Prix Permaculture Magazine

Battmung was founded to create a sustainable permaculture village in South Korea where young people can thrive and learn about permaculture design.

It seeks to ensure the survival of the village, which is at risk due to an ageing population. Through permaculture, Battmung aims to bring its village back to life. It offers a 72-hour Permaculture Design Course (PDC) to youth and those who go on to become active designers stay connected through the Battmung Friends group.

Since its founding in 2021, Battmung has:

• Designed a 3,000-pyeong (approximately 2.5 acres) leaf field based on water flow and planted over 70 companion plants, working to restore the land with comfrey, clover, and native species.
• Hosted a number of climate-conscious dining events inspired by permaculture restaurants in Berlin.
• Been selected for the Ministry of Interior and Safety’s Youth Village Creation Support Project. Among 39 youth villages, Battmung was the only one focused on permaculture.
• Engaged with 300 young people, created 5 jobs and collaborated with 20 local residents on a festival that attracted 10,000 visitors.

Recognising the importance of connecting people, Battmung also contributed to the founding of the Permaculture Institute of Korea (P.I.K) in 2023. Its goal is to organise its regional network and regenerate South Korea through permaculture, restoring soil, food chains, ecological awareness, and local economies.

Le projet Eco Centro Allpa Tarpuna travaille à la régénération des terres dégradées, à la souveraineté alimentaire et à l’autonomie des communautés, en se concentrant sur les communautés autochtones en Équateur.

Fondé en 2004, il est né du retour de ses fondateur·rice·s dans leur communauté après avoir subi les effets négatifs de l’agriculture conventionnelle et des produits agrochimiques. Ce retour a marqué le début d’un chemin vers la reconnexion avec les savoirs autochtones ancestraux et l’adoption de la permaculture et de la production biologique.

L’un de ses principaux succès a été la récupération des sols dégradés par les monocultures et l’eucalyptus. Bien que lent, ce processus a démontré les avantages d’une approche régénérative et a renforcé la résilience de la communauté. Allpa Tarpuna se concentre actuellement sur les points suivants :

• Former les communautés locales aux pratiques durables.
  
• Sauvegarder et préserver le savoirs autochtones ancestraux.
  
• Promouvoir l’autosuffisance alimentaire.

Le projet Allpa Tarpuna intègre dans ses pratiques la bioconstruction, les énergies renouvelables et la gestion durable de l’eau. Il encourage également la préservation des semences ancestrales et les techniques agroécologiques telles que la rotation des cultures, réduisant ainsi la dépendance aux produits chimiques.

À l’avenir, elle souhaite développer ses formations de façon à couvrir les conceptions en permaculture, en combinant les connaissances autochtones avec des solutions modernes de régénération. Elle cherche à renforcer les capacités d’un plus grand nombre d’exploitations agricoles locales, en promouvant des systèmes qui rétablissent le lien entre les êtres humains et la nature.

Allpa Tarpuna est une famille autochtone vivante qui sème la régénération, inspirant un équilibre durable et résilient.

Située sur l’île montagneuse de Shikoku, au Japon, Forest School Mikke a pour mission de promouvoir une culture d’actions créatives en faveur d’une société durable et régénérative.

Le projet est basé à Kamiyama, une petite ville de la préfecture de Tokushima. Comme dans de nombreuses villes rurales du Japon, la société de Kamiyama est de plus en plus vieillissante vieillissante, et la ville ressent le besoin de donner aux jeunes plus de raisons de s’y installer ou d’y rester. C’est dans ce contexte que le projet Forest School Mikke s’est engagé dans deux initiatives majeures : la gestion d’une école et la restauration des forêts.

Mikke est une école alternative où les enfants en âge de fréquenter l’école primaire (6-12 ans) suivent un programme interdisciplinaire basé sur l’alimentation, l’habillement et le logement, en utilisant la forêt comme environnement d’apprentissage. Depuis son ouverture en 2022, 28 élèves se sont inscrits et 191 participant·e·s ont rejoint des programmes à court terme tels que des cours d’été. Grâce à ses activités éducatives, Mikke favorise les échanges entre des personnes de générations, de domaines et d’horizons différents au sein de la communauté. À ce jour, Mikke a organisé 11 événements communautaires avec un total de 270 participant·e·s.

Comme d’autres zones rurales de la région, Kamiyama est couverte de forêts de cèdres et de cyprès en monoculture non exploitées, plantées dans le cadre des politiques d’après-guerre. Cette situation a entraîné une diminution de la biodiversité, une dégradation des sols et d’autres effets indésirables. L’équipe de Mikke s’efforce de restaurer ces forêts négligées afin que la lumière du soleil puisse atteindre le sol forestier et favoriser des écosystèmes sains. Mikke a également planté 70 arbres fruitiers. D’ici l’automne 2026, pour coïncider avec la construction d’une nouvelle école, Mikke a pour objectif de s’approvisionner en bois sur ses propres terres et de mettre en place une station de bois de chauffage.

Habilin Farms is a hub for both agro-education and community empowerment in the Philippines, offering workshops, training, and hands-on experiences in permaculture and sustainable living.

Founded by a small group of like-minded individuals, the farm started as a modest initiative to grow organic produce while practicing regenerative farming methods. Located in the rural landscapes of Tayabas, Quezon, the farm sits on fertile land surrounded by rich biodiversity and native flora, making it an ideal hub for permaculture. Over time, Habilin Farms evolved into a model of eco-tourism and community empowerment, offering immersive experiences like bamboo workshops, forest camping, and farm-to-table meals.

Since its founding, the farm has made some significant achievements, including:

• Building a strong connection with local farmers through the Organic Farmers’ Association.
• Supporting small scale farmers through projects like the Farm-to-Tray Project, a collaboration with local hospitals that provides healthy, chemical-free vegetables from organic farmers.
• Implementing a locally focused organic certification scheme (known as a Participatory Guarantee System).
• Successfully lobbying for the passing of a city ordinance institutionalising organic agriculture in Tayabas.
• Conducting several permaculture workshops and creating opportunities for eco-conscious visitors to engage in nature-based activities.

Its ongoing initiatives aim to expand organic agriculture, eco-tourism, and community-based projects, further establishing Habilin Farms as a pioneer in sustainable development and regeneration in the region.

HortaFCUL is a community-based permaculture project based in Lisbon University’s Faculty of Sciences (FCUL). The initiative was launched by a group of biology students concerned about the gap between sustainability ideals and the university’s environmental impact.

This bottom-up project has developed an important role as a catalyst of practical scientific-based knowledge. Nowadays, HortaFCUL is a resilient, sustainable and inclusive community, allowing the general public to learn more about nature-based solutions. It has five subprojects at campus level and relies on a volunteer-based horizontally-organised guardians collective to maintain the project’s green areas.

HortaFCUL, as a permaculture project, achieves its central goals by closing functional loops related to human activities. For example:

• Social cycle: HortaFCUL has organized more than 200 workshops, talks and guided tours with over 5,000 people. Topics are related to food production, ecosystem management and social group dynamics. HortaFCUL has also held more than 450 working days inviting volunteers to join activities.
• Knowledge cycle: So far, HortaFCUL has produced more than 10 scientific written outputs.
• Production cycle: HortaFCUL has produced nearly 50 metric tons of compost made by guardians and volunteers using the organic residuals from the campus gardens.
• Ecological cycle: HortaFCUL has four complex ecosystems, which include an edible garden, several agroforests, two tiny fast growth forests and many raised beds. HortaFCUL has on average 20 perennial plant species per 100 metres squared.
• Materials cycle: Most of the infrastructure present in the project is upcycled from used materials, like woods, metal or carpets.

PermaQueer is an Indigenous and queer-led platform focused on ecological advocacy and education, empowering First Nations, LGBTQIA+, and marginalised communities. It is based in a queer community in Githabul Country in Northern New South Wales, Australia.

Founded in 2019, it began with permaculture education to enhance ecological design and food literacy in local queer communities, then expanded its mission to develop resilient, sovereign local food systems globally.

PermaQueer’s approach integrates social and ecological systems, utilising systems design methodologies to build collaborative capacity and foster regenerative actions. This has allowed it to connect diverse communities and organisations, bridging gaps often seen as separate.

Since receiving the Intentional Spring Prize in 2021, it has launched several initiatives, including:

• TEDxPermaQueer Cultural Responses to Climate Change: a global symposium featuring Indigenous leaders.
• VicHealth’s Future Healthy Food Hubs: a two-year traineeship for diverse youth in Victoria.
• Youth Food Collective: an advocacy network for young people focused on regenerative food systems.
• Youth Living Food Charter: a collaborative visioning process for future food systems.
• Queer Regenerative Design Course: training over 96 individuals, half receiving scholarships.
• Support for regional initiatives: facilitating food swaps, exchanges, and garden trails.

It has also presented at numerous events, including the World Community Development Conference and the Australasian Permaculture Convergence 2022. Through these efforts, Permaqueer continues to build resilience and engage communities in addressing ecological challenges.

Seaforestation.co regenerates life in the ocean and revitalises livelihoods for seaweed farmers, smallholder rice farmers, and coastal communities – many of whom are on the frontlines of climate disruption.

Founded in 2022, Seaforestation.co was established to address the urgent need for ocean regeneration and climate justice. Specifically, the organization focuses on restoring primary productivity in marine ecosystems, which are essential for global food security and stabilising economies in coastal and rural areas affected by climate change. By fostering sustainable economies and introducing innovative marine permaculture techniques, Seaforestation.co works to foster sustainable economies while  addressing critical environmental and economic challenges.

Operating across national borders, Seaforestation.co targets economically disadvantaged communities, particularly in Southeast Asia. It has established operations in regions such as the Central Philippines, where climate impacts are most severe. Many of these communities depend on vulnerable ecosystems for their survival, including seaweed farming and rice cultivation, both of which are increasingly threatened by heatwaves, droughts, and floods.

Seaforestation has successfully implemented a half-acre marine permaculture pilot, demonstrating the effectiveness of regenerative ocean farming. This initiative has enabled the production of over 8,000 litres of seaweed biostimulant, benefiting nearly a thousand rice farmers by improving crop resilience and yields in the face of climate challenges.

The Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute (IMAP) was founded in 2000 by a group of Maya Kaqchikel community members from San Lucas Tolimán, along the shores of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.

The founders were deeply concerned about the environmental and social problems that affected so many living beings around the lake. The forced imposition of monoculture cash crops threatened communities’ food sovereignty, reduced land access, and contributed to environmental degradation. These farmers knew their ancestors lived in harmony with nature, stewarding the land and caring for their communities’ food and medicinal needs with native plants. However, colonialism violently wrested those cultural, spiritual, and agricultural practices from communities.

IMAP has worked for 24 years, combining permaculture education with the recuperation and application of ancestral knowledge. It develops knowledge and skills needed to guarantee food sovereignty, community development and biodiversity. IMAP has supported 15,000+ small farmers to produce, harvest, and use native plants and seeds like amaranth and chia in polyculture plots. These plants are better adapted to local conditions and resistant to disease, fighting malnutrition and helping local people become more resilient in the face of climate change.

IMAP believes efforts to support local biodiversity must include:

• Embracing local growing traditions.
• Invigorating the rural economy.
• Preserving Indigenous cultures.

By focusing on food sovereignty – the right to produce and eat wholesome, culturally relevant food – sustainable, agroecological solutions are created that provide sustenance, promote ancestral practices, and support campesino farming based on respect for Mother Earth.

Through various projects, community engagements, and deep respect for traditional knowledge, The Pitak Project has empowered smallholder farmers and countless members of the public to become aware of and embrace practices that honour both the earth and its peoples.

Founded in 2013, in Northern Luzon, Philippines, Pitak is a less-than-hectare farm located 250 feet above sea-level. Pitak is the Ilocano (the main language spoken in Northern Philippines) term for mud. The name symbolises the bond of the rich soil and water that gives life. It also embodies the founders’ aspiration to build naturally and produce food the permaculture way. This humble piece of land has become a living classroom and a vibrant hub of life and living.

Pitak’s work includes regenerative agriculture that revitalises soil health and ecosystems, while also supporting local smallholder farmers to secure sustainable livelihoods. The work is not just about farming: it’s about healing the disconnect that so often divides people from the very soil beneath their feet. It applies regenerative principles in both the cultivation of the land and the cultivation of the community, aiming for solutions that enhance food security, well-being, and dignity. Its initiatives foster economic independence, preserve indigenous knowledge, and build resilience in the face of challenges like climate change and resource scarcity.

Pitak believes in the power of small-scale, grassroots efforts to ignite significant change. The impact has rippled outwards, inspiring similar initiatives that continue to contribute to forging a network of practitioners who are committed to ecological and social regeneration.

Youth Initiative for Community Empowerment (YICE) is a refugee-led organization that focuses on implementing regenerative practices for subsistence farmers in rural Uganda, especially women, youth, and refugees.

YICE employs permaculture techniques that align with nature, enabling larger harvests, reducing deforestation, and maintaining healthy soil and water, which helps mitigate climate change. In Kassanda and Isingiro Districts, YICE trains rural communities, equipping them with practical skills to enhance nutrition and earnings while fostering collaboration through small groups. The organization also provides vital resources like farming equipment, water harvesting kits, and seeds, which many farmers find unaffordable.

YICE empowers trainees to achieve sustainable food security, improve health, restore soil and water, and build economic resilience. By collaborating with local agricultural organizations and government entities, YICE offers tailored training in regenerative farming and climate change awareness, along with ongoing support for establishing traditional food gardens and fruit tree plantings.

Since its inception, YICE has:

• Directly impacted 8,540 individuals (81% women and children) who have achieved a 75% increase in food security and a 34% increase in incomes from food sales.
• Planted nearly 8,000 fruit trees and regenerated over 1,000 acres of land.
• Earned multiple awards, including the 2019 Spring Prize Award under Young Projects Category, the 2021 Ashden Award for Regenerative Farming, the 2019 UNDP Climate Change Award and the 2020 Youth, Water and Climate Award