2016

2009/4/25

PDC新得分享by Ada
















參加是次在野蔓園舉行的PDC課程,實在是難得及愉快的經歷。本身沒有並什麼農務或設計背景,亦無此生活需求,參加這個課程的主因真的是純綷為興趣。剛好又能在這段日子向公司申請十天的年假,連復活節假期及星期六日,剛好就足夠來參與這個為期兩週的PDC課程另加上兩天的台北遊。

有許多朋友問我,你這個課程其實是學些甚麼?真的是一言難盡。PDC全名是Permaculture Design Course,而Permaculture中文則翻成「樸門」或「永續栽培」。單憑字面去領會,似乎太過空泛;如果參看在課程中的照片,又似乎跟農務有很大的關連。沒錯,的確跟農務有頗大關連,但並不僅至於此。按我個人理解,樸門是一種追求永續(Sustainable)及正面(Positive)的生活模式、態度、思維和價值觀。而這個「永續」亦不限於人類自我的生活繁衍,乃是同時包括我們所居住的環境──地球。所以它的三大重點是:照顧人類、照顧地球、分享多餘。不過話說回來,是次課程內容似乎是針對如何過自給自足的永續生活,所以農務亦理所當然地成為主題中心。


課程的大部分內容是透過老師講課形式將知識分享給學員,另外亦包括遊戲、實習(例如大家一起做十八天堆肥)和土地設計習作等,令課堂不至太過刻板。上課的第一天,令我回想到以前上學的日子。真是很久沒有做一個全職的學生了!而且有部份生物及地堙方面的基本內容更是多年前曾經學過的(當然,已一早把它們忘記得一乾二淨了)。除了在知識層面上的介紹,老師更加入不少其個人經歷和圖片分享,令我知道更多可能不會從書本得知的事物。至於實習更是令人興奮,因為在香港應該沒有什麼機會去做堆肥或mulching(以護蓋物重建土壤)。不做過堆肥也不知道原來乾牛糞是如此不似牛糞!若沒有人告知,根本不會看得出來,也嗅不出來。另外那些微生物的驚人效率,令翻堆時冒出白煙渺渺,亦是叫人感嘆。至於mulching後的數天,在乾草中更長出磨菇來呢!



全個課程一共有三個設計習作,第一個是老師給予每一組一個土地的平面圖,並列出對此土地用途之期望,然後讓每一組都運用所學到的樸門設計法則去為這片虛構的土地設計其用途。實在是不易的習作呢!皆因我並沒有建築或設計的背景,所以真的有點吃力,幸好同組的同學有富豐的自建農場住宅經驗,所以最終亦能順利交功課(匯報設計結果)。

第二個習作是替我們正在上課的地點──野蔓園重新設計,聽罷「假設的客戶」對野蔓園的期望,便要利用樸門概念去改善野蔓園。這次因為是一個真實的地點,而且又可以實地考察,設計起來比較踏實,不過在完成後發覺原來有許多新設計都不是太實際,亦有些地方欠缺周詳的考慮。

至於第三個習作,是選出班中三位同學在不同地區所擁有或管理的真實土地來設計,它們分別是位於溫帶的奧克蘭,熱帶的高雄和亞熱帶的香港。因為三地都不是近在咫尺,所以大家都透過Google Earth來搜集資料,這真是一個多好用的免費軟件呢!Amazing!由於這個習作已是第三份功課,所以大家都比較適應,而且對課程內容有更多的了解,所以都做得十份仔細。我所參與的是熱帶地區組,因此地的主要用途是提供業主一家舒適及環保生活,所以我們花了很多時間去分析其地理環境和安排「一區」的設施,原來要蓋一幢房子,真的有很大的學問!座向、用料、屋簷長度與日照的關係、植物選擇……等等,甚至連養蜂箱的出入口坐向也有學問,雖然短期內我應該沒有機會要在熱帶地區蓋一座房子,但透過這個習作也真是獲益良多。希望Jesse同學回到奧克蘭能成功購得此地,並將我們的設計實踐。

除了正規的課堂,課程以外亦加插了一些分享。如短片分享:古巴石油高峰期及Milton同學在紐西蘭的小農場設計分享(又是另一大開眼界的presentation,一邊看,一邉「哇」……)。這些東西在平常生活的確很少接觸得到的。關於課程,最後還有不得不提的畢業要求之一:晚會表演。老師在開課時已告知大家這項必須通過的畢業條件;不論以個人或小組參與,也不論表演形式是甚麼。精采表演包括瑜珈(真的把腳放到頭上去!)、唱歌、跳舞、樂器伴奏、教學等等。而我和兩位都住在山上的同學則組成一組,表演一段小話劇及與大家玩戲遊,內容亦與我們所學習過的內容相關,看來大家也玩得很開心(其實在我們想題目時自己已經很high),現在想起也會會心微笑呢。

回顧課程後的得著,是強化了某些已有的想法,增加見識;另外透過這次課程所認識到的很多來自五湖四海、臥虎藏龍的同學及朋友,亦是這個課程的另一珍貴得著。最後要感謝「主飯單位」(廣東話音跟「主辦單位」相近) 亞曼籌辦這次課程,亦多謝老師Christian悉心教導(雖然他應該看不懂這篇中文,哈!有沒有同學幫忙翻這句給老師?)。

by Ada
Apr 2009

2009/4/24


WWOOFing in Taiwan

In March 2009, Jenny & I decided to spend a month doing WWOOFing in Taiwan, This year has been my “belated gap year”, I have quit my job since May last year and have been doing some traveling and voluntary services which I was trying to seek the true meaning of life. I have been doing voluntary services for the poor, sick and kids in Kenya, Nepal, China & Hong Kong, and now this is the time I would like to know and do more for the mother earth, therefore I chose to do WWOOFing (http://www.wwoofing.org/).

Yamana Garden (野蔓園) in Taipei was the first organic farm we went to, Yamana Garden is not only a typical organic farm but a place practices permaculture (樸門), a short term for permanent agriculture (Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural ecologies. Permaculture is based on three ethics: Care of the earth; care of the people; and reinvest all surplus, whether it be information, money, or labor, to support the first two ethics.)

During the 10days WWOOFing in Yamana Garden, I have gained a lot of lifetime experiences and truly understand the respects to mother earth and human. Ploughing; feeding pigs (or mud wrestling with the pigs); walking the goat (or actually bumping by the male goatie while taking him to eat); building log house with recycle materials; sleeping in a rice warehouse; transplanting rice seedlings; mating the pumpkin flowers; making bread / soy sauce / herbal tea; having bath in the public hot spring with a bunch of grannies were something I never imagine I will or could do. But all these experiences showed me that life is could be more beautiful with such a basic and raw environment & practice.

Although there would be difficulties in practicing Permaculture in the daily like in a big city like Hong Kong, but I will bare the spirit of Permaculture in my mind forever!

Would like to thanks Yaman of providing this opportunity for us to know more about Permaculture and his hard work to keep it sustaining in the goodwill of being a loveable child by mother nature.

Apart from WWOOFing, I have also visit other places in Taiwan, I was very lucky to go through so many exciting adventures and met so many wonderful new friends through my trip.


Subject: hello from HK~~!!!
Yamman 爸爸您好~~!!! 回港快一星期了,因有一段時間都不在家,很多東西要忙著處理..... Yamman 爸爸您們最近好嗎? PDC完成了嗎? 我跟jenny真的很幸運因於旅途中認識了您及其他台灣的新朋友,而對我們又十分熱情及照顧。老實說,我決定把工作放下一年,是想尋回生命的真正意義及人與人之間的關係。聽起來好像有點深奧,但經過一整年的遊歷,我發現其實很簡單,只要把自己築起的圍牆放下向後踏一步,很多以前看不到的東西都會自動浮現.....遇上Yamman 爸爸您及其他台灣的新朋友,相識時間雖短但因您們無私的心把我們拉近了。真的真的要謝謝您們的招待及照顧。我決定5月12-20日跟苗圃行動到四川進行步行籌款,所有善款將於甘肅省地震災區及貧困地區重建或添置教育設施,讓學童盡快重獲理想的學習環境,繼續學業。藉此活動作為我 "一年休假" 的句號,也為四川災民多出一點力。

我已把台灣之照片上載,有空請欣賞。謝謝及請保持聯絡~~!

Merida =>

2009/4/17

CHRIS的換工體驗分享




Dear Yamen, Hope you are well. Sorry that it took a bit longer than expected to write up the sharing. Hope its not too bad. Chris
With the help from Wwoof, I feel very lucky to have the chance to spend 8 days with Yaman in his organic farm. Located in the middle of Yang Ming Shan, Yamana Garden practices permaculture, a short term for permanent agriculture, that emphasizes the importance of sustainability through means of self sufficiency. While holding a plough and posing for pictures are cool enough to show off to your friends, living in a farm isn’t easy as it seems. You might get the benefits of having fresh vegetables for dinner every night. You might even lose a few pounds from all the hard work in the farm and eating healthy. But living in a log house with very basic amenities and bad weather is another story. For a few nights, I had to live with storms so strong that it shook the house from left to right. The zinc plates that covered the roof top of the outer part of the log house were flying everywhere and some of them were found miles away the next day. Temperature could drop dramatically that I had to wear a coat before tucking in a double sleeping bag. But if you could put up with all these bad things, there is so much to discover in the farm that will make your visit worth. For instance, you would feel very safe from any possible intruders or threats as you were always watched by five extremely vigilant dogs. If you were feeling a bit cold during the night, you could light up a small camp fire in the house for warmth. Better still, there was a public hot spring nearby where I went for bath everyday. Even though getting naked with a bunch of local old men wasn’t the greatest thing you could imagine, but soaking in a hot spring after long day of work was probably the best thing you could ever ask for. On the other side, feeding pigs and getting poked by a grumpy old sheep had become two of the many things that I missed since coming back to the modern world. So if you think you can give up all the fancy gadgets and cozy rooms at home, you might want to consider going back to basic and live in a farm just like our ancestors did.

P.S. Do remember to bring mosquito repellents, those tiny little things do get you and the bumps won’t go away for at least a good few days.

2009/4/8

PDC課程實錄

4月3日期待已久的pdc課終於在亞曼連續忙碌一個月準備工作之後順利開課,不僅僅是老師的師資卓越參加的學員也來自四面八方香港的朋友新加坡的朋友還有來自阿南達瑪家的朋友以及對課程有極大興趣的大哥大姐们,更有堅強的翻譯團隊和友情贊祝的義工團们共同推動完成雖然沒有辦法依依提及大名但由衷感謝大家的幫助.

之前雖然一直都有接觸到不論是亞曼時時提到的樸門理念,或是我個人能在野蔓園身體力行從三年前完全不懂如何翻土拿鋤頭種菜.種植物.如何堆肥.施肥.如何節約簡單過生活到吃自己種的米吃自己種的菜的標準上班族,總是覺得好像還缺一塊更強而有力的實証來補我的不足因此上課對我而言是再一次的自我認同與肯定謝謝有這次機會.

老師排課內容由淺入深不緊緊有理論也有實作部份就拿印象深刻的堆肥實作來說大家有的拿牛糞有的拿綠色植物有的拿棕色枯萎的乾草一層一層的覆蓋那種認真合作的經驗相信也是樸門人的互動很重要的一環不問付出只是想集團體力量完成一件標準的堆肥.

原來土地裡面孕含著豐富的生命還有看不到的有機質包括你觸摸到的乾. 濕.冷.熱你可以抓一把泥土細細聞一聞感覺並且用手捏捏看市軟是應硬顏色是咖啡黑色還是沒有任何生氣的黃色所以這一把泥土是健康的或是不健康的就可以簡單的判斷了.

當然水的部份也是相當重要尤其是地球暖化的問題嚴重水要如何保存和如何使用都是同等的重要老師也教大家如何利用你的土地去集水保存現有的水資源不要浪費不是只是口號,每位學員也親自
在野蔓園實作如何利用現有地型去集水甚至可以灌溉土地菜園及生活用水等等. 子萱