Ecology Action's Annual Report for 2016
Dear Friends, "May you live in interesting times" has become a reality in the lives of people globally. Challenges to what we consider normal are bombarding us so rapidly it can feel like the very ground is being chipped away beneath us. At the same time, these challenges are igniting the spark that dwells in each of us, impelling millions of people worldwide to determine a more positive future for themselves and the Earth and to take actions that will manifest that future. Although national and international events affect us, our home and community are where our heart is and where our actions can have a greater and more lasting impact. Here at Ecology Action we continually adjust our efforts—as circumstances change—to reach the largest number of people, to inspire them and provide the needed tools for cultivating their biologically intensive food-growing skills. To give them hope for their own future. We are currently working on spreading the GB system as widely as possible through developing online training programs and improving available self-teaching tools. We are working towards having our 8-month internship completely online for people in other countries who have proven they are qualified candidates. These programs include the use of online videos from the Two-Week Farmers Course given by master teachers in 2014, as well as live online weekly mentoring by our staff trainers. Because of the ongoing efforts of Juan Manuel Martinez, Director of ECOPOL, the GB method has established a promising foothold in Europe. For the third year Juan has taught workshops in Italy and Spain and in the process has found a new ally: Friends of the Earth-Spain. This organization is sponsoring not only GB workshops in Spain, but also in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua—bringing ECOPOL's work full circle. Juan also helped initiate the Mexican Free Seeds Network this year, which includes scientists and activists who have been fighting the incursion of GMOs in Mexico! In Kenya, G-BIACK is also working globally as well as locally. Co-Director Samuel Nderitu helped establish a 40-bed-unit garden in Ghana and, with his wife Peris, initiated a year-long residential jobs training program for poor and under-served young Kenyan women at G-BIACK. The couple is also working on a pilot program to establish 40 GB satellite farms in their region. We each have a part to play—in tandem with many others—in changing our community and our world. It may be difficult to identify what that part is in the midst of constant chaotic challenges. But the Earth can offer a quiet place to offset challenges and mental clutter. We can find a comfortable spot outside; silently absorb the beauty until the quiet surrounds us inside and out; place our hands on the ground and feel the Earth's vibrant energy; feel our own answering energy and connect the two. We can remind ourselves: "Every journey begins with a single step." Best Wishes, John Jeavons,
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