Our world is naturally symbiotic, with no part existing independently of another. To reject that notion is to reject nature itself. The principles of permaculture - to care for the earth, its people and to live sustainably within it - have added gravity in the small, developing island nation of Timor-Leste. Found in the tiny village of Atekru on Atauro Island, NaTerra is a permaculture initiative fostering sustainable and holistic agricultural development with the community.
Read MoreThis small, mountainous island lies to the north of Timor-Leste’s capital Dili. We sailed to Beloi on its southern coast, before heading to the small village of Adara on the opposite side of Atauro. We took a truck up the shattered road to the drop off point from where we would walk across the island. The palm trees and low scrub of the coast gave way to hillsides full of eucalyptus, trunks white as bone. Scattered throughout the dry grass are black volcanic rocks, spat out by the earth long ago.
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