The document provides an overview of the sustainable village project in Duayee, Liberia. It discusses the history and culture of the area, the local ecology, climate and soil conditions. It examines the current food, economic, housing and educational systems and provides examples of precedents for improving sustainability. Challenges in the village include lack of infrastructure, education, healthcare and sanitation. The project aims to address these through sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, microfinancing, ecotourism and use of local and natural building materials.
10. Gbehyi chiefdom
•Mano/Gio ethnic
•Mande Fu language
•Christian/ indigenous religions
•3,200 people in Duayee--
headquarters
•weaving, basket-making, pottery,
historically did metalwork
11. UN Millenium Development Goals
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development
14. Climate
Tropical--hot and
humid (lies within the
tropic of cancer)
•In winter: dry with
hot days and cool to
cold at night
•Harmattan winds:
dust-laden winds
from the Sahara
blow from
December to March
•In Summer: wet,
cloudy with frequent
heavy showers
Nimba County: avg
temp 70-80 degrees F
Nimba County: avg
precip 50-95 inches/yr
15. Ecosystem
Three main ecosystems in
Liberia
•The Coastal belt
oMangrove swamps
oshallow lagoons
oTidal creeks
•Plateaus
oBroadleaf evergreen
Forests
oGrasslands
•Mountainous area
oBroadleaf evergreen
and deciduous forests
oGrasslands
Nimba County: Brush, grassland, cultivated
crops and treecrops AND Broadleaf
deciduous and evergreen forest
19. Current Food Situation in Liberia:
•high levels of food
insecurity and child
malnutrition
•Upland soils degraded
•Subsistence
farmers unable to
produce enough rice -
import
•Staple crops: Rice and
cassava
•Small number of live
stock
20. Current Agricultural Practices in Liberia:
•Subsistence farming
•Deforestation – has
increased by 17%
since the end of the
1990’s.
•Slash and Burn
cultivation has
increased
•Agribusiness
22. Current Initiatives:
•intercrop jatropha
•introduce bee keeping,
goat nursery, sheep, and
"can rat" nursery
•aquaponics
•design landscape for
edible plants and trees
•Co-op of farmers
contained within the SVI
network
•construct dry grain
storage and food drying
systems
•Sustainable Village
Service Center
23. Suggestions for Improvement of Food System
•
•Develop alternatives to slash and
burn such as Food Forest Gardening
and other organic methods that help
build soil.
•Implement Integrated Pest
Management
•Develop local economy where profits
are going to the growers, not foreign
corporations
•Incorporate goats and chickens into
food system
•
•Train farmers in seed saving and provide
access to tools
24. Precedent: Growers' Cooperative
CONACADO:
•Democratically run cooperative
organization in the Dominican Republic
•Helps small-scale cocoa producers.
•Founded in 1988
•Links 10,001 small scale producers
through 8 regional departments -
called Bloques (blocks) that serve 182
base associations.
Mission:
•Improve the income and living
conditions of cocoa producers and
their families
•Supporting a sustainable approach to
property management
•Strengthening business and
organizational practices
•Strengthening community
development.
26. From Green to Evergreen
Problem: There is mass famine in 3rd world nations.
How to produce enough food to feed the hungry?
1940s-1960s-- Green Revolution:
Increased productivity WITHOUT regard to ecological/social harm
pesticides, irrigation, synthetic fertilizer, and
MONOCULTURE of improved-performance seed
1960s- Present day--Evergreen Revolution:
Increased productivity WITH regard to ecological/social harm
restoration of ecosystems through water harvesting, composting,
sustainable land practices ie. agroforesty, and
POLYCULTURE of genetically-modified seed
Is technology the answer to Liberia's food problem?
If so, to what degree?
29. Global Partnerships
•Mittel and Firestone
•Distributed over 40,000 tools and 20 metric tons of rice seed
to 333,000 farmers in 2006.
•Employment increased.
31. Village Earth: Consortium for
Sustainable-Village Based
Development
•“Appropriate
Technology” Library
and Sourcebook
32. Las Gaviotas, Colombia
•30 year old
sustainable village
•Small scale
renewable technology
•Reforested area
despite acidic soils.
•Consistent Peace
33. Costa Rica – Sustainable
Tourism•Certification for
Sustainable Tourism
•Ecotourism
oRainforest Alliance
oRainforest tours
•Volunteerism
oAttracting hands that
can help and boost
economy while there.
35. Current Housing
“There is a need to develop housing estates” - Nimba County Development Agenda
The 1998–2000 National Reconstuction Program placed housing issues as a priority for
36.
37. "This is a library we were supposed to build, but didn't"
44. Insulation:
•Lightweight and low heat-
storing materials (i.e. wood,
bamboo, grass, palm
•Keep attic heat out – using
vents
Roofs:
•Currently have a lot of
metal roofs – good for
rain catchment.
•Thatched roofs –
readily available
material, breathes,
good for humid
climates.
47. Precedent: The Soe Ker Tie House in Thailand
•Non-Profit group
TYIN focuses on
developing
humanitarian
architecture
•Buildings for an
Orphanage
•Worked closely with
locals
•Used local bamboo
•Used traditional Thai
building techniques
•Each hut collects
rainwater, has
natural ventilation,
and safely handles
48.
49. Precedent: Rainwater Harvesting in the Philippines
•Rainwater harvesting initiated in 1989
•About 500 rainwater storage tanks were constructed in the Capiz Province
•Locals trained during process
"Rainwater harvesting could end much of
Africa’s water shortage" - UN Report
51. The area is rich with
building materials, but
the village is depleted.
The rain forest is the
closest and best
source for traditional
building materials.
53. Bamboo
•Bamboo is a sustainable
building product.
•In the time it takes to grow and
harvest commonly farmed
timber, bamboo can be
harvested seventeen times.
•Bamboo has twice the
compressive strength of
concrete and the same tension
strength as steel
•Bamboo planting included in a
larger integrated system could
act as a living machine in water
purification and also serve as an
effective wind break
54. Clay
•Clay is abundant in the
region.
•Clay has been
used for
centuries as a
building
material
•Clay
construction is
easy
•Clay can have
many uses and
aplications
58. Current Educational Systems
Tufeia FoundationTeach Self Defense, provide scholarships,
afterschool programs, community college, internet service, community
peace clubs, trauma interventions and young women specific
advancement programsDuayee SchoolYouth Development
Committee built schoolVery little support, no books or official
curriculum
59. Culture Around Education
•Challenges facing education
oK-12 costs about $75 USD per year
oTeachers poorly paid and trained
oSex for Grades
oWest African Examination Board criteria rarely met for
graduation
oLack of Materials
60. Reviving Curiosity
•Liberian based books through community
publishing
•African Books Collective
•Oral Traditions
•Not basing education on tests and grades
•Reintegrating Nature into curriculum
•Getting the community involved in the
education process
61. Rainforest as a Classroom
•Field Labs maintain an
area for researchers to
study the rainforest and
learn from its ecology.
•Students get opportunity
to learn from Rainforest.
62. Center for Appropriate Rural
Technology (CART)
Community-driven project that functions as a life skills center
in the heart of Sicambeni Village, South Africa
SKILLS TAUGHT:
•Raised aerated
beds
•Brick machine
•Dams
•Biodigester
•Thatching
•Indoor gardens
•Sustainable
Houses
63. Opportunities to Build Capital
•Training the Natural Resource
Management Team
•Teacher Training
•Medical Training
69. The magority of the
waste in the area
consists of human
and animal waste, bio
mass, and
houshold rubbish.
70. Bio mass and human and animal
waste contain methane that can be
harvested as a form of natural gass.
71. Methane digesters
are an efficient and
effective method of
harvesting methane
from waste and bio
mass.
After methane has
been harvested, the
remaining material
can be composted
and used to
ammend soil.
74. Other types of waste can
be recycled or reused in
alternative building
products and crafts.
75. Giving consideration to the delicate history of conflict in the
region, sustainable practices in all areas of the community
have great potential to create a resilience that will expand
the pride of village members and the peace and stability
between surrounding villages.