Paul Odiwuor Ogola, PermoAfrica Centre, Kenya
Bringing Permaculture Principles and Practices to Thousands in East Africa To Ensure All Benefit While Protecting Precious Ecosystems
Many thanks to Paul Odiwuor Ogola for co-writing this piece with me!
Meet
, a 44-year-old permaculture practitioner and trainer. A self-described “man of strong Christian faith,” he is “happily married and blessed with 5 wonderful children.”He is founder and director of the PermoAfrica Centre, established in 2016 which is located in the south western part of Kawiya village in Homa Bay County, Kenya.
As an aside, I have known Paul and supported his work since 2018. I also wrote an article here about his wife Debora Achieng Nembi who is a ChangeMaker in her own right.
At PermoAfrica Centre, our goal is to create a community network of regenerative businesses that support fair labor and exchanges. We believe that this approach offers the best solution for keeping a healthy balance in our society, economy, and environment, and ultimately protecting life on earth from potential collapse and extinction.
We love working with local communities to take care of our natural landscapes and resources, and we're all about helping people to understand and work with nature in smarter, more sustainable ways. With permaculture, we're all about rejuvenating landscapes, supporting communities, and making sure we all benefit while protecting our precious ecosystems.
I am passionate about using natural farming methods to tackle things like soil degradation and to promote sustainable, chemical-free food production. It's all about looking out for the well-being of people and the environment.
“There Has To Be An Alternative To Using 27 Sprays to Growing Tomatoes…” Paul’s Discovery of Permaculture
Paul’s permaculture lineage connects directly back to
of Sector39 Permaculture Academy in Wales, United Kingdom and the Substack publication . Like others I have profiled here on RainMakers & ChangeMakers such as Omito Abraham Owuor of K5Village Kenya and Moses Makachia for instance, Paul received his Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) trainings organized by Sector39.Originally trained as a blacksmith, Paul also trained in various formal and informal sectors of the agricultural. Living in a primarily rural area of Kenya where 75% of the labor force engage in agriculture, Paul learned the tools of industrial and organic crop production farming. It wasn’t until a friend invited him to start tunnel farming tomatoes on his land and use more than two dozen sprays to be successful that he reconsidered it.
In 2016, I found myself at a crossroads after leaving my job as a blacksmith expert. A friend approached me with the idea of partnering up to start tunnel farming on his land. I had little knowledge about growing plants, so I decided to learn the ins and outs of tunnel farming from my friend. During this learning process, he emphasized the need for numerous insecticides, fungicides, and weed-killers, totaling about 27 sprays for a successful tomato crop in the tunnel. This revelation about the substantial use of chemicals troubled me deeply.
Paul was determined to find an alternative approach. He sought advice from agricultural experts, all of whom claimed it was impossible to grow food without spraying given the closed tunnel environment and a monoculture. Refusing to accept this as the only solution, Paul delved into researching ancient agricultural techniques and methods for growing food.
I became intrigued by the concepts of companion planting, introducing predatory insects, and using ultrasonic frequencies to deter pests.
His quest for sustainable farming practices led him to discover the term "permaculture." The more he learned about the principles, the more captivated he became. This journey eventually led him to connect with Steve Jones through a permaculture group called "Permaculture in Africa." After seeing a post by Steve about his first Permaculture Design Course (PDC) in East Africa, Paul reached out to him and began discussing the course. To Paul’s amazement, Steve offered to sponsor Paul for the course, which was scheduled for the month of May 2016 in Uganda.
As Paul tells it, the experience he gained in 2016 inspired him and made him grateful for the knowledge of the Permaculture Design Core Curriculum.
It ignited a strong desire within me to share this wisdom with my community, leading me to establish a community training center.
Steve’s May 29, 2024 post on his Substack Chimanimani highlighted the genesis and impact of the early PDCs he did in 2016 and 2017. Here he speaks directly of Paul:
These early PDC’s have gone on to be a contributing factor to significant the uptake of permaculture in the wider East African region. I can say that with some confidence as many of the those early graduates have become such active and successful teachers in their own right. Not least, the remarkable Paul Ogola, from Homa Bay Kenya. He attended the 2016 course and by the time he returned for the 2017 one, he had already started his own regional Permaculture training centre and has gone to build a significant local network, connecting a dozen or more local villages in mutual support.
Jones’s post also includes this short video of a new-to-permaculture Paul before returning home and starting his permculture training center.
Permaculture Trainer to Thousands
Clearly there are some people for whom permaculture becomes a life-changing and fulfilling practice. Many go on to implement design principles in their home gardens, serving as role models for permaculture principles to the rest of the community. Others go the next step and transform their passion for practice into a call to action to train others. Yet others go even further to train trainers. Paul is one of these people. The multiplier effect that people like Paul create is astounding.
Paul, like Steve and other trainers I’ve highlighted here (Roland Van Reenen, Dee J Essy, Carolyn Olang, Steve Tolo, and Tesfahun Fitamo come to mind), is an integral component to the dissemination of permaculture throughout East Africa, changing not hundreds of lives but thousands of lives by helping families and whole villages find ways of becoming more self-reliant and climate change adaptive. Together, they are part of an organically growing knowledge-transfer chain, an extension of the international permaculture community and family that has grown and rippled across East Africa and beyond.
Since 2017, Paul has gone on to certify 50 permaculture trainers. But by his count he has trained thousands of villagers in the principles and practices of permaculture design either indirectly or directly.
Alongside this, his community organic permaculture project has benefitted from the participation of 300 international volunteers, who have been introduced to the fundamental principles of permaculture through specialized training.
Paul also conducts monthly follow-ups, including on-site farm visits, to monitor the progress of the farmers he has trained. He also offers comprehensive farm tours to all visitors, allowing them to gain insights from various farm visits.
whom I highlighted on Day 36 of this series is shown below visiting various permaculture farmer sites while on a Sector39 Monitoring and Evaluation trip hosted by Paul.
Paul is always on the lookout for new opportunities to expand his reach and train more farmers. Recently in late June 2024 he was invited to be a trainer at Asembo in a Siaya Permaculture Training where he taught soil conservation. Here is Paul training participants about soil conservation in his native Luo language. Front right, is Steve Tolo, permaculture trainer and practitioner from RACE, whom I highlighted on Day 39. Paul and Steve met for the first time at this training!
At the Asembo training, Paul focused on the importance of soil conservation in enhancing the quality and quantity of crop yields over the long term. Topics included topsoil maintenance, soil conservation methods, and soil enhancement practices, all which when employed together enable farmers to grow enough food not only for themsevles but also for those in the community who are facing food shortages.
Crop rotation, reduced tillage, mulching, cover cropping, and cross-slope farming are all practices farmers can use to increase soil organic matter content, improve soil structure, and enhance rooting depth, thereby contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.
Paul also covered such topics as contour plowing, strip cropping, terracing, planting soil cover crops, conservation farming methods, contour farming, planting barriers like vegetative strips, live fences, and windbreaks. All of these measures are crucial for maintaining the health and fertility of the soil.
Not Just Permaculture, Preacher!
In the past 6 years, Paul has also dedicated himself to serving as a pastor in his ministry called “New Paths Of Desire Ministry”. During this time, he has been committed to bringing hope and positive change through faith-based education.
My responsibilities have included leading religious worship, providing counsel to individuals seeking guidance, performing ceremonies to mark important life events, teaching theology courses to help deepen the understanding of spiritual principles, and responding to crises in order to comfort and support injured or ill individuals.
Who Inspires Paul
Paul selected Steve Jones of Sector 39 Permaculture Academy and
as his ChangeMaker.I find Steve Jones to be an inspiring Change Maker, as I've gained a lot of knowledge from him. I've had the chance to host several Permaculture design courses, which attracted village leaders and organic permaculture farmers looking to improve their understanding of sustainable agricultural practices and climate mitigation. I hope Steve Jones will continue being innovative and to empower others globally to make positive changes in their society.
Where in the World is Paul?
Paul is located in the south western part of Kawiya village in Homa Bay County, Kenya.
 | A guest post by
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Dear Paul Odiwuor, I am so proud by your work, but I unfortunately, I mixed up your name with my other subscriber, who is extremely religious person and gave your name instead of his to my dear, but as religious as that subsciber, friend Daniele for their exchange of love and coming of Messias. I believe in good people and their work for the good of people. Sorry for my mistake. I am relatively new here and make a lot of mistakes.
Muchos Èxitos Paul y Debora!!!
Ojalà en el Futuro pueda crecer vuestra Obra con PRIMMAR....
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