Permaculture Design Course
13 November to 28 November 2021
Mineral Springs, Darjeeling
Permaculture Design Course fees, inclusive of training material, food and lodge:
International Candidates Rs. 47,000
Indian Nationals residing outside Darjeeling
but working in India Rs. 37,000
Discounts available for Darjeeling Hills’ residents. Please contact for details
Training venue “Mineral Springs, Dabaipani, Darjeeling”
Mineral Springs, Dabaipani is an internationally certified organic and fair-trade labeled collective of 456 small farmers since 2002. The farmers have come under the Mineral Spring Sanjukta Vikas Sanstha since 1996. The collective has been marketing small farmers organic tea in the international market, which is grown as a polyculture crop.
The participants will have home stay accommodations facilities with the members of Mineral Spring Sanjukta Vikas Sanstha.
Teacher: Rico Zook ( www.i-permaculture.org )
Co-Teachers: Reed.Burnam,
Jyoti Deshpande, Malvikka Solanki, Sailesh Sharma
Host: DLR
Prerna. www.darjeelingprerna.org FB: Darjeeling
Prerna
For further details
Darjeeling Ladenla Road Prerna, c/o Hayden Hall Complex, 42 Ladenla Road, Darjeeling 734 101, West Bengal, India.
Phone Number: +91 9800869959 (Sailesh Sharma)
darjeelingprerna@gmail.com saileshkharel@gmail.com rairoshan@gmail.com
A working knowledge of English is required by the participant. We do not look for academic qualifications for the course, except an interest to be part of a sustainable lifestyle and be the change you want to see in the world.
NB: **** DLR Prerna and Rico reserves the right to admit candidates to the course. Candidates will be notified of their participation on receipt of the completely filled application form.
Permaculture Design Course Description
Permaculture is a design system to create regenerative, sustainable systems.
Envisioned over 25 years ago by Bill Mollison and Dan Holmgren, from Australia,
it has now spread to over 120 countries. Though its conception was as a land
based system, its effectiveness has moved it into urban settings and to being
applied in various social, political, and economic environments.
Permaculture was created through the synthesis of many design systems, with the
emphasis on nature as the penultimate one. Similarly, the insights and value of
traditional and indigenous practices and knowledge are acknowledged along with
the necessity of molding these with our current understandings and the appropriate
technologies of today's world. What Permaculture seeks to do is to create
three-dimensional designs that are site specific and sustainable. By bringing
together elements (orchard, water system, farmer, cow, etc.), techniques
(organic framing, natural building, etc.) and strategies (microclimate,
relative placement, etc.) a system is designed or altered based on regenerative
relationships. It is these regenerative, beneficial relationships that give a
system complexity, three dimensionality, and thus, resiliency.
The world can be looked at as the convergence of many different flows. From
‘natural’ (wind, water, soil, etc.) to human (social, resources,
transportation, etc.) to invisible (economic, information, etc.) which interact
and create patterns. These flows form our world. Recognizing this, Permaculture
teaches Pattern Literacy and Pattern Application. This, along with Sector
Analysis (site specific flow mapping), Zonation (a tool for structuring time)
and other techniques and tools, Permaculture focuses on creating regenerative
relationships that are the key to resilient, sustainable systems.
From its inception Permaculture has quickly spread to over One hundred and
twenty countries where farms and other sites are successfully applying its'
ideas, techniques and strategies. As further testament to its applicability,
Permaculture is now being applied in many urban and suburban areas. In many
developed countries these applications hold much promise for dealing with the
many issues associated with mass populations.
Permaculture in the last few years has been moving into the invisible
structures. In the United States a Permaculture credit union has been formed
and 'green' investment firms are using Permaculture principles and ideas to
create resilient, sustainable investment systems. Environmentalists and social
activists are using Permaculture to give depth and complexity to their
approaches to many issues we are dealing with today. These applications are
possible because Permaculture is a design system that focuses on relationship
and not so much on object.
Permaculture is a multi-faceted, in depth design system that will help us
create appropriate, site-specific designs that are both sustainable and
regenerative.
Permaculture principles are a list of attitudes, approaches, and actions that
are practical and not system specific. These along with certain tools and
techniques allow for a holistic approach and interaction with any type of
system. As a tool of analysis it is an excellent way to look at existing
programs, strategies, and interventions to assess their interactions, linkages,
and success'. It is a way to reach an understanding of the various influences
and flows involved in a system, be it self help groups, village, or
organization. Second, it provides insights and principles by which to intervene
or interact with a system. As there is neither a truly independent system, nor
sterile 'environment' this aspect is of significant importance. Thirdly, as we
have already stated, Permaculture is an excellent approach for designing
resilient, site-specific systems, be it disaster preparedness, HIV/AIDS, or
women's empowerment.
It is important to understand that Permaculture is not so much about giving you
new and improved ideas, techniques, and strategies, though there is some of
that. What Permaculture does is allow for a deeper understanding of the
situation at hand and, with its principles and strategies, a more holistic,
effective way to interact with or design a system. What Permaculture offers
are skills and principles by which we build our awareness of why or why not
something was successful. Through this insight we can build on what is
successful and modify others to become more successful.
Stepping up another level, Permaculture is an excellent way to weave together
the different parts of an organization so that a unity and synergy can be
created. In this way unforeseen benefits and ease will raise within the system.
This workshop will present Permaculture with all of these applications in mind.
We will focus on land systems with as much hands on work and examples as
possible. In addition, many discussions and examples will be explored of
possible applications in what are called the 'Invisible Structures', the
social, cultural, political, and economic structures that shape much of our
world today.
Subjects will include:
- Permaculture Ethics and Principles
- Pattern Literacy and Application (physical and invisible)
- Energy and Flows
- Sector Analysis and Zonation
- Water; Harvesting, Holding, and Recycling
- Soil, Plants, and Environments
- Agriculture; From Your Doorstep to the World
- Buildings
- The Design Process
- Urban Permaculture
- Permaculture in the Developing Countries
- Permaculture and Organizations
This workshop will culminate with several groups doing a real life design
projects that will be relevant to the site of the workshop. Not only will the
teaching be about Permaculture, but it will also model it by its structure and
the environment we create together in the course.
This workshop will contribute to the enrichment of its site and each of its
participants. With the goal of having half international students and half
local students this workshop will not only be an opportunity to learn about
Permaculture, it will also offer an opportunity to understand we can create a
regenerative, sustainable world together.
The person attending the Permaculture Design Course will not only gain
theoretical and practical knowledge on Permaculture at the end of the workshop
but will be handed a Permaculture Design Course Certificate. This certificate
will enable the participant to be a certified Permaculture Practitioner.
Richard: Rico Zook
Permaculture Designer, Consultant and Educator www.i-permaculture.org
Rico brings over four decades of experience in nature to his work. As well as creating and working with a wide variety of land-based systems in all types of climatic environments, for the past 22 years he has been a Permaculture designer, consultant and educator working with farmers, villagers, private individuals, and local organizations in northern India, Cambodia, Spain, USA, the mid-east and other parts of the world. This work focuses on assisting all levels of our global community to create culturally and environmentally appropriate life systems that are resilient and regenerative.
With a degree in Environmental Studies
focused on Land Restoration, minors in biology and philosophy, with years of
homesteading in northern California and working in Yosemite Nat’l Park, Rico
came to permaculture with almost all the elements, but no organizing structure
or system. From 1996 to 2005 he was first co-director and crew foreman for the
land restoration crew, then land manager at a wilderness community decimated by
wildfire in the mountain wilderness of northern New Mexico. Guided and mentored
by Ben Haggard (https://regenesisgroup.com/team),
for ten years Rico did hands-on permaculture design and installation rebuilding
a community and village from the ground up.
Over the years he has worked from the village level to the international. For the International Permaculture Convergence in India he organized, managed and taught the pre convergence PDC, with Robyn Francis and an Int’l instructor crew of of Jude Hobbs, Starhawk, Govinda Sharma and others; and Teacher Training, with Jude Hobbs (https://cascadiapermaculture.com/). Currently much of his work is assisting and mentoring his advanced students who are now working in permaculture and evolving as instructors.
For more information about Rico and his work
go to www.i-permaculture.org
Host:
Darjeeling Ladenla Road Prerna (DLR Prerna) www.darjeelingprerna.org FB: Darjeeling Prerna
DLR Prerna is a Darjeeling based NGO working in the Darjeeling Hills since 1996.
Vision Statement
Darjeeling Ladenla
Road Prerna believes in a world that sees the need to live as one family where
the environment is preserved and protected, where conscious efforts are made to
remove unjust structures while striving to build a just and humane society.
Mission statement
Our mission is to
build sustainable human communities in the Darjeeling hills and the adjoining
areas by promoting people's participation, gender equality and living in
harmony with the environment.
Darjeeling Prerna works towards having regenerative relationships with small farmers, forest villagers, tea plantations workers, CBOs, CSOs, Educational Institutions and NGOs in furthering the vision and mission of the organisation. We are a Darjeeling based organisation and our interventions are grounded in the specificities and long term lived experiences within the Darjeeling Himalaya. Our relationships extend across Sikkim as part of the Darjeeling Sikkim Himalaya. We bring these experiences to the larger discussion tables negotiating invisible systems that needs supportive policy environments. Darjeeling Prerna believes in a participatory, inclusive and environment friendly approach to development and is the organisational philosophy of good governance within and in all our interventions.
Current focal areas:
1. Community conservation
We work with
communities living next to forests especially protected areas in Darjeeling and
Sikkim focussing on sustainable agro-ecology, and managing mountain human
wildlife conflict and advocating for mountain human wildlife conflict policies.
Agro-biodiversity conservation is an integral part of the intervention.
2. Climate resilient communities
We work with small
farmers in Darjeeling and Sikkim evolving and promoting climate smart
agriculture and agro-forestry. Promotion of diversity of local food cultures is
a critical aspect of our climate resilience intervention and nutrition
sensitive agro-ecology.
3. Community Health
We work with tea
plantation workers, small farmers and educational institutions especially in rural Darjeeling.
a. Water
and Sanitation: Knowledge, institution and infrastructure strengthening to
access clean and safe water for all. We are piloting bio-digesters;
evapo-transpiration systems, grey water management systems as well as
springshed recharge as part of our work. We promote sustainable menstrual
health and hygiene.
b. School Health:
i. Preventive
health education inclusion in curriculum, screening and referrals in
partnership with rural primary schools.
ii. TeaLeaF:
Teacher leading frontline addressing mental health and promoting mental
wellbeing of rural children.
4. Zero Waste
We promote zero waste principles and practices as a member of Zero Waste Himalaya. We facilitate direct interventions in Darjeeling and Sikkim with local self governance institutions, community based institutions, government institutions and educational institutions. We share need for a change in narrative of waste to not producing waste, no-burn, demanding systemic and design changes across the Indian Himalayan Region through the Integrated Mountain Initiative. Zero Waste discussions include changing food choices and the need to go local and unpackaged.
5. Knowledge
Contextualised
sustainability knowledge and practise within the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya
that is evolved in partnership with small farmers, forest villagers, plantation
workers and educational institutions.
Permaculture: DLR Prerna’s philosophy and practice has evolved with permaculture principles and ethics and is woven in our invisible and visible interventions. We have been offering the Permaculture Design Courses in the Darjeeling Hills Rico Zook as the trainer since 2005. Shorter term courses for farmers, community leaders and teachers are being facilitated by the DLR Prerna team in the local language.
6. Platforms, Networks and Partnerships
We believe that our
effectiveness, reach and impacts are made manifold through Platforms, Networks
and Partnerships. Our intervention experiences are transferred to policy
landscapes as well as bring solidarity across the Indian Himalayan Region
through the Integrated Mountain Initiative a platform of elected, bureaucrats
and civil societies advocating for mountain sensitive policies. Our waste
interventions are taken forward under the Zero Waste Himalaya, a pan Himalayan
platform of individuals and organisations promoting principles of zero waste.
** IMPORTANT NOTE **
Full Fee deposit is required to secure your
spot in this course. Registration without deposit will only hold a spot in the
course until we are filled. If you have not deposited the fee by this time your
spot will be given to someone who does make the deposit.
International Candidates please contact Darjeeling Prerna for details.
CANCELLATION POLICY
This course is offered at the lowest possible
pricing to make it accessible to as many people as possible. As such a late
cancellation can have a significant impact on our budget. For this reason we
have the following cancellation policy.
6 weeks or more notice: full refund minus 5% processing fee
4 to 6 weeks notice: refund minus 25%
2 to 4 weeks notice: refund minus 50%
2 weeks or less notice: refund minus 75%
