Permaculture Systems

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

Permaculture Principles
Permaculture principles and ethics, Principles of Design (Relative location, Multiple Functions, Multiple Elements, Elevational Planning, Biological Resources, Energy Recycling, Natural Selection, Maximise Edges, Diversity); Permaculture Relationships to other Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, Organic Growing, No Dig Gardening, Sheet Composting, Not Till Planting, No Dig Raised Beds, Crop Rotation, Cover Cropping, Composting, Companion Planting, Pest and Disease Prevention, Biological Control
Natural Systems
The Ecosystem (Abiotic and Biotic components), Ecological Concepts, Biomass, Climate, Microclimates, Water, Water and Plant Growth, Maximising Plant Water, Arid Landscapes, Irrigation, Swales, Waste Water Treatments, Reed Beds, Aquatic Environments, The Hydrological Cycle, Rainfall, Evaporation, Infiltration, Effective Rain, Soil Environments (Micro organisms, Organic Matter, Soil Degradation and rehabilitation, Erosion, Salinity, Acidification), Managing Wildlife in a Permaculture System, Structure, Structure of a Permaculture System, Stacking, Successions.
Zone and Sector Planning
Five Standard Zones, Sectors (sun, Cold, Windy etc), Site selection, Pre planning information, Staged procedure for concept design.
Permaculture Techniques
Forests and trees, Trees as energy transducers, Forest types (Fuel, Forage, Shelterbelt, Animal barrier, Structural, Conservation), Establishing a forest, Sector/Zone Analysis, Firebreak, Windbreak, Mandala Gardens, Keyhole beds, Water bodies, Pond design, Pond construction,
Animals in Permaculture
Locating animals in a system, Function of animals in Permaculture, Bees, Poultry, Mobile Tractor Systems, Pigs, Grazing animals, Fencing, Water supply, Shelter, Birds, Earthworms, Aquaculture
Plants in Permaculture
Vegetable Growing Hints, Soil Management for plants, Organic fertilizers, Animal manures, Liquid feeds, Rock dusts, Legumes (Nitrogen fixing), Mycorrhyzae, Mulch, Weed Management, Pest Control, Culture of a large range of plants suited to permaculture, in different environments (including: Asparagus, Black locust, Cassava, Chicory, Dandelion, Endive, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger, Horseradish, Leek, Mint, Okra, Pigface, Rhubarb, Sweet Potato, Taro, Warrigal Greens, Water Cress, Water Spinach, Yam, Apple, Apricot, Cherry, Citrus, Fig, Loquat, Nashi Pear, Olive, Peach, Pear, Plum, Quince, Avocado, Banana, Carambola, Coconut, Custard Apple, Guava, Mango, Paw Paw, Pepino, Pineapple, Grape, Passionfruit, Kiwi fruit, Strawberry, Raspberry, Currant, Gooseberry, Mulberry, Blueberry, Brambles, Elderberry, Cranberry, Nuts, Fodder Trees, etc)
Appropriate Technologies
For example; Solar energy, Wind Energy, Methane, Bio fuel power, Composting Toilets, Energy efficient housing, Living fences (hedges, hedgerows etc), Water recycling (grey water and constructed wetland).
Preparing a Plan
Design for natural disasters, Drawing a Plan, Preparing a final design
Several plans will be prepared by the student, including one major design.
This is an ideal starting point for anyone who already has professional
training in a related field such as agriculture or horticulture

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

Explain the principles of permaculture.
Explain the concepts of natural systems.
Explain permaculture techniques involving zones and sector planning.
Explain a range of permaculture techniques: (forest plantings, mandala gardens, ponds etc).
Explain the significance of different animals in a permaculture system.
Select plants appropriate for inclusion in a permaculture system, to supply a useful and sustained harvest; explain their husbandry.
Select appropriate technologies for use in permaculture systems.
Draw permaculture designs (plans) to scale

What You Will Do

Differentiate between Permaculture and other sustainable systems.
Explain the procedures followed in practicing different techniques which are sympathetic to Permaculture, including: No-dig gardening, Companion Planting, Biological control, and Sustainable harvesting.
Explain the interactions that occur between living and non-living components in five different natural environments, including: Forest Systems, Aquatic Environments, Soil Environments, and Arid Environments.
Evaluate different Permaculture designs against the nine Permaculture principles.
Distinguish between different garden zones in a Permaculture system.
Explain sector planning in a specific garden design.
Design a mandala garden for a specific site.
Determine the appropriate use of swales on a sloping site.
Investigate distinctly different Permaculture systems.
Explain three different cultural techniques used to minimise the maintenance requirement, in Permaculture systems you study.
Determine different animal breeds, which can provide a useful and sustained harvest from a permaculture system in your locality.
Describe the harvest, treatment and use of various products derived from different types of animals in a Permaculture system.
Explain the factors which can affect the success of different types of animals, in a Permaculture system, including: Poultry, Aquatic animals, Domestic farm animals, Insects, Earthworms.
Describe the husbandry of one specified type of animal, in a Permaculture system visited by you.
Determine different species of plants which can provide a useful, sustained harvest from a Permaculture system.
Describe the harvest, treatment and use of various products derived from twenty different plant genera in a Permaculture system.
Compile a resource file of fifty information sources for different plants which can be incorporated into Permaculture systems.
Explain the factors which can affect the survival of different types of plants, including those used for: Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, Fibres, Building materials, and Fuel.
Explain the husbandry of one specified type of plant, in a Permaculture system visited by you.
Explain the relevance of appropriate technology to Permaculture design.
Compare three different waste disposal techniques which may be used for kitchen scraps in a Permaculture system.
Compare three different waste disposal techniques which may be used for effluent in a Permaculture system.
Evaluate the suitability of different building techniques in a Permaculture system.
Explain the application of two different systems of alternative energy in a Permaculture system.
Compare differences in the impact on a Permaculture system, of three alternative technologies designed for the same purpose (e.g. three alternative sources of electricity).
Evaluate the use of technology in a house (you choose the house).
Determine more "appropriate" technologies to replace currently used technologies, in a house you evaluate.
Illustrate on a plan, twenty different components of a design, including: Plants, Buildings, and Landscape features.
Transpose a simple Permaculture plan to a different scale.
Represent an existing site, drawn to scale, on a plan.
Describe the stages involved in the process of producing a Permaculture design.
Prepare a concept plan for a Permaculture system surveyed by you, which is between five hundred and one thousand square metres in area.
Prepare a detailed design for a Permaculture system of between five hundred and one thousand square metres in size, including: Scale drawings, Materials specifications, Lists of plant and animal varieties.