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PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE

 

Permaculture is a design science.

​"Permaculture is a branch of ecological design and ecological engineering which develops sustainable human settlements and self-maintained agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems.

The core tenets of permaculture are:
Care of the Earth: Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply.
Care of People: Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence.
Setting Limits to Population and Consumption: By governing our own needs, we can set resources aside to further the above principles.

Permaculture draws from several disciplines including organic farming, agroforestry, integrated farming, sustainable development, and applied ecology. The primary agenda of the movement has been to assist people to become more self reliant through the design and development of productive and sustainable gardens and farms. The design principles which are the conceptual foundation of permaculture were derived from the science of systems ecology and study of pre-industrial examples of sustainable land use.



Permaculture design emphasizes patterns of landscape, function, and species assemblies. It asks the question, “Where does this element go? How can it be placed for the maximum benefit of the system?" To answer this question, the central concept of permaculture is maximizing useful connections between components and synergy of the final design. The focus of permaculture, therefore, is not on each separate element, but rather on the relationships created among elements by the way they are placed together; the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts. Permaculture design therefore seeks to minimize waste, human labor, and energy input by building systems with maximal benefits between design elements to achieve a high level of synergy. Permaculture designs evolve over time by taking into account these relationships and elements and can become extremely complex systems that produce a high density of food and materials with minimal input."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

Permaculture Design Course

Syllabus

Fundamentals (Section One)


Ethics, Principles, and Design, The Key Permaculture Overview (1 day):
Evidence of systemic ecological and cultural crisis; derivation and evolution of ethics; spirals of degradation and the etiology of health; energy and entropy; the Permaculture innovation and synthesis; roots of permaculture knowledge; principles of energy efficient design, language and terms; exercise in observation of landscape; the nature of pattern in form, orders in natural phenomena; application of pattern to design; design process, purpose and methods.


Natural Systems (2 days):
Principles of ecology; energy flux and materials cycling; conservation and diversity; guilds; cooperation; niches; forests as organism; climate, global weather patterns, and biogeography; forest impact on climate and the hydrologic cycle; functions of the tree; landscape analysis; the nature, sources, and value of freshwater; water's duties in the landscape; water movement, storage, and purification; water in the domestic system. The soil community; oxygen/ethylene cycling and nutrient availability; soil biota regimes, mycorrhizal associations; carbon/nitrogen and other nutrient relationships; tropical and temperate soil conditions; building soil; physical properties of soils and soil testing; climate near the ground; factors in microclimatic design; windbreaks; moisture and humidity effects; modifying sunlight and capturing solar gain; thermal zones and frost pockets; limiting factors in living systems; exercise building swales, ponds, trellises, and/or brush fences; use of leveling devices.


The Domestic System (1/2 day):
Design of the home system; zone and sector analysis; placement of elements for beneficial function; the domestic economy; staging of development in small permaculture systems; building design, materials, methods, and examples; conservation of energy; building as organism; nutrient cycling in the domestic system; biological treatment methods for human and animal waste: compost, constructed wetlands, biogas; urine as fertilizer.


Elements of Cultivated Ecologies (2 days):
Energy advantages of aquaculture; designing aquatic systems; water quality and species composition; animals as energy translators; their utility and efficient management; self-forage systems; intensive grazing; silvopasture; agroforestry systems; forest gardening and farming; alley cropping, coppice-with-standards; ; orchards as floristic communities; principles of pruning and tree health; useful plants and planting strategies; guild assemblies; plant identification, plant families, nomenclature; wildcrafting; establishment of nurseries and intensive small systems; economics and rolling permaculture. Self reliance and food security; the year-round harvest; methods of food storage and adaptation to climate; garden design, establishment, and methods; exercise in sheet mulch bed preparation; short design exercise in creativity; tools and their energy implications; choosing appropriate technologies; favorite tools.


Community Design, Common Resources, and Larger Human Systems (1-1/2 days):
Patterns of human settlement; city and regional design; orders of magnitude; the village as building block of human community; building cooperative networks, organizations, and communities; resource inventories; business incubators; principles of economic design; how money works; the problems with present financial systems: interest, corporations, taxes, planning; community-based financial systems; the use of maps; simple methods of mapping; the integral urban house; resources in cities; appropriate scale for conviviality, economy, and security; components of village life; new village development; designing for human cooperation and interaction. Resources for further work; the permaculture movement; continuing education; how to organize locally; making a living; future visions and participant evaluations.


Design Practicum (Section Two)
The Elements of Practical Design - 2 days

Review of Ethics and Principles; pattern languages; site analysis exercise; mapping & field surveying exercise; introduction to client interview, cost & budgeting, earning a living.


Team Design Projects - 3 1/2 days
Small group projects for real clients son or near the course venue; mentored, hands-on design work involving application of all presented skills; site observation and analysis, mapping, client interview, conceptual design, mind mapping, and presentation.


Presentation - 1/2 day
Introduction of presentation skills; several opportunities for planned and impromptu presentation to the whole class; formal presentation in group of the team design with sketches, maps, speech, and other modes of work.


Broadscale Landscape and Systems Design - 2 days
Urban and Village systems; farm landscapes; design for wildlife; restoration and earthworks; economic design including financial systems; land access, regional strategies.

​Further description of

Permaculture and the PDC at SJH


Permaculture at SJH:



It is obvious that SJH already is a striking example of permaculture in practise, which makes it an excellent location for a PDC. It also means that several of the individual elements already are taught by the various other educators / courses, which further heighten the quality of the course. Though I have been main teacher of 2 PDC's, it's obvious that I'm not equally strong in all elements. 

In other words it is not worthwhile to plan the schedule without the inclusion of the overall activities on the school/farm and colleagues. The time allocated on the schedule is simply to show that the course exists, however I expect the structure will be changed considerably.

 

In regards to SJH the PDC should include some of the most significant recent developments within permaculture; the inclusion of holistic farm management, including key lining, rotational grazing, alley cropping  (See Action plan for details). However significantly the overall Transition theme will reveal various avenues for micro businesses, which will be encourage to the full extend of students pursuing a business licence and learning to balance a venture with the triple bottom line of people, profit and planet.

The following outline of Queensland's college accredited PDC serves to further introduce how a PDC can be rather seamlessly integrated in the overall SJH program.



Certificate I & II in Permaculture Course Info & Units of Competency



Certificate I
Provides basic skills training in permaculture under full supervision. Suited to secondary school students, those who are unemployed or working on labour market/community development programs including indigenous persons.

Core

Complete all three (3) units in the Core Group

Elective

Complete at least three (3) units from the Elective Group of which at least one must be an Accredited Permaculture Training unit.

 

Core Group   (Nominal Hours  60)

 

  • Observe permaculture principles and practices (25 hours)
  • Support resource conservation practices (25 hours)

  • Work safely

 

Elective Group    (Nominal Hours 45-60)

 

  • Support plant care in a permaculture system (25 hours)
  • Support animal care in a permaculture system (25 hours)

  • Maintain the workplace (10 hours)
  • Assist with routine maintenance of machinery and equipment (20 hours)

  • Support organic production
  • Support natural area conservation ( 15 hours)

    A maximum of two (2) units can come from other areas as defined in the accreditation document.

 

Certificate II in Permaculture

Core
Complete all 6 units in Core Group
Elective

Complete at least 9 units from the Elective Group
Total number of units of 15 units

 

Core Group

  • Work effectively in permaculture (30 hours)
  • Record information about the local bioregion (30 hours)
  • Check and operate permaculture water systems (30 hours)
  • Plant and maintain permaculture crops nil (30 hours)
  • Recognise characteristics of integrated plant and animal systems (30 hours)
  • Participate in OHS procedures (20 hours)



Elective Group

  • Harvest, treat and store seed (30 hours)
  • Prepare and store permaculture products (30 hours)
  • Care for animals in a permaculture system (30 hours)
  • Harvest permaculture crops nil (30 hours)
  • Operate within community projects nil (20 hours)
  • Recognise threats and create opportunities in a  permaculture system (20 hours)
  • Fell small trees (40 hours)
  • Carry out natural area restoration works (40 hours)
  • Undertake propagation activities (30 hours)
  • Plant trees and shrubs (20 hours)
  • Maintain properties and structures (30 hours)
  • Operate basic machinery and equipment
  • Determine basic properties of soil and/or growing
  • Participate in environmentally sustainable work media practices (24 hours)

Source: http://permacultureaustralia.org.au/category/apt/

Click here for details
Click for resource needs
Click for potential schedule

The stated intentions of SJH is to offer an electoral course titled "Jord-/plantefag".
As no formal curriculum is available, and to my knowledge the course is not a state requirement for SJH,  I suggest this course to be replaced by a wider ranging "Permaculture Design Course" (PDC).

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