Final day for me. Two coaches left Amman, one destined to continue onwards to Palestine, one back for Amman, from where we leave. The coach wound its way through the city and out into the countryside. Flocks of goats and sheep, trees and shrubs all flew past in the morning heat. We arrive to Bayoudah village and are greeted by Sameeh Al Nuimat, project director for the Care Jordan and HSBC sponsored project in the village. We gathered in the renovated building bequeathed by the father of the village, a beautiful cool building in which to learn about their work.

I'm going to start this entry in reverse. Go back in time. Back to the Nabatean civilization. They came from the Saudi peninsula, traders and deeply religious. In Petra they created their centre, a place based on water. Sophisticated systems of underground cisterns, water channels, clay pipes, dams and reservoirs all connected in an integrated system that made use of every drop of water. Planted with figs, dates, almonds, peaches, capers, apricots and pomegranates, with annual plantings, sheep, goats and camels. They carved in the soft rock and created tombs and banqueting halls, temples and their famous treasury. An earthquake in 747AD called in their demise, and much of their city crumbled back into the earth. Their gardens turned to dust, and the region continued to get drier.

Photo © Craig Mackintosh (Permission given for personal non-commercial use)
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Whew! The post-IPC tours began today, but the conference and convergence themselves have come to an end. What a ride it's been! I'm personally totally exhausted, but in a good way. I'll tell you more and share more pictures and video soon -- after I've had time to make my way home.

In the meantime, you'll find the group shot of the IPC participants above, taken as the sun was setting on the last evening of the convergence. I'll provide the image in three resolutions for you. You are welcome to download for your own use -- so long as it's not used commercially.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the events after I'm home, and thanks for your patience. Oh, you can also, in the interim, read some of the commentary given by IPC bloggers -- see the 'Blog' panel on the left sidebar.

Zzzz.....

I can hardly believe this is the first day. Already it feels like a week, and the thought of blogging, describing the process to give a flavour of the day is daunting. It's hot and our desert setting makes this an extraordinary event. People of passion and enormous skill have gathered and are intent on sharing what they know. I've lost count of the number of conversations and my notebook is groaning with mind maps and drawings, scribbled notes and email addresses.

Its the end of a very long and interesting day. We were treated to a host of excellent speakers who told us of the many of the ways that permaculture is solving water shortage through ecological design and practical action. I have just eaten a delicious Jordanian feast in good company, and feel real gratitude for the opportunity to be here.

Today I have tried to meet as many of the people attending as I can. Each has an interesting tale to tell about their own experience and work with permaculture. I feel incredibly inspired when I realise how much people are achieving with permaculture. I came with three purposes in mind – to enhance international cooperation, to find out how permaculture is being used in different educational settings and to identify researchers that are making permaculture accessible to new audiences through documentation. I have been able to progress these aims already with new leads and contacts and each conversation makes me realise that our global permaculture community is a truly innovative educational network that is changing the world. (I will write the notes up in more detail after the event.)

The conference talks told of people transforming communities after war, of creating forests in deserts, of making changes to villages, towns and cities that create oases of plants, animals and wildlife. The people doing this aren't superhuman, they are like you and me. They had a vision of what is possible and they followed their heart, and used their minds and determination to make change. We can too. I really recommend you watch some of the live streams that Craig has created, and think about how you can be the change in your own place.