{e • mat • tan}
/pronunciation/ ee-mat-awn
Gift; something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
The act of giving.
The Gift of Eden
The Garden of Eden was a Gift — the habitat where life thrives.
No trees grew until there were caretakers to nurture the garden.
As humans cultivated all the life of the garden, life cared for them in return.
Our Vision
We use principles from nature’s design to cultivate life, resources, food, and community. We help Tanzanian communities develop systems capable of growth without requiring more outside funding. Their communities can network and provide exponentially, without increasing reliance on outside resources. Self sufficiency and an environment of renewing resources is the goal. Our focus is to help people in need by providing food, water, shelter, education, healthcare, and income.
Each property will develop agriculture, and its own specialties depending on the attributes of the land and who lives there. Then we will develop an educational component for the local community based on these specialties.
Additionally, we will develop schools for youth with hands-on learning, labs, and extracurricular activities. Our first property has one school so far.
On each property we will build a farm-to-table hotel to generate income and provide career training in hospitality/tourism.
Once a property starts to make a profit, the community will pool a percent of their profits to open two new properties. The cycle will start anew. This way, resources can be multiplied and not strained.
Emattan Adventure Trips will bring in outside volunteers to help the Tanzanians with their projects, learn permaculture, and witness the system of nature and all its beauty.
Our Story
Emattan, a non-profit founded by Steve and Shawna Nauert in 2008, traces its beginnings to the bonds formed with Tanzanians while the Nauert’s hosted them during the Tanzanian’s education in California. As these relationships deepened, collaborative initiatives developed as the Tanzanian’s wanted to help their communities back home. Initially, Emattan operated as a micro-finance loan provider, empowering individuals to establish businesses. Adapting to Tanzanian regulations, the organization redirected its resources into a crucial medical clinic, which we help support. Now Emattan has expanded with a vision to build a network of self-sustaining Tanzanian communities that will provide each other with everything that human settlements need.
Our First Property
In 2022/23, we were able to purchase our first 21 acre plot of land, located in Kisarawe District, Tanzania. With cooperation with nature in our design, we will help people of Kisarawe gain access to clean water, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities. Together we will create abundance in this part of Tanzania.
Water
Our first project on the Kisarawe property was to build a well. On our property, we discovered a large water reservoir that goes at least 400 feet deep. We dug our well, and now produces a constant flow of clean water! We now can provide access to clean water to the surrounding community.
Education
With the area of Kisarawe having limited access to education, we began our next project. Early in 2023, we started construction on a new elementary school on the property. We are happy to announce that in September 2023 the school opened to its first class of children, ready to learn and grow.
Vision
In addition to the community, this property will have a special place for orphans and single moms to call home. They will live together to create family and community as they learn to cooperate with nature and care for the land. Their homes will harvest water, generate their own fuel, will heat and cool themselves, produce nutrients and minerals for the soils, and will be oriented to encourage connections. In the course of living they will become a part of the nature cycle.
Together they will help manage the agriculture and natural resources on the property, and in the process teach the kids how to care for these resources too. We will host workshops to help people develop vocational skills around the natural resources of the property and create commerce opportunity.
We will build a farm-to-table hotel. This will be a hands on learning and working opportunity for the kids growing up in our schools. We will share the yield from our agricultural endeavors with our visitors, and give our visitors hands-on opportunity to learn about caring for nature from the people here.
With the help of community resources, we will create safe opportunities for these individuals to grow financially through community loans.
A percent of the first of the community profits will be saved to open two new properties. This will help abundance to spread through the community and prevent the drying out of natural resources. The successful knowledge learned from one property will also be passed on to another. New skills and resources will be cultivated, and therefore diverse trade between properties can strengthen the growing communities.
What will our Garden Communities look like?
Diverse Livestock
Our gardens will carry a rich array of livestock, from cattle for both meat and dairy production to goats and sheep. The smaller ruminants not only contribute to our meat and dairy needs, but also play a vital role in maintaining the health of our cattle, protecting each other from parasites. Pigs provide yet another source of nourishing meat.
Agricultural Synergy
We have embraced the concept of symbiotic relationship with our animals and plants. The cattle and other ruminants graze and trample the pasture plants, enriching the soil with their manure, fostering a harmonious blend of minerals and nutrients in our topsoil. The chickens then come in to scratch at the manure, feeding off the bugs inside, but helping in the creation of the topsoil through spreading nutrients. This carefully nurtured topsoil provides a perfect environment for all of the animal’s food to grow.
Hospitality for a purpose
Our on-site hotel serves a dual purpose. It not only accommodates those who come to learn about regenerative farming, but also brings commerce to out property, sustaining the individuals who help us to care for the property.
Medicinal and Culinary Bounty
The diverse plant life on our property is not only a source of food, but also a repository of medicinal plants, nurturing both body and soul.
Aquaponic Symbiosis
Learned from the Aztecs, fish and plants work together in symbiotic relationship in aquaponics systems. The nutrient-rich water from our fish ponds not only fuels rapid growth of vegetables and herbs, but also kick-starts delicate seedlings, resulting in a bountiful harvest. As our plants flourish, so do our fish, providing a source of delectable food for our community.
Harmonious Harvest
Our community gardens will be all over the property, taking advantage of the different micro-climates available. Our plant guilds combine fruits, vegetables, and other shrubs that work together to enrich the soil and attract pollinators while deterring pests naturally.
These gardens will also become home to some animals, like ducks and other fowl, to help keep pests away and to help fertilize the soil.
Communal Living
Throughout the property, dedicated local managers oversee various systems of expertise, ensuring the well-being of our livestock and crops. Each manager household includes a widow or single mother and five orphans, who help the manage these systems of the garden.
Avian Companions
Our feathered friends, the chickens, ducks, and other fowl, not only support us with fresh eggs and succulent meat, but they also assist in pest control and fertilizing ensuring the health of our crops.
Educational Hub
Education is a cornerstone of our vision. We want kids to grow up and understand how to cultivate everything they need. We want them to live happily in abundance.
We have established schools on the property, providing our children with access to the highest standards of education.
Adults are also offered vocational training, equipping them with skills in woodworking, electricity, plumbing, and construction, etc.
Water Wisdom
We capture, conserve, and cherish water as one of our most precious resources. Rainwater is harnessed, and intelligent land design prevents runoff, ensuring that our well remains a dependable source of water. We channel the path of the water using ponds, swales, hills, rain gardens, and trees to steward and store the ground water.