website can be reproduced successfully in identical contexts as they have been confronted to real implementation and monitoring using Permaculture systemic approach (design, experiment, integrate, stimulate, monitor).
The functions are developed using local resources, with no external manure. No organic fertilizers (e.g. cow manure) have been used as it would mean accentuating land depletion in cow pastures located in the neighborhood and already non sustainable.
Resource management is based on
- capturing sun light using perennials and supportive species to produce organic matter, fertility, fruits and forest derivative products
- Rainwater harvesting and water recycling
- Animal integration for optimizing the production and distribution of nutrients (nitrogen and other nutrients), monitoring the global food web balance of the ecosystem and producing low impact animal proteins.
- Complete recycling (see Cradle to Cradle) as a resource management framework
A Floresta Nova - A Tropical Food Forest - Brazil - Bahia - Permaculture Training 
Thank for your reply…I tried looking for dates for your PDC in July…what I have to book a place in advance? I will be in Bahia in April do you have any workshops at that time..;
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The PDC will happen in July, 1week of theory and one week dedicated to site design applying the concepts seen in the first week + additional methodology for practical design, using our easy to use 3D platform. The site design will be done using forward and reverse engineering . For more information please contact me on my email; anovafloresta.mail@gmail.com
The training calendar for the next months of 2019 will be published soon. In April we will focus mainly on green building.
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The strenght of Permaculture comes from the relationship between elements in time not from isolated or chaotic single transactions. To ensure this leverage it is necessary to switch the focus from function design obssession to processes; flows of transformation including or not human activity. Processes are cycles in nature, a process is a human perspective on specific and useful flows of resources. A process is either a cycle showing relationship to external processes or a pathway between various natural and human made cycles.
Nature is dynamic by essence , focusing on function optimization versus process optimization is being blinded by the leaf of the tree, hiding the forest. In more elaborate farms, process architecture mixing natural and human transactions toward an optimised flow of resources are confronted to 2 economic realities; accept market reality , get a yield.
Thinking about processes during the design phase of a Permaculture farm gives more opportunities to avoid heavy mistakes beeing seen in the operation phase.
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Permaculture is about thoughtful and deep contextual design and inversely small operational steps in the construction process.
It is about systemic approach.
When including simulation you get the most advance system for human planetarization with complex ecosystem.
Although Permaculture emphasises domestication in order to produce a natural paradise for human , it also add a dimension of conservation both
geographic (zone 5, …) and
in the ways nature complexity is welcome for resiliency reason and genetic capitalization.
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Where does biomimicry start where does biomimicry stop?
Native Indians from Amazon did create what no other civilization could manage to do; improving soil fertility together with the development of an intensive agriculture based on biochar production. The transformation of an extremely poor tropical soil (oxisoils…) has followed a natural process involving using fire for cooking food, ceramic, possibly the use of charcoal for water filtering , teeth cleansing, inhibiting pathogens in feces disposal, mixing organic waste with remains of burn wood produced during the clearing of the settlements in their semi nomadic way of life or during the day to day way of life.
One question is; would biochar production and its relation with the soil be a refined science developed intentionally or a sub product of some societal behavior, a sub product unrecognized, just shaping the food environment.
Another one is; does biomimicry mimick non intentional genetic evolution of fauna and flora or does it include the development of nature based human settlement like the one found in the Amazon before the colonization. I have no answer for the time being as it raises philosophical questions about mimicry and the place of human in natural processes.
However should I use this source of inspiration? Definitely yes.
I have now setup a process involving cooking and forest cleaning which produce charcoal and then biochar which will serve my ambition to regenerate this previously desertified land.
Would this mimicry process being followed by tropical countries not as slash and burn but as charcoal production and enrichment followed by soil integration; half of carbon capture from the atmosphere could be done here. And food production would tend by construction more local .
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A Nova Floresta is simply an incredible place, a witness to regenerative forestry and an excellent educational center. A Nova Floresta is the perfect combination between theory and practice. Stephane’s knowledges in permaculture, agroforest and bio-construction is impressive, from soil biology to permaculture macro design, passing through ecosystem theory and climate change implications. The “class” is fascinating and complete. The activities on the farm is extremely diverse, planting, pruning trees, digging water retention hole, building oven, molding bricks and more.
I have spent 3 weeks as a volunteer and as my first steps in permaculture. Later on exploring Brasil and other permaculture farms, I have met other people who also learned with Stephane. We all agreed to say that Stephane is an incredible teacher, that he transmitted solid basis in permaculture and that A Nova Floresta is a beautiful and rich forest reflecting Stephane’s passion and experience.
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