Designing the UPOU Campus as a Permaculture Landscape

July 17, 2026 Los Banos, Laguna

The Perma GARDEN is growing! Perma Team meeting with Chancellor Serrano to discuss the permaculture design for the entire UPOU campus. This is part of the Sustainability in Action Living Laboratory Campus (SiALLC) initiative. July 25, 2026 Los Banos, Laguna

The UPOU Perma Team was tasked to fufill the vision of Chancellor Serrano of a truly sustainable campus, and radically transform the entire UPOU campus into a permaculture landscape. This is in accordance with our Sustainability in Action Living Laboratory Campus (SiALLC) initiative.

We did it in 2022 when she was the Dean. Starting from scratch in a vacant lot, to a 200 sqm vegetable garden in 2023, and currently a 1-hectare learning laboratory open to the public.

We will be starting the design process by mapping the entire campus this month. The concept is based on a patch-corridor-matrix (PCM) model where a network of small patches of Perma GARDENS will be placed strategically across the landscape and connected by walkable pathways and tree corridors (see image).

Zooming out, the entire campus will be visibly connected to Mt. Makiling by strengthening the existing riparian corridor that connects the mountain to Laguna Lake. This will help decrease habitat fragmentation and facilitate species movement.

It's a big dream, but it's a big dream that we need to achieve as soon as possible given the polycrisis that we are facing as a society.

UPOU is just the start. If you have the same dream, lead and start now.

July 28, 2026 Los Banos, Laguna

The first step is to map the entire campus and extract data from the current landscape. It is crucial that we document every step of the permaculture design process in UPOU. The dataset is already uploaded to GeoNadir.

Thank you to our friend, Mike Pua, for taking photos of us while working!

Mike Pua

August 4, 2026 Los Banos, Laguna

I went to UPOU'S Forest Arboretum and Restoration Site near the entrance of VTH. I documented some flora and uploaded it to iNaturalist. Compared to the Perma GARDEN, this is a little-known patch inside the campus. It's an existing resource and this will be valuable in our permaculture landscape design.

DJI Mini SE, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

Perma GARDEN Experiments: Concept Maps for Expansion

 

Maps made using TerraLab AI plugin in QGIS, GeoNadir, Canva, and Gemini AI
Reference Dataset: https://data.geonadir.com/image-collection-details/18756

Conference Poster on Green Care and Permaculture Wins at PHABCon 2026

The project entitled, "Quack Doctors: Ducks & Chickens in a Permaculture Garden Green Care Initiative," won the Best Poster award at the recently concluded Philippine Human-Animal Bond Conference (PHABCon) 2026 held at the Ateneo de Manila University on May 30, 2026. 

The project is led by Dr. Maria Catalina de Luna of the Institute of Animal Sciences, UPLB together with members of the UPOU Perma Team composed of Dr. Jabez Joshua Flores, Ms. Maryjane Reodanga, and Ms. Dona Lyn Piamonte of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, UPOU. 

Photo credits: Dr. Joyce Flores-Fellizar

#GreenCare #Permaculture #OneHealth #AnimalWelfare

Original posts on Instagram:

- Gallery 1

- Gallery 2 

The research team (view on Instagram)

Photo credit: Deanne Claire Sarmiento, UPOU-FMDS

UPOU and UPRHS Collaborate on Permaculture Activity for Grade 11 STEAM Students

Reflect and Grow: Understanding Planetary Health through Permaculture in the Philippine Context

The UPOU-FMDS Perma team was invited by UPRHS this morning to talk about UPOU's sustainability initiatives. Researcher, Raiza Alfroja, talked about the Sustainability in Action Living Laboratory Campus (SiALLC) while Dr. Jabez Flores and Ms. Maryjane Reodanga talked about the Perma GARDEN. The session was attended by four sections of Grade 11 students.

Special thanks to Asst. Prof. Grechelle Perez for organizing this initiative.

📷 John Albert Casin

After the lectures, we went to the potential perma garden site of UPRHS. The Grade 11 students will have until Friday to accomplish an activity designed to help them observe, document, and list down existing natural and manmade resources found within the site, and also list down personal skills and interests that would help in them in their permaculture design process.

📷 John Albert Casin, DJI Mini 4 Pro

Read related article in UPOU-FMDS website here.

View more photos on Instagram.
View GeoNadir dataset here.

UPOU-FMDS Conducts Data Collection in Barangay Estaca of Compostela, Cebu and Climate Foundation

 

Key informant interviews (KII) with LGU officials of Compostela, Cebu for UPOU-FMDS' research project on women-led permaculture funded by DOST-PCAARRD.

Focus Group Discussion with members of the Barangay Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (BFARMC) of Brgy. Estaca, Compostela, Cebu. We also conducted a baselining survey on permaculture knowledge, attitude, and perception.

The morning activities were facilitated by UPOU-FMDS researchers, Raizza Alforja, Albert Casin, and Dr. Malou Turalde, together with the Municipal Agriculture Office.

Transect walk along the coastline of Brgy. Estaca, where BFARMC members go to fish. View GeoNadir dataset here.

 

KIIs and FGDs with the Climate Foundation and Compostela LGU.

#WomenLed #Permaculture #SustainableDevelopmentGoals 

Read related article in UPOU-FMDS website here.

View more photos on Instagram.

Perma GARDEN Experiments: Vegetation Diversity based on Greenness Index

 

I used the Greenness Index in GeoNadir as a proxy for plant diversity to visualize structural and spectral complexity rather than species richness. I conducted experiments in a 30 sq m sampling area at the UPOU Perma GARDEN.

High Diversity: The wide curve for Mixed Crops indicates a broad range of greenness values within that 30 sqm area. This "spectral heterogeneity" suggests differences in plant height, leaf structure, and phenological stage—traits typical of a polyculture or permaculture system.

Low Diversity: The "Dry Grass" (Blue line) shows a very tall, narrow peak. This indicates spectral homogeneity: almost every pixel reflects the same light quality, characteristic of a monoculture or uniform land cover.

You Can Now Book a Visit to the UPOU Perma Garden for Fieldtrips, Research Projects, and Other Activities

 Original post from UPOU-FMDS Facebook Page:

Step into a living laboratory of sustainability, right here at UPOU!

 Visit the UP Open University (UPOU) Perma G.A.R.D.E.N. (Growing Appreciation towards Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship, and Nutrition) and experience how sustainable practices come to life through permaculture. Perfect for learning visits, tours, and community engagement activities.

 Reserve your visit now: https://url.upou.edu.ph/PermaGuidelines
 Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/29ihu7SiV4Jwsxpi8
 For inquiries: perma.garden@upou.edu.ph

#UPOpenUniversity #FMDSUPOU #PermaGARDEN #Sustainability #Permaculture #ClimateAction #ExperientialLearning #SDG4 #SDG11 #SDG13