Studying Sustainability and Connecting in South Africa

Thank you, friends, for the support you gave me to attend the two-week conference in South Africa. I had fun and learned a lot! The one-week workshop covered sustainable farming. We worked in the classroom and outdoors in the garden. I stayed for another week to teach farmers and students of Maharishi Institute on theory and practice.

It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot from the trainers and the participants. I love you wonderful people! Thanks! Philip

Seeking travel/study funding

I made friends with a professor from the Department of Sustainable Living at Maharishi University, where I hope one day to attend. Brian is organizing a five-day workshop in GrowBiointensive food production methods on 16th-20th of September. He invited me to attend this workshop in South Africa and offered to sponsor me for food and accommodations. In turn, I must provide the air ticket to South Africa, which costs approximately US $550.

If you would like to help by providing money for my trip, please contact me at: otepic07@yahoo.com

Sending you more blessings from Kenya and from my family.

More photos of OTEPIC's beautiful garden

The Garden as Revolution

Have you ever thought of how you can feed an ever-increasing population from a small piece of land without destroying the environment? Small farms are where agricultural advances are nurtured and new ideas conceived by people solving nature's puzzles.
When GROW BIOINTENSIVE components such as double digging, close spacing, composting, carbon farming, crop diversification, whole farming systems, and calorie farming are adopted, gardening is transformed from task to craft.
If GROW BIOINTENSIVE practices and principals are adopted, backyard and back-forty farmers can tune the existing balances of the natural system and easily grow crops that they have dreamed off. This type of agriculture is not complicated. It is a straightforward way of raising more food to feed people while feeding the soil. Difficulty only arises when you misunderstand how its magic works.
Lucky the OTEPIC Organization has adopted these amazing technologies. Lucky for me, I have learned from a number of excellent teachers over the years. I owe a debt to all of them for the knowledge I gained. Their intention to teach and help was turned into the real action. I have become a revolution artist who grows irresistible food so that our world will be whole and powerful again. See the photos of the OTEPIC garden.

Training and Enabling Villagers about Animal Rights

On Monday OTEPIC members and their friends organized a free vaccination for sheep and goats and other domestic animals. We vaccinated many animals from morning until noon. It was a great adventure.

OTEPIC believes that animals are an intrinsic part of the environment. As such, they have rights that must be respected. Animals have the right to

• live in a clean and safe environment
• express normal behavior and
• be protected from pest and diseases

OTEPIC is training farmers about animal rights. In our village, it is not uncommon for people to mistreat animals. For example, donkeys are not fitted with proper equipment for work and sustain injuries to their bodies. Commonly used methods of handling and transporting animals result in injuries to the animals, and animals are slaughtered in inhumane ways.

OTEPIC's position is that plants and animals can be combined to form an inner harmony, a symbiosis from which productivity will arise naturally while inputs are reduced. In this system ecology and economics eventually meet. Farms can become self sustaining when the manure necessary for sufficient plant growth comes from the farm and when its animals are fed exclusively from the farm's own crop production.

Animals are cool! Keep animals with dignity.

Growing plants from collected seeds

OTEPIC members are now propagating seeds in the nursery. From these plants, we will grow our gardens. The plants are healthy and growing well.

We had a "work party" and managed to build a big pile of compost today. We really enjoyed it. I wish you blessings in all of your undertakings.

Visitors from the USA Help Us Grow our Community Garden

We were recently visited by a group of students from University of Wyoming who helped in our gardens. Professor Rick Smith helped organize the visit. Students and local residents worked together planting black nightshade and other plants in our garden. We collected material to make more compost and built a new compost pile. We enjoyed our visitors and appreciate their assistance!