Permaculture I

"Interested in permaculture? A good grounding in knowledge and practice of permaculture"

COURSE AIM

To develop the student’s understanding of how to plan and develop a self sustaining, environmentally stable productive garden based on the patterns which occur in nature.

WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?

Permaculture means Permanent Agriculture.  As the name reflects Permaculture is a philosophy and a practical approach to developing and designed sustainable human settlements.  Permaculture brings together many different disciplines such as biology, agriculture, plants, animals, humans, ecology, soils, microclimates together to form a unique and visionary approach to many of our current global issues.  Developed by Bill Mollison, permaculture is the way of the future and brings many timely answers to those searching for a better way to live.

Lesson Structure

There are 5 lessons in this course:

1. Concepts
   • The basic theory and ethics of Permaculture
2. The Environment
   • Ecosystems, the web of life and interactions between living organisms
3. Soils
   • Soil management, fertilisers, nitrogen, cultivation, gas and nutrient cycles
4. Climate and Water
   • The hydrological cycle, infiltration, microclimates, the Greenhouse
   • Effect, water and plants
5. Forest Systems
   • Biomass, how natural systems relate to agricultural systems

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Discuss the nature and scope of Permaculture.
• Apply an understanding of environmental systems to considerations given to how a Permaculture system is designed.
• Describe soils and the impact their characteristics have upon natural and man made environments.
• Explain the application of this knowledge to Permaculture.
• Describe characteristics of climate and water, and the impact their characteristics have upon natural and man made environments.
• Explain the application of this knowledge to Permaculture.
• Describe forest systems and their relevance to Permaculture design.

What You Will Do

• Develop a good understanding of the scientific system of naming plants.
• Discuss some of the aspects which play a part in permaculture.
• Describe how permaculture is different to other forms of horticulture and agriculture.
• Visit an outdoor environment area determine what relationships the living and non‑living things might have with each other.
• Explain how a permaculture system operates. Considering: -Relative location -Multiple functions-Multiple elements-Elevational planning -Biological resources-Energy recycling -
• Natural succession -Maximise edges-Diversity.
• Determine some of the characteristics of soil samples collected by you.
• Explain contour maps and how this information can be used to estimate potential effects on plant growth.
• Explain the relationship between soils and plant growth.
• Research different ecosystems such as arid deserts, savannas, mangroves, etc.
• Explain weather patterns in your local area. Determine why this knowledge may be important to the permaculture practitionist.
• Explain water within an ecosystem or permaculture garden and its application.
• Describing the microclimate of arid classification.
• Describe the differences between the three main types of climate zones such as Tropical, Temperate and Desert and briefly give your views on what major differences would need to be taken in establishing a permaculture system in each climate zone, compared with the other two.
• Consider the impact of plant communities on each other and to the rest of the ecosystem.
• Determine the effects of light, rainfall, wind, leaf litter, etc, on the growth of the plants you observed.
• Explain the importance of trees in a Permaculture system.

WHY CHOOSE US?