This program equips people working in international development and grassroots projects with the perspectives and skills needed to engage with communities in partnership to incorporate elements into the design of communities, smallholder farms and land with household agricultural production that are holistic, appropriate, strategic, effective, diverse, as well as ecologically and economically sound.
REGISTER for the PDC for International Development (click here)
Instructors & Presenters
Warren Brush – Lead Instructor International Permaculture Consultant and Educator, Applied Ecologist, Cultural Engineer, and Storyteller. Co-founder of Quail Springs Permaculture, Casitas Valley Farm, True Nature Design
Jeanette Acosta Permaculture Teacher, Tribal Indigenous Knowledge, specializing in maritime culture, herbalism, ethnobotany, & biodynamic principles
Peter Ash Master composter, international environmental consultant & educator on sustainability & waste management. StraightAsh
Thomas Cole Advisor for global USAID food security programs, Co-founder of Community Action Fund for Women in Africa (CAFWA), website
Rafter Ferguson Liberation Ecology, Founder
Greg Scarborough Senior Advisor, Food Security and Nutrition for Mercy Corps
Pandora Thomas Co-founder of Earthseed Consulting, LLC. Co-leader of The Green Life at San Quentin
Lindsay Allen, Brenton Kelly, Andrew Clinard Core teaching staff of Quail Springs Permaculture
Steve Gliessman – Guest Instructor Alfred E. Heller Professor of Agroecology, Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is a design science utilizing an innovative systems-approach to consciously design landscapes, human settlements and smallholder farming systems that integrate functional diversity and biological fertility by mimicking natural eco-systems. Diverse and fertile systems act resilient in the face of shocks.
Who is this Course for?
This course is designed for people who work with Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s), Government Organizations, or are Community Organizers. The teaching is directly relevant for international development practitioners, including the technical teams from agency Headquarters and field teams engaged in implementation.
What does this Course Offer?
Permaculture Design Courses always include the international recognized PDC Curriculum that can be found in the Permaculture Designer’s Manual. Highlighted for this course are the following:
Food and Nutrition Security through Permaculture Design
Design Principles and Practices to build resilience in farming systems
Agro-ecology Principles, Processes and Practical Applications
Building Soil and Fertility
Carbon Sequestration
Watershed Management and Erosion Control
Waste Streams/Cycling
Perma-Gardens Curriculum, A USAID TOPS program
Food Forestry
Water Harvesting / Graywater Systems
Drought Proofing / Climate Change Resilience
Earthworks
Design Priorities
Biomimicry
Broad Acre Applications
Pattern Literacy
Conflict Resolution / Peacemaking
Animal Systems and Agricultural Integration
Appropriate Technologies
Community Facilitation/Community-Based Development
Micro Enterprise Development
Cultural Awareness and Honoring
What is the applicability?
Participation in this course adds to the expanding global network of permaculture designers and teachers.
People working in international development will benefit from the years of experience of our teaching team in applying permaculture around the globe. We have tailored the entire permaculture certification curriculum to better equip the people who work in international situations where people live in non-westernized conditions. The Quail Springs Learning site is ideal for the immersion of these teachings in an off the grid, nutrient cycling, dry land, water conscious community, where we work with the surrounding natural resources to provide for our shelter, water, food, and energy.
The course has an emphasis on hands-on projects including a practical design project that is site and context specific and integrates all of the different elements of a thorough Permaculture Design.
“My learning journey at Quail Springs helped to nurture my presence of mind to be a better and more active listener – a vital trait for the international development professional. The coursework was incredibly pertinent to my work in Uganda and without a doubt made me more aware, more compassionate, and more focused in my role as a project manager and human being.” - Grant Buhr, Project Focus, PDC graduate
Course Registration
Cost includes instruction, certification, catered meals, and camping accommodations.
Cost: $1,650 (a deposit of $300 reserves your space with the full balance due by May 15, 2015)
Discounts
Early Bird – $200 off for registration and payment by April 15, 2015
PDC Refresher – $200 discount, participants with a previous 72-hr Permaculture Design Certification (PDC)
Friends – Register with a friend or family member for $150 off each.
Financial aid in the form of payment plans and limited partial scholarships (based on low income / financial need & intention to use the training) by application. Inquire early to apply for financial aid by sending your application request by email directly to Kolmi Majumdar at info@quailsprings.org.
REGISTER for the PDC for International Development (click here)
Contact with questions: Kolmi Majumdar, info@quailsprings.org or 805-886-7239