Permaculture Design Course at Tanjung Sutera Resort, Malaysia, December 2010

Permaculture Design Course

December 3 – 18, 2010


Tanjung Sutera Resort



Kota Kinggi, Johor Malaysia

with Darren Doherty and Christian Shearer

This full 72-hour certified Permaculture Design Course will consist of a broad range of topics applicable to life anywhere on this planet, yet will be tailored to the needs of the students at hand. Participants will help to co-create the design of edible forests gardens, natural buildings, water catchment and irrigation systems, as well as actively implement on the hosting land.

An easy drive from Singapore, in Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia, the Tanjung Sutera Resort is an ideal location for a permaculture design course. Situated on a seaside cliff, this resort is looking to the future, hoping to produce a higher percentage of its own food, capture more of its own water, and to generally operate in a more sustainable manner. The course is one step toward that vision for them.

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Course Curriculum

Permaculture courses are fairly standardized as far as content. The 72 hours of course work required to receive a Permaculture Design Certificate will be covered over a two week period, mixing hands-on with plenty of in-classroom studies. All students are required to be present for the full two weeks if they wish to receive the certificate. We will cover every major topic in Bill Mollison’s Permaculture: a Designers Manual, including:

Philosophies and Ethics underlying permaculture.

Basic permaculture principals to help guide us in our designs.

Patterns in Nature, and how to use them in design.

Methods of design. How to go from a good idea, to a functional, beautiful, diverse ecosystem.

Climactic factors. We will cover all the major climates and how to work with them.

Trees, forests, and why we want to mimic their systems.

Water: catchment, usage, importance, and conservation.

Soil, minerals, microorganisms, building new soil, and preventing erosion.

Earthworks: How to shape the land to help achieve the goals we are aiming for, including an in-depth session on Keyline Design with Darren Doherty.

Aquaculture – Using water for food production, irrigation, beauty and habitat, all from one pond.

Energy Efficient Structures and Natural Building – We will touch on the many forms of natural building and energy efficient design that make a structure so much more functional.

Alternative Systems: community living, economics, appropriate technology and other ways of choosing to live differently that work well for people and the planet.

And More!

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The course is being conducted in Partnership with The Panya Project, a permaculture education center located outside Chiang Mai, Thailand. Founder and Managing Director, Christian Shearer will be one of the lead instructors and coordinator for the course. With over five years of tropical permaculture experience and his passion for the subject matter, he brings the course to life. This is his second time teaching a PDC in Malaysia.

Teaming up with Christian for this course is Australian native, and avid Keyline Designer, Darren Doherty. Founder of Felix Permaculture, Darren has extensive experience across the world in Permaculture project design, development & management. A career-long focus on the profitable retrofit of broadacre agricultural landscapes has seen Darren acclaimed as a pioneer in this important & often overlooked field. He is a registered Teacher of The Permaculture Insitute (AU), Certified Whole Farm Planner (University of Melbourne), Approved Keyline™ Designer, Accredited Permaculture Trainer (APT ™) & Certified Workplace Training & Assessment. Darren has been involved in design & development of over 1300, mostly broadacre projects across 5 continents in 36 countries, ranging from 1 million hectare cattle stations in Australia’s Kimberly to 110,000 acre Estancia’s in Patagonia, EcoVillage developments in Tasmania to Public:Private R&D Agroforestry & Education projects in Vietnam.

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Costs:

The costs for the course include three vegetarian meals per day (occasional meat for our omnivores), fruit and tea during break time, and full accommodation for the fifteen nights of the course. All rooms include air-conditioning, private bathrooms,. All guests will have free access to the swimming pool, and wifi access (in certain areas). Transportation to and from Johor Baru is also included, if needed.

There are many different housing options and the prices vary accordingly.

Dorm.......................................$1050

Single room................................$1650

Shared room (two twin beds)................$1350 per person

Double room (two people – one bed).........$2550 ($1250 per person)

Shared Suite (6-8 people, book together)...$1250 each

*If you would like to bring your family, you are more than welcome, ask about pricing. The above prices assume that each person will be taking the course, but that need not be the case.

*NGO staff get $250 off any of the above prices. (limited spaces available)

*Couples get $100 off per person, as reflected in the price of the double room.

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To Register for this Course:

Please contact Christian Shearer at:

MalaysiaPDC@gmail.com

Please don’t hesitate with any questions. We expect to fill this course so sign up soon!

Also, please feel free to download the pdf version of this info from the Panya Project website. You should find both the one page flier and the four page description, Please share them with anyone who might be interested.

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More about the instructors for the course:

Darren J. Doherty has extensive experience across the world in Permaculture project design, development & management. A career-long focus on the profitable retrofit of broadacre agricultural landscapes has seen Darren acclaimed as a pioneer in this important & often overlooked field. He is a registered Teacher of The Permaculture Insitute (AU), Certified Whole Farm Planner (University of Melbourne), Approved Keyline™ Designer, Accredited Permaculture Trainer (APT ™) & Certified Workplace Training & Assessment. Darren has been involved in design & development of over 1300, mostly broadacre projects across 5 continents in 36 countries, ranging from 1 million hectare cattle stations in Australia’s Kimberly to 110,000 acre Estancia’s in Patagonia, EcoVillage developments in Tasmania to Public:Private R&D Agroforestry & Education projects in Viet Nam, Family Farms across the world, with a range of private, corporate, government & non-profit clients. More recently Darren has been the originator of Keyline Design, Carbon Farming, Carbon Economy & Regenerative Agriculture courses across Europe, North America & Oceania. Darren also holds positions outside of Australia Felix Permaculture and is a Patron of Fundacion + Arboles (España), Project Manager of Carbon Culcha (Australia) & Vice President of New Soil Security Inc. (USA) and Originator of the Regenerative Agriculture Group. This wide experience has created an international reputation of achievement plus an enviable & expansive network that integrates many disciplines.

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Originally from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Christian Shearer is the founder and Managing Director of the Panya Project. He has over six years of permaculture experience, working and living at Lost Valley Education Center outside of Eugene, Oregon, and now residing at the Panya Project in northern Thailand for over five years (by the time of the course). He is a permaculture consultant, with Broadacre International, a natural builder, a food forest enthusiast, a musician, a certified educator and has extensive knowledge of tropical permaculture systems. He has taught ten PDC courses, in four countries and is excited to continue sharing his passion for a better world and learning from all involved!
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www.panyaproject.org

2009 International Permaculture Convergence

Dear all

Registration for all 9th International Permaculture Conference and Convergence (IPC9) events is now live on the conference website www.ipc9.org. The IPC9 events are:

1. The 9th International Permaculture Design Course (IPDC9a). Harare, Zimbabwe;18 to 29 October 2009

2. The 9th International Permaculture Convergence (IPC9b). Lilongwe, Malawi; 2 to 5 November 2009

3. The 9th International Permaculture Conference (IPC9c). Lilongwe, Malawi; 6 November 2009

4. The 9th International Permaculture Site Tour (IPC9d). Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa; 7 to 30 November 2009. (You can choose to participate in segments of the trip).

We kindly request all prospective participants to pre-register on line even if you are not yet ready to pay the fees. You can click on the link below to get to the conference home page and to get started. The pre-registration tab is at the top of the page.

http://www.ipcon.org/

We look forward to welcoming many of you in full moon and full sun to the warm heart of Africa in the fall (We will be at the end of our spring here south of the equator).

Please feel free to forward this message to your networks. For any enquiries please write to us at ipc9malawi@ymail.com

Best regards

Mugove Walter Nyika
IPC9 Coordinator

The Regional Schools and Colleges Permaculture (ReSCOPE) Programme
P.O. Box 32280
Chichiri
Blantyre 3
Malawi
Tel: +2651 831 373
Fax: +2651 831 363
Mobile: +2659 788 373
Email: rescope@sdnp.org.mw or zipscope@yahoo.co.uk

www.rescopeprogramme.org, www.ipc9.org

Traditionally IPC's take place every two years and switch between continents. Past host sites have been in Australia, USA, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Nepal, Croatia, Brazil, and will be held on the African continent for the first time in 2009. IPC9 is organized by a collaboration of African permaculturists, coordinated by ReSCOPE Programme in Malawi.

Permaculture has a long history in Africa with well know centers in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa and others. For the first time the International Permaculture Conference (IPC9) will be held on the African continent in 2009. Plan Africa - Food & Empowerment, is the theme for the Conference. A major goal of IPC9 is to establish the structure to bring permaculture training and knowledge to all countries of Africa. IPC9 will bring government and world press attention to grassroots permaculture work by showcasing the sites and projects already underway. African organizers are committed to bringing participants from every economic sector and region to attend.

樹的故事
The Story of the Tree (by Gregory Rosen)

從前，在距離我們不太遙遠的地方，有一株巨樹，延伸著嶙峋多節的枝枒覆蓋著一座叫做Paan-yah的小村落。
Once upon a time in a land not so far away, a giant craggy tree stretched its gnarled limbs over the small village of Paan-yah.

枝枒侵害了村民的農舍與花園，樹根破土而出，摧毀了圍牆與穀物。
The limbs attacked the villagers' cottages and gardens. The roots erupted violently from the ground to collapse walls and damage crops.

村民怨憤地與巨樹的生長搏鬥著，使勁地劈砍那蔓生的雜草，他們只管它為令人討厭的樹。
The villagers fought the growth with bitter prejudice, struggling to hack and slice the ever encroaching behemoth. The monstrous weed was known as "The Tree of Repugnance".

但是，他們逐漸沮喪了，巨樹的樹蔭與根群威脅著每個人的存在。
The villagers became desperate. The darkness and roots of the tree threatened their very existence.

正當大人們日復一日的爭執如何除去這個威脅時，一個叫做Banananana的小男孩輕輕的靠近了一位大家忽視的長者，向他尋求建議。
As the adults continued their daily arguments on how to destroy the menace one little boy named "Banananana" timidly approached a much ignored village elder for advice.

年老且佈滿皺紋，有一頭枯槁長髮與焦黑爛牙的Bobbarundum轉過頭去，他和煦的目光讓男孩更加靠前過去。
Old, wrinkly, "Bobbarundum" grinned widely, with his weathered skin, long forked beard and rotted teeth. His warm gaze gave the boy confidence to come closer.

「Banananana，很久沒人來跟我做伴了，快進來喝杯茶，告訴我你在想著什麼？」老者Bobbarundum說。
"Banananana, it's been so long since I've had company. Do come in and have some tea...and tell me what's on your mind." the old man said.

「是關於那棵討人厭的樹。你注意到嗎？我們如何拯救我們的村莊呢？」小男孩輕聲的說。
"It's the Tree of Repugnance! Haven't you noticed?! How can we save the village?!" the boy squeaked.

「嗯，雖然我只是一堆沒人記得的老骨頭，但是我想你可以問問看那條向東流的河，在過去，她一直很照顧我呢。」，老人緩緩的說。
"Well, I'm just an old, forgotten pile of bones, but perhaps you could ask the River to the East...she's always been good to me in the past..." the old man said slowly.

「什麼？你是說要我去問那條向東流的河？可是河不會說話呀！」，男孩疑惑道。
"What?! What do you mean - 'ask the River to the East?!' Rivers don't talk!" the boy said, incredulously.

「只要你直接發問，用心聆聽，你會驚訝發現她會回應！」，老人睿哲的說。 "What?!
"You'd be surprised what talks back when you ask directly and listen with an open heart." the old man said, wisely.

男孩帶著一絲的懷疑回覆說，「好吧，Bobbarundum，我試試看，反正這也不會有損失。不過，請不要和我的父母提起這件事，他們不會允許我們小孩來插手他們的事務的。」
Still a little confused, the boy said, "Alright Bobbarundum, I'll give it a try...Nothing to lose, I guess. Just, don't tell my parents; they don't approve of us kids meddling in their affairs." the boy said.

「我會保守秘密的」。老人邊說邊看著轉身向清涼茂密的森林跟向東流的河水走去的男孩。
"Mum's the word." said the old man said as he watched Banananana trot off into the cool, moss laden forest to consult the River Spirit to the East.

向東流的河水時而湍急流捲著泡沫，時而水流淙淙化成涓涓細流。
The river tumbled and bubbled, frothed and fizzled and trickled softly in some places too.

Banananana在水邊的樹幹上呆坐了一會，最後，嘗試以他最成熟的聲音問道：「河靈小姐，如果不太麻煩的話，可否請你淹沒那令人厭惡的樹來拯救我們的村莊呢？」
Banananana sat for a while on a log near the water's edge and, finally, in his most grown-up sounding voice said, "Mrs. River spirit...if it's not too much trouble, will you please drown the Tree of Repugnance to save our village?"

河流以甜美、流動的聲音答道，「親愛的小男孩，看看我如何輕鬆自如的在石頭與彎道間流動，我不會把你說的那棵樹淹沒的，但我希望你思考如何與自然共處，而不是對抗他。看著我那深邃的藍，你會找出神奇的手勢，它能應用到樹身上。」
The river answered him sweetly, her voice smooth and flowing, "Dear boy, watch how I move with ease around the rocks and bends. I will not drown the tree you speak of, but instead ask you to consider working with nature, not against it. Look into my sparkly blue depths for a magic sign to use on the tree."

注視著她的河水， Banananana看著並練習那個神奇的手勢，一邊默唸著向東流之河的話語，「與自然共處，而非對抗他；與自然共處，而非對抗他.......。」Peering into her waters, Banananana saw and practiced the magic sign while mouthing the words "Work With Nature, Not Against It..."

向東流之河接著說，「這是你們所繼承的眾多手勢之一，一個你們族人曾經熟知，但現在卻遺忘了的手勢。這些神奇手勢一起運用，可以帶來很大的轉變。現在，去和土地之靈尋求另一個手勢吧！」
The river then said "It is one of the heritage signs, once known by all of your people, but now long forgotten. The magic signs, used in combination, can bring great change. Now go seek the Soil Spirit for another magic sign."

受河流之靈的教誨鼓舞，Banananana跑回到森林中一處。他知道在那裡有最厚最深紅褐色的泥土，而且滿溢著生命。
Encouraged by the lesson the River Spirit had taught him, Banananana sped off back into the forest to a place where he knew the soil was a deep, dark, red-brown hue, teaming with life.

他四肢匍匐在地上祈求著，「土地的靈呀，向我顯示下一個手勢吧，我或許可以幫你悶死並埋葬那令人厭惡的樹。」
On his hands and knees he implored, "Mr. Soil Spirit, show me the next sign so that I might help you suffocate and bury the Tree of Repugnance in an earthen grave!"


土地之靈以一個低沈粗爌的聲音咕噥道，「我不會將你所指的那棵樹埋葬的，相反的，我會鼓勵你去想一想，植物、真菌、各類的昆蟲如何全都一起生活與工作。我要教導你的手勢已具備了萬物如何生長的力量」。
The Soil Spirit answered him in a low, rumbling, rocky voice, "I will not bury the tree you speak of, but instead urge you to consider how the plants, fungus, worms and bugs all live and work together. The magic sign I will teach you captures the power of how everything gardens."

觀察著泥土共生的族群，Banananana喃喃自語的練習著祖傳的第二個手勢，「萬物生長，萬物生長。」
Peering into the soil community, Banananana saw and practiced the 2nd Heritage sign while mouthing the words, "Everything Gardens."

土地之靈帶著喜悅指引小男孩，去向太陽尋求下一個手勢。
Beaming with pleasure, the Soil Spirit told the boy to find the next sign by talking with the sun.


奮力爬上他所找到的最高的山丘，Banananana 讓中午的閃爍豔陽照耀著他年輕稚嫩的雙頰。
Climbing the tallest hill he could find, Banananana let the blazing noon sun shine radiantly upon his young, naive face.

炫目的陽光使他更虔誠溫順地問：「太陽之靈，你可以告訴我那祖傳的手勢嗎？....嗯....並用你那偉大的熱去焚燒那令人厭惡的樹嗎？」
Humbled by the blinding light he asked, rather meekly, "Sun Spirit, would you please show me your Heritage Sign and...torch the Tree of Repugnance with your mighty heat?!"

太陽之靈的聲響熱力澎湃：「我不燒這種東西，相反的，我請你留心我的力量如何燃亮大地，令萬物收獲無窮。」
The Sun Spirit answered him in a booming, fiery voice, "I will burn NO such things! BUT instead will urge you to notice how my life giving rays touch the land, providing a bounty of infinite yield."

陽光裡，小男孩練習著第三個祖傳手勢，並喃喃自語「萬物豐收、萬物豐收」。太陽之靈續說道，「在這等著，召喚風來告訴你下一個手勢。」
And, in the sun's rays, the boy saw the 3rd Heritage Sign and practiced it while mouthing the words "Infinite Yield".

Banananana 照著太陽所說的呼喚道，「風之靈，告訴我你擁有的神奇手勢吧，吹倒那可惡的討厭的樹吧。」
Banananana did as the sun directed and called out, "Mrs. Wind Spirit, show me your magic Heritage sign and...blow down the nasty Tree of Repugnance!"

風怒吼著，「我不會吹倒你說的那棵樹，但我請你看著鳥兒是如何乘著風，不費吹灰之力地舞蹈、滑翔與俯衝，這就是槓桿原理。」
The wind answered him in a howl, "I will not blow down the tree you speak of, but instead will ask you to watch how the birds use little effort when flying upon my wind streams to dance, glide, coast and swoop! This is called, leverage."

眼睛搜尋著天空，Banananana驚訝的發現有一群烏鴉和諧的飛著，向他展示了第四個手勢。
Eyes searching the skies, Banananana started in amazement as a flock of crows flew in unison to show him the 4th Heritage sign.

Banananana嘴巴邊唸著「槓桿原理、槓桿原理」邊練習著手勢。
Banananana saw and practiced the sign while mouthing the word, "Leverage".

風之靈接著說道，「我聽說過第五個手勢，但不知道它在哪裡。」
The wind then remarked, "There is a fifth sign I have heard of, but know not where it lies."

小男孩誠摯謝過風之靈，並決定向老人Bobbarundum尋求建議。
The boy thanked the wind profusely and decided to ask old Bobbarundum for advice once again.

這趟探險使小男孩雀躍萬分，他蹦蹦跳跳走向老人的家門，快活地重重敲著門，不耐煩的呼道，「沒有時間喝茶了，沒有時間喝茶了，我得去找第五個手勢。」
Filled with excitement and wonder at his adventures, the boy skipped happily to Bobbarundum's door, knocking loudly and vigorously, and shouting impatiently, "No time for tea, no time for tea! I've got to find the 5th sign!"

Bobbarundum 開啟他脆弱腐朽的門，露出他滿是焦爛牙齒的笑容歡迎著小男孩；
「我的天呀，你說的手勢確實喚起了我的回憶，可是，我不知道其他了。我們總是有時間來喝茶的。所以，休息一下，喝杯茶，分享一下你偉大的探險。」Bobbarundum eased his old, brittle frame over to the door and welcomed the boy in with his warm, rot toothed grin. "My, my! Your talk of signs does tickle my memory bone, but...can't say I know any more. Here now. There is always time for tea. So, settle down, have some tea and tell me of your splendid adventures.

Banananana迫不及待與老人分享了他的故事和四個神奇手勢，並向Bobbarundum尋求關於第五個手勢的建議。
Banananana eagerly shared his story and showed the old man the 4 Heritage signs he had learned, imploring Bobbarundum for advice on the 5th sign.

「真有趣！但我所能想到的都是那棵樹的影像。你何不到村裡那棵樹前，向他展示你學到的手勢，這顯然不會造成比現在糟糕的影響吧。」
"Funny...but all I can muster is the image of a tree. Hmmmmm. Why don't you go down and show the signs to the tree in the village. Certainly won't make the situation any worse than it already is..."

儘管有一些失望，Banananana 謝過老人的香蕉茶，充滿困惑、緊張與遲疑的往村裡走去。
Somewhat disappointed, Banananana thanked the old man for his delicious banana tea and headed back into the village, but with some confusion, caution and hesitation.

帶著老人的建議，他膽怯地慢慢步向那令人厭惡的樹，凝聚所有的勇氣向那巨大的怪物說到。
Heeding the old man's advice, he timidly crept up to the horrid Tree of Repugnance, gathering his courage to address the massive monstrosity.

「嗯...先生....嗯....樹靈先生？看著我的神奇手勢，怕吧！」
"Um, Mr. Uh, Tree...um, spirit? ...Behold my magic signs and fear them!!"

那樹以一個深沈緩慢、男中音的聲音答道，「好的，好的，我年輕的朋友，很久沒有人和我說話了。我知道你擁有一些神奇手勢，或許我可以加上我自己的。你知道，我並非一直都是那令人厭惡的樹。在好幾代前，我是棵豐收之樹，人們讓我的枝枒伸展，生長出各種美味的禮物，包括蘋果、杯蛋糕、豆腐、烤牛肉跟啤酒！但是為了要保護他們單調無味的穀物，這幾代的人在我的枝幹還未長成到足以生產前就砍斷他們了，村民已經忘記了我令人讚嘆的大能。在這裡，站在我的前面，這樣你可以看到你的問題就是答案，我曲折的枝幹可以告訴你最後第五個手勢。」
The tree spirit answered him in a deep, slow, baritone voice, "Well, well, my young friend, it's been a long time since someone has spoken to me. I see you have some magic and perhaps I can add a bit of my own...You see, I wasn't always the "Tree of Repugnance" Not so many generations ago, I was the "Tree of Abundance", and the people let my long lanky limbs stretch and grow to produce all sorts of delicious treats like, apples, cupcakes, tofu, roast beef and beer! After generations of cutting my branches back before they could fruit...(in order to protect their bland tasting mono crops), the villagers have forgotten my incredible bounty. It is here, standing before me that you can plainly see that your problem is the solution. My twisting branches can show you the 5th and final Heritage sign."

Banananana 受大樹神奇的故事吸引，他靠近看著樹展示著手勢，邊唸著「問題就是答案」邊練習著。
Banananana was enthralled by the tree's magnificent story. He watched closely as the tree performed the sign and practiced it while mouthing the words "The Problem Is The Solution."

大樹繼續說到，「當你一起使用這五個手勢，他們就會變成一股強大的力量與資源去引導你踏入你的旅程，我年輕的朋友。」
The old tree then remarked, "When performed all together, these (5) Heritage Signs are a powerful, powerful force and resource to guide you in your journeys, my young friend."

明白之後，Banananana全心全意的謝過大樹，並且跑去告訴他的村人自已所學到的一切。
Finally understanding, Banananana thanked the tree with his whole heart and ran off to relay to the villagers everything he had learned.

藉著老Bobbarundum的幫助，他說服了絕望的村人，重新讓大樹生長，並提供他所有美味營養的禮物。
With the help of old Bobbarundum, he convinced the still desperate villagers to let the tree grow and provide its tasty and nutritious treats.

當村人看到令人厭惡的樹轉變成為豐盛的樹後，他們重新獲得了歡樂，並且慶祝著。
The villagers all rejoiced and celebrated as they watched the Tree of Repugnance transform back into the Tree of Abundance.

從那天起，村人們再也不曾忘記那些神奇的手勢與智慧，他們快樂的教導著下一代關於這一切的智慧，使之成為從大地中增長和諧的一項重要工具。
From that day forward, the villagers never again forgot the uses of the Magic Heritage Signs and the wisdom contained within them. They joyfully taught this wisdom to all future generations as a tool to propagate harmony throughout the land.


如同Banananana 教導他的孩子的孩子，「用這五個手勢，向前走，並且傳播美好、生命、愛與同情。」
As Banananana later told his children's children, "...with these 5 signs, go forth and spread beauty, life, love and compassion!"

完
The End

Amazing. BBC made a documentary that combined Peak Oil and Permaculture. It is on YouTube now. The link is below (it is split into five parts).

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9975CC0E8CC2CDDE

As usual, I am Peak Oil biased.

Agape.

Hello brothers and sisters.  Hope life is treating everyone well.  I miss you all.  Don't have much to say right now but I just thought I'd post this video, it is great to watch when you find yourself in times of trouble... a beautiful reminder that we are all connected, a key permaculture principle!

http://vimeo.com/1211060

Peace and Love,

Jon

pdc課程實錄第二篇

今天老師在介紹完如何設計都市中的樸門理想空間後,將學員分成四組,並且各自有各自的主題案例其中條件還包括預算讓你们能自由發揮到你的案例上,之後每組學員就展開各自的設計目標依場地分析討論逕行設計評估並且順利完成.最後由每組學員都要說出設計目地為何要如此設計你的案例

案例四 案例二

案例三

案例一

Michelle Obama's Garden

Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House

By MARIAN BURROS

Published: March 19, 2009

WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of the South Lawn on Friday to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets — the president does not like them — but arugula will make the cut.

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Sam Kass, an assistant White House chef, left, and Dale Haney, the White House gardener, at the site of the new vegetable garden on the South Lawn.

While the organic garden will provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.

“My hope,” the first lady said in an interview in her East Wing office, “is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”

Twenty-three fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help her dig up the soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot, in a spot visible to passers-by on E Street. (It is just below the Obama girls’ swing set.)

Students from the school, which has had a garden since 2001, will also help plant, harvest and cook the vegetables, berries and herbs. Virtually the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, “whether they like it or not,” Mrs. Obama said with a laugh. “Now Grandma, my mom, I don’t know.” Her mother, she said, will probably sit back and say: “Isn’t that lovely. You missed a spot.”

Whether there would be a White House garden had become more than a matter of landscaping. The question had taken on political and environmental symbolism, with the Obamas lobbied for months by advocates who believe that growing more food locally, and organically, can lead to more healthful eating and reduce reliance on huge industrial farms that use more oil for transportation and chemicals for fertilizer.

Then, too, promoting healthful eating has become an important part of Mrs. Obama’s own agenda.

The first lady, who said that she had never had a vegetable garden, recalled that the idea for this one came from her experiences as a working mother trying to feed her daughters, Malia and Sasha, a good diet. Eating out three times a week, ordering a pizza, having a sandwich for dinner all took their toll in added weight on the girls, whose pediatrician told Mrs. Obama that she needed to be thinking about nutrition.

“He raised a flag for us,” she said, and within months the girls had lost weight.

Dan Barber, an owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, an organic restaurant in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., that grows many of its own ingredients, said: “The power of Michelle Obama and the garden can create a very powerful message about eating healthy and more delicious food. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it could translate into real change.”

While the Clintons grew some vegetables in pots on the White House roof, the Obamas’ garden will far transcend that, with 55 varieties of vegetables — from a wish list of the kitchen staff — grown from organic seedlings started at the Executive Mansion’s greenhouses.

The Obamas will feed their love of Mexican food with cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces will include red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. For desserts, there will be a patch of berries. And herbs will include some more unusual varieties, like anise hyssop and Thai basil. A White House carpenter, Charlie Brandts, who is a beekeeper, will tend two hives for honey.

The total cost of seeds, mulch and so forth is $200, said Sam Kass, an assistant White House chef, who prepared healthful meals for the Obama family in Chicago and is an advocate of local food. Mr. Kass will oversee the garden.

The plots will be in raised beds fertilized with White House compost, crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, lime and green sand. Ladybugs and praying mantises will help control harmful bugs.

Cristeta Comerford, the White House’s executive chef, said she was eager to plan menus around the garden, and Bill Yosses, the pastry chef, said he was looking forward to berry season.

The White House grounds crew and the kitchen staff will do most of the work, but other White House staff members have volunteered.

So have the fifth graders from Bancroft. “There’s nothing really cooler,” Mrs. Obama said, “than coming to the White House and harvesting some of the vegetables and being in the kitchen with Cris and Sam and Bill, and cutting and cooking and actually experiencing the joys of your work.”

For children, she said, food is all about taste, and fresh and local food tastes better.

“A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat,” she said. “And my children know the difference, and that’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things.

“I wanted to be able to bring what I learned to a broader base of people. And what better way to do it than to plant a vegetable garden in the South Lawn of the White House?”

For urban dwellers who have no backyards, the country’s one million community gardens can also play an important role, Mrs. Obama said.

But the first lady emphasized that she did not want people to feel guilty if they did not have the time for a garden: there are still many changes they can make.

“You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.”