Urban Poultry Association of Texas is pleased to donate $1,500 of proceeds from the 2014 Funky Chicken Coop Tour to New Farm Institute (NFI) via a Permablitz organized by the Austin Permaculture Guild. The mission of New Farm Institute (NFI), a 501c3 nonprofit, is to educate, assist and inspire citizens and a new generation of sustainable farmers, with a focus on the urban fringe — an area defined as within 30 miles of medium to large cities.

Austin Permaculture Guild is an association of people, mainly in central Texas, who are dedicated to learning about permaculture and sharing it with others. Please contact Taelor Monroe of the Austin Permaculture Guild Taelor Monroe at [email protected] to sign up and get involved. From http://www.austinperm.com/permablitz/

WHAT IS A PERMABLITZ?

The Permablitz originally started in Australia. These workshops are meant to reach out to the community by joining together skilled and like minded volunteers to build public and residential perennial food gardens and food forests. The main idea is to spread permaculture design as far and wide as possible while keeping the community involved and informed. Everyone can learn skills and knowledge while helping others have a flourishing and functional edible forest or garden of their own.

HOW IT WORKS At each blitz we install a berm and swale system on contour. This system is one of the best pieces of a functioning permaculture design in Texas because it catches and conserves water. We plant these berms with all 7 layers of the food forest system including native and cultivated fruit and nut trees, nitrogen fixing farmer’s trees, shrubs, perennial vegetables and herbs, root crops and vines. We try to use the most drought tolerant and adapted plants to Central Texas that we can. Some good examples of perennial plants installed are grapes, blackberries, asparagus, and sun chokes to name a few. These systems are the initial steps to growing a self sustaining perennial garden system. These events are also literally being funded by the community. So far we have had about half of all of our expenses paid out of pocket and half from community donations. Ideally all permablitzes should be funded completely by the permaculture community here in Central Texas. If you would like to support our cause please donate, so we can keep this blitzes going! Anything and everything counts!