Prerna Community Organization

Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
Samendem Village, the most remote of the 5 villages
Samendem Village, the most remote of the 5 villages

Prerna worked with on several projects, starting with the Critical Ecosystem Protection Fund (CEPF), a Bio-diversity grant.

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A PDC class and our classroom
A PDC class and our classroom
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First PDC training in Darjeeling with Prerna and Anugylaya, february 20
First PDC training in Darjeeling with Prerna and Anugylaya, february 20
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Group Photo of participants at a 4 day village training. Average villag
Group Photo of participants at a 4 day village training. Average villag
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Villagers from remote locations in the darjeeling hills work together i
Villagers from remote locations in the darjeeling hills work together i
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The Prerna Community Organization works with communities in a participatory format to strengthen Ecosystem health, system level food production, and community management of its resources in an equitable and inclusive manner.

 

Challenge:

Introduce permaculture as a solution to create community strength and self-reliance.

 

Solutions:

In 2004, after a PDI-run Permaculture Design Certification course, Prerna adopted Permaculture as an organizational level strategy. Since then they have hosted many Permaculture Design Certification courses, some in different states. They have developed a permaculture-based farmer training that has variations for adjusting it to different demographics and project deliverables (CEPF, Tea workers, village farmers), worked consistently with bio-conservation, waste management, organic farming, and community health and empowerment. 

PDI team members continue to work with Prerna, providing educational assistance for 2 or more trainings per year, and contributing to their ongoing project work.  

 

Project Lead:Rico Zook

Designing for resource abundance by creating regenerative landscapes, resilient communities, and local living economies