International Institute of Indigenous Science
Indigenous Permaculture
Q'anil, Bay Area Garden Projects
San Francisco Bay Area, California
We currently garden at sites in Oakland and Treasure Island. We pair up with organizations that have unused gardens or parking lots and build food security for the community by building infrastructure and growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and useful crops. The produce is picked up by people who use the local food pantry and given to kitchens that run weekly meal programs.
We share information, resources, and knowledge with our sister-garden Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Los Angeles.
Historical Projects
Over the last nine years we have:
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Conducted nine Indigenous Permaculture Certificate trainings in the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly 220 participants. These trainings empower Bay Area residents with tools to organize their communities around sustainable agriculture and food security.
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Established three acres of garden on a community food security project at Pine Ridge, including construction of a greenhouse; providing natural fertilizers, plants, soil amendments and pest controls; and providing associated agricultural fieldwork and information.
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Prior to working with Indigenous Permaculture in 2003, the Pine Ridge project did not have a garden. Since then, at the 2008 Wazi Paha agriculture fair at Oglala Lakota College, produce from the garden took the top awards, and dozens of community members have been inspired to be involved with the garden at some point over the course of the year.
Future Projects
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Build a chicken coop at Santiago Garden
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Build an onsite kitchen and education space at Santiago Garden
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Strengthen practices of traditional farming, pest management control and alternatives and change to natural pesticides and fertilizer
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Green environmental Leader training "Urban Solutions for Sustainable Living"
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Construct a root cellar to enhance food processing and expand organic fields; begin a small-scale Traditional Agriculture program at Pine Ridge, at Hoopa Reservation, create a seed library, and food justice programs.
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Expand sustainable development work in Meso-America - El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize - installing a water pump, solar power, gas biodigester as well as extend reforestation, water catchment, composting toilet, and efficient stove projects to other communities.