Eugenio “Ego” Lemos

Permaculturalist and Singer-Songwriter – East Timor, Indonesia

Eugenio Lemos is an environmental activist and musician. He is the founder (2001) of the first national organization dedicated to permaculture in East Timor, Permatil, which is leading the effort to publish the Tropical Permaculture Guidebook. Permatil’s motto is “Permaculture. Everyone. Everywhere,” and their aim is simple: “To make permaculture tools and knowledge accessible to everyone across the globe… as one of the problems in disseminating permaculture information is lack of suitable and relevant resources particularly for the tropic regions.” Lemos is also the founder of the Sustainable Agriculture Network and Organic Agriculture Movement in Timor-Leste and a lecturer in Sustainable Agriculture and Public Arts & Culture at the University of Timor-Leste. 

The guidebook is also being very well used by the Agriculture and Education departments of the Timorese government, as a university text, and by other NGOs and community members. Since the first edition there has been 3 Tetum language reprints. An unforeseen bonus is that the illustrations have also been used to create training flip charts and posters that many organizations use for training and education. The guidebook has also been adapted, translated and republished in Indonesia by IDEP Foundation. And there’s been a lot of interest and use in other countries too.

Rather than implementing a rigid educational program, Ego opted to travel to the people on his motorbike, teaching them the fundamentals in his own special way. Eugenio believes that bringing Permatil into schools is the most effective way of influencing a community. The folks at Permatil go into Timorese schools and instruct students, teachers and parents in how to establish a sustainable and ethical system for growing seasonal produce for families to eat. Students are encouraged to talk to their families about what they are learning and grow vegetables at home. They learn about  implementing things like “swales and terraces”, “bamboo watering pipes”, and other magical pieces of apparatus. Permatil alone from 2015 – 2017 has established more then 100 school gardens and trained 435 participants in their program.

Ego is also a Singer-Songwriter, who performs in his own native tongue of Tetum. His most internationally acclaimed and beloved song “Balibo” was awarded “Best Original Song Composed for the Screen” at the 2009 Screen Music Awards, as well as an APRA Award for “Best Song in a Film,” that same year. His songs focus on educating and facilitating environmental regeneration for Food Sovereignty, mitigating climate change, and ultimately to build resilient and sustainable communities everywhere.

“We have to claim back our traditional knowledge, protect our lands, seeds, genetic resources and water, and win back our rights of what we want to eat and grow.” 
“The world is now facing food and economic crises because those with capital control our world. But we need to change this. If we allow capital to rule the world, it will create disasters and this planet will not live long.  We need to reunite the world.“

Organization: Permatil Global

Publications: Tropical Permaculture Guidebook (Complete)

Video 1: “Permaculture and Ego Lemos”
Video 2: Permatil