When I was on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, I took the time out to go and visit some of the interesting projects going on around the island. One such project was Inanitah. Wow; what a true testament to the underlying peace and togetherness we're aiming to feeling a productive community of meaningful humans.
I knew about the property before I came to the island a I knew I'd be on a seed and knowledge hunt for my own tropical garden I was building at the time, and also because I was looking to find some sense of community for myself. With my permie journey in mind, I'd also got my eyeball out for the next step on my learning path as I knew Inanitah was a spot to learn a new skill; namely natural building.
Inanitah is stunning and an exceptional example of what can be achieved through employing self-sustainability practices. On a physical level, the examples of permaculture are second to none. Every building is made from cob, sourced locally on site, roofed with palms grown on site, and furnished with handmade timber furniture, also grown on site.
When it comes to the agriculture, it is obvious that a large majority of the greenery is casually edible while also adding to the beauty of the place. The kitchen is teeming with food, all grown and produced on site. Bulging pumpkins and pungent herbs surround you, with leafy greens ready for the picking and juicy fruits and veggies stored and preserved everywhere you look. Within my first five minutes of being there, I was treated to dinner time with home-made coconut milk being whipped up in front of me.
I took a stroll around the property and was dumbfounded by its sheer locational beauty. Perched high up, there is a jaw-dropping view of the volcano 'Concepcion', which can be enjoyed from their biopool and accompanying solar hot tub.
One of the major things that struck me about the place was the feeling of tranquillity. Every person that I met went out of their way to greet me with a hug and barrage of questions. Everybody immediately knew I was new to the scene, which demonstrated the close bond between volunteers and customers alike. One thing that really gave me tickles in my tummy was that several people greeted me with the phrase 'Welcome Home'. That gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling that draws me to social permaculture; the magic in being able to create bonds between people by dealing with everyday life to address conflict and create harmony. One dude even gave me an exaggerated wave and a 'Welcome Home' while showering outside in the all together, brazen in the day's sun, without a care in the world.
In previous interactions with permaculturalists, I have been baffled by their inability or unwillingness to help me. They're often arrogant or strangely competitive, which is against everything I thought we were meant to stand for. However, this place was not like that at all.
When I arrived, I immediately met their new in-house permaculturalist, Piers, who previously worked at Rancho Delicioso in Costa Rica. He took a good chunk out of his day to walk me around the garden, explaining to me what each plant was and its uses. Their garden is a combination of native and non-native plants, yet native plants dominate to increase sustainability and help prevent the barrage of bugs that demolish non-native plants. This was a great lesson for me as it gave me deep insight into the best plants I can use in the garden, especially in relation to leafy greens. I was very honoured that he'd take the time out to take me around. He also gave me seeds and cuttings for everything I would need, which has really beefed out my own garden; something he didn't need to do but has really cut back on my costs and helped to accelerate my development.
Further to this, I got a chance to see a group of them work together in their community. People often ask that with a totally efficient garden and shelter, what do you do with your day all day? You go have fun! These guys took me to spend the afternoon looking for edible mushrooms and it was both educational and fun. There's something so satisfying about running around on a wild goose chase, scouring for food for your dinner that nobody knows about, like a well-kept secret.
This is what permaculture is about to me. Looking at these people working together harmoniously, welcoming strangers into the fold, and willing to share their knowledge is a breath of fresh air to be a part of. Not only have I managed to further my garden, meeting these people has created a new community for me to be a part of and to seek knowledge and advice from. That's why I'm drawn to social permaculture; if we want this to work, we need to make the people work and Inanitah has really nailed that down.
Not only that, having set out the permie learning journey for myself, being able to make new connections opens doors to further my remit of knowledge and being able to be a part of new exciting projects. One of the problems that keeps us static in our lives is our inability or lack of motivation to seek out the next step. With my steps categorically laid out, I know what I'm searching for and Inanitah really clarified that for me. I would be honoured to work with a bunch of gooduns like those guys.