MESOAMERICANPERMACULTURE

INSTITUTEANNUAL REPORT 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTSVision, Mission, Focus

Foreword

Impact Summary

Educational Services

Permaculture Design Certificate

Community Seed Bank

Nutritional School Gardens

Commitment to Local Employment

Volunteering Program

The Center

Our Growth

Financial Figures

Our Donors

Partnerships

OUR VISION AND MISSION

Our mission is for people and communities to thrive inbiodiversity and live harmoniously with theirenvironment in a culture of abundance.

VISION

Using ancestral knowledge and permacultureprinciples, IMAP improves community and individualwell-being by increasing food sovereignty, improvingecological sanitation and conserving biodiversity.

MISSION

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Food Sovereignty Ecological Sanitation Native Seeds Local Ecosystems

FOCUS

Foreword

Ronaldo (Rony) Lec has dedicated his life to the preservation of Indigenous culture in theMesoamerican region. Rony became a Permaculture Design specialist and earned a diploma fromBill Mollison, father of the permaculture movement. Concerned by the serious environmental,social and cultural problems affecting Guatemala, Rony co-founded the MesoamericanPermaculture Institute (Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura, or IMAP) in 2000 in order topromote permaculture techniques, local biodiversity conservation, production of organic food,and a seed bank that strives to reconstruct the Mayan seed heritage. He is a Maya Kakchiquelfrom San Lucas Tolimán - a town that was impacted severely during the Guatemalan civil war. Heis a world-renowned leader in the permaculture field and his life-long work teaching principlesthat integrate traditional knowledge with ecological conservation have won him both local andglobal recognition.

For the Mayan people, the right to life is not limited to a human being’s life - it also applies to other people, animals, plants and thecosmos. The earth’s gifts are abundant, her protection wide-reaching. Over the last few hundred centuries, the Mayan people haveacquired a certain kind of attunement with the earth. From childhood we learn that it really is alive, pulsing, responsive in a thousandways to the actions of humankind.

As soon as I discovered permaculture, I knew that it provided exactly what I was looking for: practical solutions. I believe that themajor problems of countries entrenched in harsh conditions – flooding due to climate change, lack of food security, etc. – can beovercome with simple, inexpensive solutions. The key is to listen to what local people did before the advent of modern agriculture, andto see how new techniques can complement traditional ways without sweeping them aside.

IMAP’s key role is to blend traditional knowledge and modern permaculture techniques. Our work is dedicated to reaching 4 maingoals: increasing food sovereignty, improving ecological sanitation, promoting the use of native seeds and ensuring conservation oflocal ecosystems. Through hands-on practices, we seek to cultivate an abundant future for Guatemala and beyond. As long as theseeds and the knowledge that protect them are still alive and thriving, there is hope to make that future a reality.

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Ronaldo Lec, Coordinator of IMAP

Impact Summary 2014

Guided tours and facilitated workshops28 22

Provided scholarships to

696

Certified 15 people on Permaculture Design

participants

Distributed lbs of seeds to rural communities105

Built nutritional school gardens26

3,500 children received native and nutritional seeds

Created local employment opportunities for 43 people

Worked with 59 volunteers

27 local farmers

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EDUCATIONALSERVICES

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Tours

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IMAP provides tours to local and international visitors alike. Thetours are provided in English, Spanish or Kakchiquel by one of ourlocal facilitators or long-term volunteers, and range between 2-4hours depending on the needs of our visitors.

Through a tour of IMAP, visitors experience permaculture inaction. Key features of the center include bioconstruction,appropriate technologies, waste and water managementsystems, organic vegetable gardens, native bee hives, ancestralMayan calendars and a Seed Bank featuring native and heritageseeds.

We also offer tours of our partner organization, Ijat’z, where wecover water and sediment management, vermiculture, forestseed beds, organic coffee production and experiences in the FairTrade market.

In addition, IMAP offers beekeeping enthusiasts the chance tovisit Genaro, a small-scale local beekeeper. The tour will engage,educate and enchant you with a first-hand look at nativehoneybees in their hives, guided by Genaro on his own land.

In 2014, IMAP guided 28 tours to 348 visitors andgenerated $4,180.00 from these services.

Group Trips are a direct, hands-on way for people from all over theworld to have an authentic experience of rural Guatemala andcontribute to the well-being of the Mayan people. Through ourCommunity Service Projects, visitors get the chance to buildmeaningful relationships with local people and make a lastingdifference in their lives, while learning about the local ecology andculture.

Group Trips Visitors also get the opportunity to:

Typical projects include:Creating school gardensBuilding a composting toiletImplementing natural water filters

Learn about Mayan calendars, mathematics, astronomy andagricultureDiscover Guatemala’s historical and political contextHike through a primary forest and see orchids and birds intheir natural habitatVisit spring-fed rivers running through a lush mix of fish pondsand terraces of watercress, banana, ginger and turmeric, alldesigned and managed by a local community.

In 2014, IMAP offered group trips to studentsand intercultural exchange groups.

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Workshops

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For more than 10 years, IMAP has offered workshops and coursesin a variety of topics including: family gardens, community seedsbanks, permaculture, ancestral knowledge, apiculture,bioconstruction, grey water management, and much more! Theseworkshops are designed for small, local farmers and are usuallyfacilitated in Spanish or Kakchiquel.

In 2014, we structured our workshops as “diplomados”, 3-4module courses hosted once a month and targeting participantslooking to receive a diploma upon course completion. 3 different“diplomados” were offered in 2014: Family Gardens, CommunitySeed Banks and Introduction to Permaculture.

For our international visitors or local groups looking for one-timecourses at IMAP, we offered stand-alone workshops - available inEnglish upon request. In 2014, we offered 22 stand-aloneworkshops in a variety of themes including: water filtration, homegardens, and cooking with native plants.

In 2014, IMAP facilitated 22 workshops and 3"diplomados" to 333 participants and generated

$25,723.00 from these services.Rony Lec, lead facilitator and co-founder of IMAP teaching the MayanCalendar during an Introduction to Permaculture workshop.

Farmer Scholarships

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As part of our commitment to serving small, localfarmers we have allocated funds to a farmerscholarship account that allows us to sponsorapproximately 2 farmers a month. In order to apply for ascholarship, the farmer must go through a short butthorough application process that helps us assess theirbackground, interest and financial need.

Farmers that are selected receive either a half or a fullscholarship which covers our educational services,lunch, accommodation (for multi-day courses), andcourse materials.

In 2014, IMAP provided scholarships to 27 local farmers for our Family Gardens,

Community Seed Banks and Intro toPermaculture "diplomados", tours and

stand-alone workshops.

“I’d never heard of permaculture, but myfather said in the old days he used some ofthe same techniques I learned in theworkshops. Through IMAP I learned how towork with seeds, how to produce morefood. The workshops gave my family thepush we needed.”

- Juan Chojpen, smallholder farmerCerro de Oro, Guatemala

PERMACULTUREDESIGN

CERTIFICATE

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Permaculture Design Certificate

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IMAP is the principal certifying body for Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) in Mesoamerica. Our PDC coursestake place in beautiful Lake Atitlán, Guatemala and are co-taught by Rony Lec (founder of IMAP) and Shad Qudsi(founder of Atitlán Organics). The courses are typically taught three times a year, once in Spanish and twice in Englishand last approximately 2 weeks.

In 2014, we offered a PDC course in English and certified 15 peoplein Permaculture Design generating $8,550.00

Shad Qudsi, founder of Atitlán Organics teaching about permaculture andanimal husbandry during the 2014 PDC.

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Permaculture is derived from the concept of permanentculture / agriculture and is a design method thatintegrates appropriate technologies and observations ofnature as a guide for achieving self-sustainingcommunities. Permaculture seeks not only to protect theenvironment, but also to use all its wealth in a way thatsupports both present and future generations.

The Permaculture Design Certificate, often referred to asthe PDC, was developed by Bill Mollison as a tool forteaching the principles and foundations of permaculturedesign. All PDC courses offered throughout the worldmust follow the same format in order to ensure that theintegrity of the certification process is respected. Ourcertificate allows participants the right to use the word“permaculture” in a professional setting, and it indicatesthat they have successfully completed the course. ThePDC is also a pre-requisite for further training inpermaculture. Participants who attend our PDC courseand complete the final design project receive aPermaculture Design Certificate.

PDC Defined “This course was incredibly inspiring. Rony carries invaluable permacultureknowledge and wisdom, and his way of weaving Mayan ancestral knowledgeinto our permaculture education was nothing short of beautiful.”

-Aaron Boyd, 2014 PDC participant

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COMMUNITY SEED BANK

Community Seed Bank

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Climate change, new pests, water scarcity, the rise in single-harvest hybrid seeds broughtin from external sources – all of these factors threaten the local biodiversity and the foodsecurity of the Mayan people. Simultaneously, the knowledge associated with planting,cultivating, harvesting and saving seeds is in severe danger of being lost.

One of IMAP’s key roles is to respond to the rising threat to irreplaceable heirloom speciesand varieties.

Native seeds are more resistant to extreme weather conditions, pests and disease, theyhave higher nutritional value than market produce and, unlike many other seeds, they canbe used from harvest to harvest.

Farmers and NGO representatives come to our Seed Bank to buy, sell or trade their seeds,and every year IMAP donates thousands of seeds to vulnerable families and schoolsaround Lake Atitlan.

Our Community Seed Bank has a tremendous impact on the local level, namely by:Improving nutrition by promoting densely nutritious seedsIncreasing availability of native seedsImproving local seed genetic diversityMaintaining Mayan seed heritage and legacy.

Seed banks and seed sources need to be available for farmers at the local level in order tohave any sort of impact. Now more than ever, promoting native seeds and establishingcommunity seed banks are urgent concerns in Guatemala.

14Patrik Murcia, Seed Bank Coordinator

"2014 was a good year for IMAP’s Seed Bank. We were able to generate enoughfunds from seed sales to cover the Seed Bank’s basic operations, and our clientbase diversified; new NGOs and farmers from throughout Guatemala came toIMAP specifically to buy seeds.

We donated 242 packages of seeds to 26 schools around Lake Atitlan, and wetrained new farmers to save and reuse their seeds.

I take great pride in the work that I do at the Seed Bank. It’s important work,and although IMAP has been around for 15 years I feel we’ve only just begun toreach new heights."

SALES$13,315 of 33 varieties of native and heritage seeds

DONATIONS$657 of 23 varieties of native and heritage seeds

Patrik MuciaSeed Bank Coordinator, IMAP

NUTRITIONALSCHOOL

GARDENS

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Nutritional School GardensIMAP is part of an NGO alliance around the lake called Red K’at whose mission is topromote nutritional gardens in primary schools throughout Sololá as part of thegovernment's “Healthy Schools” mandate. By training teachers and educators, IMAP andthe rest of the Red K’at alliance members were able to develop an effective building andmanagement methodology for gardens within the school curriculum.

In 2014, IMAP built 26 nutritious school gardens and trained 20 teachers sothat 3,500 students could have access to nutritional foods and seeds.

COMMITMENTTO LOCAL

EMPLOYMENT

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Commitment to Local Employment

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From its inception, IMAP has been committed to creating employmentopportunities for the communities of Pachitulul, Cerro de oro, San LucasTolimán and Quixayá. Every core staff member, every cook that we hire, everyseed producer that we buy from is local. We also support local establishmentsand transportation for our international visitor groups, thus supporting thelocal economy of the communities surrounding our center.

IMAP is also committed to paying fair wages. Before working with IMAP, afacilitator would make an average of $300 a month (the national minimumwage). Since working with IMAP, a facilitator will make an average of $450 amonth, which is a 50% pay increase!

In 2014, IMAP created local employment opportunities for 43people contributing over $40,000 in local income.

"I am very grateful to be able to work at IMAP. Finding work in this area isvery difficult, especially since I’ve never been to school. At IMAP I cook forgroups that come and visit, local food such as pepian and paches, so thatthey can discover what we eat. I’ve been cooking here for 10 years andthrough IMAP I’ve met wonderful people from all over the world. I wish theycould stay longer!"

- Andrea Cojtin, Cook

VOLUNTEERING PROGRAM

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Volunteering Program

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IMAP’s work would not be possible without the support of our volunteers.Volunteers help us with a range of agricultural, administrative, andoperational tasks.

In 2014, IMAP worked with 59 volunteers from over 20 countries!

THECENTER

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The Center

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Part of what makes people fall in love with IMAP are its facilities. Located on theshore of Lake Atitlán, IMAP has such a calming and natural energy that you feelre-grounded as soon as you arrive. Anyone who has visited IMAP understandswhat we mean. It’s that deep breath you take when you get there, the way yourshoulders slouch in relaxation, the instant smile that appears on your face asyou enter this biodiversity paradise.

Much love goes into the way we design our gardens and accommodations sothat visitors feel re-connected to the Earth as soon as they arrive and muchafter they leave. We also mind our environmental footprint and ask visitors toreduce and classify their trash, use our composting toilets, and limit their waterand energy consumption while at IMAP.

In 2014, we made several improvements to our facilities including:New artistic murals (courtesy of our volunteers!)Relocated our plant nurseryPlanted two new terrace gardensBuilt another room for accommodationsCreated a food bank to reduce trash

OURGROWTH

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Our Growth

24 2013 2014

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Parti

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Seeds Sold

Seeds Donated

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1328

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59

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696

633$8,672.00

$13,315.00

$615.00

$657.00

"IMAP never fails to amaze me. The fact that its impact growsevery year speaks volumes about our team and our dedication tocreating even more guardians of biodiversity.

In 2014, IMAP built gardens in 26 schools, in comparison to 3schools in 2013. We hosted 28% more volunteers than the yearbefore, and welcomed 11% more visitors for tours of the center. Compared to 2013, our Seed Bank’s total seed sales anddonations increased by $4,685.

As a small NGO, we are continually learning how to improve ourservices and act on the valuable feedback that our visitorsprovide. As a result, we redesigned our website, expanded ourmarketing tools and created a unique group trip package thatfocuses on community service.

IMAP is a catalyzing force. It’s more than an educational center.It’s inextricably linked with its surroundings - the community, theland, the neighbouring lake. It’s a meeting ground between past, present and future, a space forconserving ancient knowledge whilelearning and thinking about the pathahead. IMAP’s potential for impact istremendous - and we’ve only just begunto scratch the surface."

- Myriam LegaultOutreach Coordinator, IMAP

Financial Figures

25Income Expenses

Workshops - $25,722.50

Tours - $4,179.03

PDC - $8,549.87

Seeds - $13,314.25

Volunteers - $1,871.33

Merchandise - $288.00

Donors - $16,137.46

Workshops - $19,464.89

Tours - $3,012.40

PDC - $7,196.65

Seeds - $5,189.37

Volunteers - $3,466.17

Merchandise - $0.00

Salaries - $22,623.33

Other - $13,428.46

In 2014 we generated $6,257 from our workshops, $1,166.63from tours, and $1,353 from our Permaculture DesignCertification course. Our Seed Bank made a profit of $8,125from selling a wide variety of seeds, and we brought in $8,125from our volunteer program. In addition, we boosted ourincome by $288 through merchandise sales, and our donors,both private and institutional, supported us with a total of$16,138. Our goal for 2015 is to become even more financiallyself-sustainable by increasing our focus on group trips andtours.

Our Donors

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Partnerships

ADEMIAtitlan OrganicsCaritas QuicheCarleton College CEFCACONAPCruz RojaCSRCuerpo de PazEstudiantes Rafael LandivarGroundswellMinisterio de AgriculturaMinisterio de EducaciónMoscamed Pura VidaRED K’AT Redsag RejuvencerRompiendo El SilencioSeres

SERJUSTransformational ConnectionsTrees, Water and PeopleUniversidad San Carlos Where There Be DragonsYoga Farm

Organizations

Schools

Aldea PasajquinAldea PatanaticAMSCLAEBalam Abaj Nahualá Canton ChitululCanton Chitulul, SAP Cantón Chuixajuar Cantón Xiprián Caserio PacamanCaserío Xeaba I Caserío Xeabaji Centro de Estudios Avanzado Centro Educativo Santo ChekumukChuacruzDomingo

DIDEDUC, Sololá Escuela CECOTZEscuela Nacional de CienciasComerciales Carlota Raphaelde DíazEscuela PachitululEscuela PavarottiGuillermo Bate IMBC San MarcosJaibalito Joel CalderónJornada MatutinaJucanya, PanajachelLos Planes Los TablonesParaíso del Lago Paraje Nuevo Progreso Pujujilito CosepciónSan Marcos Sector Canoas AltasXiprinas

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Caserío Pachitulul, San Lucas Tolimán,Sololá, GuatemalaTel: +502.4549.0578Email: imapermacultura@gmail.comWebsite: imapermaculture.org