Permaculture and Self Sufficiency Courses

For people with prior experience in permaculture, this course develops further skills beyond Permaculture Systems, covering:

• Design Strategy Evaluation, 
• Understanding Patterns, 
• Water management,
• Earthworks,
• Adapting permaculture to different climates (Humid Tropics, Dry Climates, Temperate to Cold Climates) 
• Work programming and costing; and more.

Learn to become less reliant on the electricity and gas companies and save money through alternative energy sources. This course will equip you with knowledge and understanding of the types of alternative energy, better ways to manage energy consumption, how electric and non-electric systems work, different techniques for storing electricity, and use this knowledge to plan how to convert a buildings energy supply to an alternative system. S1

This course is not a substitute for the practical instruction one might obtain over a long apprenticeship, internship or other such experience; but it does provide a balanced and broad understanding of wood work; exploring the broad range of applications; and in doing so, complements and enhances the development of your knowledge about carpentry.

IS YOUR HOME OR WORKPLACE MAKING YOU SICK?

Develops skills to determine the impact of building construction characteristics upon human health, and to recommend innovations in building design to improve habitability. It covers building materials, construction techniques, electrical wiring, temperature & light control, ventilation, plumbing, ergonomics and psychological factors.

Learn how your environment can significantly impact human health.

This course develops skills to evaluate, describe and explain how physical characteristics of a building and its surrounds have an impact upon human health.

Use this knowledge to manage risk at work, home or elsewhere, to help yourself, family, or community. Some people undertake this course for their own self improvement; others to build knowledge and skills to use at work, as a consultant or practitioner.

 

If you've thought of building a mud brick building, this course can be an excellent starting point. Its very practical, with some hands on work to get you started; helping you begin experimenting and planning ongoing projects, whether they are a modest garden wall, or more complex buildings. Learn to test soil suitability for mud building, how to make a quality brick & how to test its strength. The course takes you step by step through the building process, showing how to plan a building, sorting through permits and other legalities, doing the site works & foundations, different construction techniques,laying bricks, frames & roofs, installing services, wall finishes and more.

Learn the systems and management techniques of organic farming for both crops and livestock. Field trips for research purposes are required.

Go Organic! There are many definitions of organic farming. A commonly accepted definition is "farming without chemical inputs". In the past organic farm production was often considered as being only for radicals or hippies; now it is seen as a viable economic move with benefits for the soil, for the environment generally and for consumers.

All kinds of agricultural products are produced organically - vegetables, fruit, grains, meat, dairy, eggs and fibres such as cotton and wool. Many processed foods can also be produced organically (e.g. bread).

Organic farming has been adopted by some farmers for economic reasons, others for ethical or sustainability concerns. Whatever the reason for going organic, there is no doubt this method of farming is here to stay.

Through this course, learn to manage both plant and animal production in a more natural and environmentally sensitive way and develop a sound foundation for understanding how to set up an organic farm, or convert an existing farm to organic practices.

 

Study Organic Gardening

A growing interest in more environmentally sustainable gardening methods offers the chance to provide the general public the quickest, safest and most enjoyable organic garden practices. This course will lead you through these practices and guide you to develop and maintain your plot, large or small.

Organic plant growing is the production of plants without the addition of artificial inputs such as chemicals that have been artificially manufactured or processed. This includes herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers.

Organic growing has increased in popularity over the past ten years due to the increasing awareness of safety in the garden and on the farm and the desire to produce food that is free from chemical inputs. For decades, farmers and growers have relied upon chemicals to control pests and diseases in order to produce crops for sale. Unfortunately it is only recently that we have become aware that many of those chemicals can sometimes cause health problems to humans, as well as long-term damage to the environment such as soil degradation, imbalances in pest-predator populations can also sometimes occur. As public concern grows, these issues are becoming increasingly important. However the organic grower or gardener should understand that not all organic practices always guarantee a healthy environment, over-cultivation for example can also lead to soil damage. Organic growing practices should aim to ensure quality of both the environment in which we live and of the produce we grow in our gardens and on our farms.

Organic growing of plants works with nature, rather than against it. It recognises the fact that nature is complex and accordingly endeavours to understand interactions between plants, animals and insects. It therefore encourages the gardener for example to learn about the life-cycle of pests and to use this knowledge to control them. It also recognises that the use of chemicals has to be replaced with labour and management. Organic gardeners/growers have to manage pests rather then eliminate them. They need to be vigilant and have the ability to recognise problems and act quickly to minimise the spread of both pests and disease. They may also need to accept some insect damage to the plants they grow as inevitable. 

 

This course developed was by a large team of horticultural experts from both Australia and the UK, including:

 

This course introduces the basic concepts of Permaculture, and develops a basis for permaculture design by explaining the patterns which occur in nature, such as weather systems, water cycles, topography, soil-plant interactions and forest ecology, and how a knowledge of these patterns can be used to reproduce balanced and productive garden growing systems.

This course is a natural progression from Permaculture 1, but can taken separately in its own right. It concentrates on the plants in a permaculture system, how they relate to each other and to the surrounding environment; and selection and placement of different varieties within a permaculture design. This course deals with preparing plans for different types of permaculture gardens, and its duration is approximately 100 hours.

As with Permaculture II, this course is a natural progression from the earlier Permaculture units, but can also be taken separately in its own right. It concentrates on the animals in a permaculture system, how they relate to each other, how they relate to surrounding environments, and selection and management of different types of animals in a permaculture design.

Learn to design and manage a comprehensive permaculture system.

GET A PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE

Learn to prepare plans for permaculture systems (ie. a unique landscape where plants and animals live in a balanced and self sustaining ecosystem).

Comment from a student:
Thank you for your support and help with this course. I have really enjoyed the assignments and I have learned a lot about the principles of permacultur

e. Ned -Permaculture Student

 Permaculture copies patterns from nature, it focuses on the way elements are placed in the landscape and in the way they inter-relate, rather then on the individual elements. Permaculture embraces three main ethical principles as follows:

1. "Care of the Earth" This includes all living things and non living things which together comprise the environment (ie. animals, plants, land, water and air).
2. "Care of People" Permaculture systems should be developed to promote self reliance and community responsibility.
3. “Fair Share”  Set limits to consumption and reproduction, and redistribute surplus - pass on anything surplus to an individual's needs (eg. labour, information or money) in an attempt to pursue the above aims.

This is an "intensive" foundation course. If you are only going to do "one" permaculture course do this! If you do this, do not do Permaculture I, II, III or IV as well (Permaculture Systems contains parts from the others).

STUDY SELF SUFFICIENCY AT HOME

Learn how to live self sufficently in this modern age! With this course, develop your understanding of self sufficiency. 

Learn about food and nutrition, and making the right decisions about changes in lifestyle; as well as showing you how to do a whole range of practical things such as mud brick building, making crafts, growing fruit, vegetables, herbs, and other crops; raising poultry, sheep & goats, extending the life of clothing, conserving energy, recycling, simple home medical care and first aid, and lots more.

Learn to be self sufficient with your food. You learn about nutrition and how to balance your diet, as well as how to produce, process, store, and use different types of food. This includes berries, nuts, milk, cheese, eggs, bread making, preserves, and dried food. Cooking, freezing, drying, bottling, making bread, planning a vegetable garden to give produce all year round, and lots more are covered during the ten lessons.

 

Sustainability is a useful concept for farmers, but more importantly it is a necessity for the future our planet. The world relies on the activities of farmers to supply it with food. Whilst satisfying these needs, the processes of agriculture can adversely impact on the land, soil, water-ways and eco-systems and place an enormous strain on the world’s natural resources.

Today the pressure is on for more and more farmers to work towards sustainable systems of farming which produce healthy, nutritious, affordable food and a dependable, secure food supply -without producing a negative impact on the environment. Sustainable farms should protect the environment, preserve open spaces, forests and wildlife and also encourage and conserve biodiversity, plus provide the farmer and farm workers with a good living.

Sustainable agricultural practices must not impact negatively on the environment therefore this course encourages:

• The investigation of how farming practices impacts on and shapes the future of the environment
• Farming practices that suit the local environment and reduce the impact on it
• Examination of the best use of natural resources; the use of water in production; preservation of soil quality; responsible use of chemicals and fertilizers; reducing the potential for salinity and pollution of waterways.
• The conservation of biodiversity
• Long term improvements in productivity
• Social improvement, through sustainable practices (both monetary and non- monetary)
• Flexibility and risk management (in fluctuating markets and climate variations)