Integration Through Permaculture

Spring greetings from Sporos!

The growing season is upon us, and our Garden of Friends is buzzing with activity. We have recently begun welcoming international volunteers back to the farm and they and our intern, Fara, have been busy preparing for the season. We have new raised beds around the farmhouse made from reclaimed materials, loads of fresh compost, and seedlings in the ground that will soon produce hundreds of kilos of food for many people in need. Current crops include potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, many varieties of herbs, aubergines, courgettes, watermelon, melon, pumpkins, and many different flowers. Due to popular demand, we will once again distribute seedlings this year to our partners and friends, including permaculture students, local farmers that we encourage and teach to save their own seeds, and other organizations and individuals in need.

Over the last few months, as lockdowns and restrictions have increased with each new COVID surge, we have been reminded time and time again of the crucial role that nature plays in keeping our minds and bodies healthy. We are very excited to be able to restart our educational activities and welcome visitors to the garden again. As restrictions begin to ease for the summer season, we’re hopeful this day will come very soon. In the meantime, our large dome classroom is ready for classes, now complete with a new wooden floor. In addition, our rooftop rainwater harvesting system on the farmhouse is complete, and we’ve begun developing a natural pond on site.

With the planting of many different fruit and nut trees, we have also completed the first phase of our olive grove regeneration project, which will turn the grove into a demonstration food forest.

We have also embarked on a new partnership with the University of the Aegean Department of Environmental Studies, which seeks to develop a new local circular economy by transforming olive tree prunings (which are normally discarded as waste) into fuel for pellet stoves. Working with farmers to divert this traditional waste stream will provide layered environmental benefits and act as a boon to the local economy.

As always, we are eternally grateful for your support. Together, we are building a more regenerative future on Lesvos—for the island itself, and for the people who call it home. Thank you for helping make this work possible.