Growing Resilient Homesteads Through Permaculture

Founded in 2009 on a 2.2-hectare demonstration farm in Malkerns, Guba is Eswatini's permaculture education centre, teaching low-carbon, highly productive growing methods for homestead food security. Its year-long 'Growing Resilient Communities' program trains roughly 180 farming households annually through monthly on-site workshops paired with two further years of monitoring and support, helping families — including many affected by HIV — grow nutritious food and sell surplus harvest to cover school fees and healthcare costs. The demonstration farm itself showcases off-grid solar power, earth-and-timber building and rainwater harvesting alongside its training curriculum.