New Work&Travel Partnership: PermaTogo Farm – Building a food forest and tree nursery in Togo

From world traveler (Mb407) to organic farmer and rainforest builder in the mountains of the Danyi Plateau. That is my story:

Greetings from Togo! My name is Philipp, I’m a farmer and I’m building a garden with a food forest and a tree nursery in Togo. Everything is based on the permaculture philosophy and I provide for myself, the helpers and animal helpers as self-sufficient and self-sufficient from the garden.

For three years now, I have been digging, planting and landscaping this tropical paradise not far from the GoldenEye Hotel with a team of local helpers (consisting of my neighbors). I planted a vegetable garden and took care of a first piece of scrubland to create a FoodForest, a forest of fruit trees. Not far away in a hollow is a stream that has been dammed up, please also see my detailed posts on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/perma.togo/) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@philippmb4073 ).

After all my good deeds, the owners of the property gave me another piece of land on the neighboring hill to establish a farm there. Permaculture and reforestation are on my list of priorities, as well as species-appropriate animal husbandry. At the beginning, in the previous dry season, I took the first steps and built a stable, extended the dilapidated farmhouse with an outdoor kitchen, built a cistern that is fed with water from a ram pump from the stream, created several terraces (swales) to collect water on the sloping ground and also some retention basins. One of these was fenced off from the pig run to create a natural pond using the gley method.

I currently have pigs, laying hens, mallard ducks and turkeys in my care and my dogs guard and entertain them. For some time now, horses and a donkey have also been in the adjoining stable, which is intended to be a magnet for tourist excursions.

A large part of my expenses have always been covered by donations from dear friends and acquaintances who support my help here. I was even able to save a neighboring old forest from deforestation at the beginning of the dry season. I am in the process of declaring it a sacred forest and creating hiking trails. Smaller building projects on the farm such as a garage, where creative work can be done during the rainy season, another somewhat extravagant guest house and of course the ever-growing tree nursery take up all my time. It’s a lot of work, but it’s still fun! Everything is just a foretaste of a green, blooming… magical future…

I am also trying to spread the permaculture philosophy further. Two newly acquired friends and supporters of my way of life here in the West African, climatically mild mountainous region were shown the complete program in just a few hours’ visit to Perma Togo last year and approved of what I was doing. A short time later, back home, they decided to save half of the forest mentioned above single-handedly and to initiate the purchase of the land with a further donation. In the next step, they would also like to relocate and create something sustainable for the world and the region.

This is how everything develops, bit by bit. Also at the speed that the financial resources allow. I invest everything I have in the projects. Always with the big vision in mind. For our common earth, Mother Nature.

In the next step, I want to build a waterwheel and have to partially renovate the roofs of the buildings – you’ve already seen a bit in the video. I am trying to do everything on my own, but for the salaries of the helpers, cement, wood, tools and connectors, ropes and chains, for local welders and the costs of another local carpentry I am asking for financial support.

You can find more information on the following social media platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perma.togo/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@philippmb4073/

NEW from May 2024 – Exclusive Partnership here with PermaGuide to be able to offer Work & Travel on a regular basis!!! Helping hands are also very welcome here on the farm!PermaTogo Farm – Aufbau Food Forest und Baumschule in Togo