The sky was overcast, the soils were still wet from the rain, and the early morning drizzle decided to fall again. At 12.30, a group of students from St. Mary’s College of California, equipped with umbrellas and curiosity, entered IDEP’s demo site. This January 26th 2023 visit is also the first ever visitation for us in the year 2023. After welcoming chit-chat and lunch, the group which consists of 22 students and two lecturers then gathered in the Training Center to start the agenda at 13.30.

This visitation also suited as a learning opportunity for the students to get to know the community development and empowerment model developed by IDEP. Specifically, the implemented model within the permaculture garden on IDEP’s demo site. For more effective information and dissemination, the group was spread into four batches. Each batch then taking turns inspected each post within the demo site. There were five posts, which consisted of the recharge well, seed nursery and dryer, local seed bank, medicinal herb and vegetables garden, compost processing, and waste water garden.