Ta-Valema Permaculture Farm & Learning Lab

Ta-Valema means
"point of germination"

Ta-Valema Permaculture Farm & Learning Lab are located on 20 acres of land given to this work by Mondema villagers. It lies in Gorama Mende Chiefdom, Kenema District, which is in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Beyond meeting the nutritional needs of children attending Dovalema Early Childhood Co-op, increasing food sovereignty throughout the village, rebuilding the soil, and providing space where villagers (re)learn regenerative farming practices of their ancestors, Ta-Valema serves as a learning lab where Dovalema school children and Mondema adults alike can experiment and innovate around sustainable energy, livelihood development, and re-forestation. Ta-Valema is also the primary site of SLFND's Permaculture Africa Cross Training (PACT) program, which aims to build a pool of Africans trained and credentialed with certification in permaculture design. Additionally, it is the site where much of SLFND Social Enterprise Cooperatives’ work takes place.