Dr Johanna Garnett, alongside her colleagues Than Shwe and Myat Tun, are spearheading a groundbreaking initiative in Myanmar—the establishment of the country’s first Permaculture Institute in Arakan state, Myanmar.
Jo as volunteer teacher and Than Shwe as program officer worked together at a Myanmar grassroots environmental and educational organisation from late 2013 to March 2014. During that period, Myat Tun was a student at their school. Than Shwe spent ten years in this role of educating young farmers in sustainable farming practices and basic permaculture farming design and Jo continued working with the organisation until 2019. Than Shwe and Jo had an initial idea of establishing a permaculture demonstration farm somewhere in Myanmar and started looking for some suitable land to start a groundbreaking demonstration permaculture farm, where the young people, farmers and those passionate about environmental issues and permaculture practices can visit, learn and study.
In 2019, we bought land with the contact of Myat Tun in Gwa township, Rakhine state. During that time, Myat Tun had been working as an environmental educator at Istituto OIKOS (an Italian environmental conservation organization) in Kyeintali town, Gwa township. Myat Tun, alongside his colleagues became a core initiator of Permaculture Institute Myanmar (PIM).
We (Permaculture Institute Myanmar Team) are dedicated to assisting smallholder farmers and agrarian communities in tackling local environmental degradation and food security challenges. By focusing on capacity building, education, and sustainable practices, Permaculture Institute Myanmar aims to empower rural youth from diverse ethnic backgrounds and equip them with the skills and knowledge to drive alternative development, environmental stewardship, and new livelihood opportunities to address these challenges.
Through the Permaculture Institute, Dr Johanna Garnett and her colleagues are striving to empower rural soil defenders (young farmers) by equipping them with the necessary tools to transform their communities. By providing comprehensive education and training in permaculture principles and practices, we aim to instill a deep understanding of sustainable farming techniques, ecosystem restoration, and resource conservation.