HIGH WINDS IN PANAMA

The primary reason we left Canada for Panama was to join the leadership team of the Dead Wheat International Foundation (DWIF). In a nutshell, we develop "contextually appropriate (sustainable) solutions" to address water, food and clean air security for vulnerable communities within the rain forest belt, with a particular focus in Latin America. Our primary food security technology is aquaponics - a merger of hydroponics (soil free food production) and aquaculture (fish) that recycles water and needs no outside inputs. We recently celebrated completion of the construction of our 100' by 30' experimental farm in El Frances.

But - high winds are a seasonal reality here in Panama that transition us from the rainy to dry season. In fact, you might remember a blog entry (with video) from last year detailing how gusts of wind flung our trampoline into our neighbors property. Well, this season we've had particularly strong winds, even at lower altitudes where our project is located.

This past week, wind gusts systematically destroyed the structure of our aquaponic project in El Frances. For a video report on the story, click here.

Paul