Climate Action Peru Project #19080

Agroforestry the Peruvian Amazon

by Alianza Arkana

Project Report | Dec 17, 2015
Update on Alianza Arkana learning community and our work

By Dr Paul Roberts | Director Intercultural Education, Alianza Arkana

Training carpenters to build eco-latrines

First of all, regarding the Alianza Arkana online learning community, I'm sorry we had to postpone the course with Dennis McKenna in October -I know many of you were looking forward to it. Dennis had to withdraw at the last moment because of pressure of work and said he would rather do it next March when he can do it proper justice.

We tried to find someone to substitute Dennis at the last minute but that was not possible.

Brian Best, specialist in regenerative solutions for Alianza Arkana, gave the next course in November on a subject very dear to his heart - 'poop' or, in more formal language, 'eco-sanitation.' See his blog:

https://alianzaarkana.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/its-time-to-really-start-giving-a-shit-about-world-toilet-day-wecantwait/

Next year, in addition to the course in March on 'the Chemistry of the Amazon' with Dennis Mckenna - the renowned ethnobotanist and one of the most respected elders in the ayahuasca world - we have two great courses lined up:

In January, on 'Gaia theory' with Dr. Stephan Harding, the ecologist at Schumacher College, England and collaborator with James Lovelock.

In February, on 'Open Source Reality' with Mitch Schultz, who made the documentary 'DMT: the Spirit Molecule'.

We have launched our beautiful new website. If you have not seen it, check out:

http://alianzaarkana.org/

We have continued to be busy in each of our three program areas:

Brian Best, in addition to running the online learning course, has been - together with our Director of Regenerative Solutions, Orestes Rengifo Cauper - providing technical assistance to the Municipality of Indiana, near Iquitos, to train carpentry teams who are constructing 152 floating and elevated composting toilets with rainwater capture and bathing platforms for 18 communities, in collaboration with UNICEF.

We hosted an important meeting for representatives of ORAU (the regional political indigenous peoples organization) and ten intercultural teachers at our combined permaculture and education project in the community of Santa Clara. This project is a working example of an innovative approach to intercultural education for ORAU for their new initiative in intercultural education. For more info about the visit, see:

https://alianzaarkana.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/educating-interculturally/

Also, we have just had a large harvest of bananas and yuca from the permaculture project with fruit soon to follow.

We have recruited an intern to lead our ecosocial justice program. He will be starting in February. More news on this to follow.

I'd like to thank you all for your continuing support of Alianza Arkana.

Best seasonal wishes

Dr Paul Roberts, Director Intercultural Education.

Team in Indiana with Brian Best (the tall gringo)

Nearly finished eco-latrina in Indiana

Showing the harvest of yuca and platano (banana)

Banana harvest from Santa Clara

Back to all project reports

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.