Through the information we provide, IPEN aims to help countries and regions to develop their permaculture education systems – independently or in collaboration with other countries or regions.
Four key elements that typically will be seen emerging as permaculture education systems develop are:
- PDC curriculum guides, post-PDC Applied Permaculture design Certificates (2 applied designs), Diploma systems (10 project designs);
- Permaculture Teacher training systems;
- Developing courses to suit the cultural, climatic and economic needs of the situation;
- LAND Centres or other types of permaculture / regenerative learning, demonstration and networking projects.
Putting all these elements in place typical allows for accelerated succession in the maturing of national or regional permaculture movements.
In some countries, as a response to local needs and priorities, there is more focus on applied permaculture, or forest garden / food forest short courses, targeting small farmers, than there is on 2 week or 72+ hour Permaculture Design Certificate courses.
An important source of information is PermaTil Global, which has a strong majority world focus and which developed The Tropical Permaculture Guidebook which is available to download for free. This is particularly developed from PermaTil’s work in Timor Leste, possibly the country where permaculture is most embedded in national schools and national policy, with direct support from the Prime Minister.
“PERMATIL and PERMATIL GLOBAL are making permaculture tools and knowledge accessible to everyone across the globe, working with people to strengthen food sovereignty, facilitate environmental regeneration, mitigate climate change and build resilient and sustainable communities everywhere.“
Neighbouring or related countries can collaborate on areas such as Teacher Training and Diploma systems. A great example of this is that Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland collaborate with a single Nordic Permaculture Academy, which “is promoting skilled Permaculture Designers through mentoring and accreditation in Applied Permaculture Design.” For more information on this good model of international collaboration see Nordic Permaculture Academy
The diagram below shows various options for that countries or regions can put in place to help people to progress on their permaculture learning pathway:
Remember, putting all these elements in place typical allows for accelerated succession in the maturing of national or regional permaculture movements.
In Germany for example, and now also in Britain, a Certificate in Applied Permaculture Design, that requires work on 2 detailed project designs that need to be implemented, is being delivered to offer a) a stand alone post-PDC certificate, that deepens people’s applied design experience, and b) also a simpler first step towards the 10 designs required for the Diploma.
The very valuable European Permaculture Teachers Partnership project (a great model for teachers collaborating between countries across a continent or global region) and continuing discussions at 2 yearly European Permaculture Convergences led to the creation of The European Permaculture Network (EuPN) as a network of national permaculture associations, academies, institutes and networks. The EuPN ensures that a good level of interaction and collaboration goes on between the national permaculture education systems in Europe, so that good practice can be shared reasonably easily, with IPEN now acting as the education working group for the EUPN.
Of course, in much of the world these elements emerge organically, perhaps with the pioneer teachers in countries having completed a PDC abroad, or with teachers travelling from other countries to run new PDCs in a country.
IPEN encourages countries to see their education systems like a forest garden, by understanding that the education systems will usually grow, mature and bear more and better quality fruit when various elements, relationships and resources are put in place and encouraged to grow healthily.
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