At the 9th International Permaculture Convergence (IPC) held in Lilongwe, Malawi in early November, 2009, Afristar helped to launch the Plan Africa initiative, a bold plan to create a pan-African network of permaculture and sustainable agriculture practitioners for resource and information-sharing across the continent.  Afristar directors Nicholas Heinamann and John Nzira sat on a panel to introduce the concept to the conference attendees, which stimulated a great amount of participation and interest.  The launch was followed by discussion forums interspersed throughout the conference to generate ideas and gather momentum to move this project forward.  Visit www.planafrica.net for updates on this exciting new initiative!