permaculture

[Robyn Francis <erda@nor.com.au>]

On 8/3/05 3:59 PM, "Michael Kramer" <MKramer@hawaii.rr.com> wrote:

> With regards to Robyn's thought on internationally-recognized ground rules
> for permaculture courses, all I can say is that in this country these rules
> are not recognized by many people, and there is no way to assure this even
> if we wanted this recognition either. There are as many versions of the
> Basic Permaculture Design Course in this country as there are teachers. It's
> just the way it is. And at this point I'm not sure we should insist on
> maintaining a nonexistent standard simply because some of us are very
> comfortable teaching it. For as I have tried to point out, the course is
> becoming obsolete, it's just that not all of us can see it. But I'm not
> suggesting that the course be abandoned, but rather that there be different
> versions of it that qualify as certificate courses.

Scott and others have made it clear that there are described content
parameters that comprise a PDC. Teachers have a wide degree of flexibility
regarding how they teach it, but the key subject areas need to be covered.
These can be adequately addressed in a course with a special bias towards
climate, cultural context and fields of application. The PDC I teach in the
third world is quite different to the one I teach in my 'living classroom'
here at Djanbung Gardens, or in an Aboriginal community, and different again
in an urban context, yet the basic subject matter is the same, just the
examples, activities, facilitation techniques and emphasis vary with context
to meet student & cultural needs. Other courses can be & should be & are
being developed, but it's crazy if we start calling everything a PDC - isn't
there already enough confusion????

The PDC seems to have been somewhat damaged for some in the US, and I wonder
if this is a legacy of inadequate courses promoted as PDC's issuing shonky
certificates?

I'd like to make a point about certification. The PDC is not actually a
certificate course. Most 'real' Certificate courses (e.g. Certificate in
Horticulture etc) involve many hundreds of hours of study. If you look at
what's actually printed on the Institute's PDC "certificates" it doesn't
mention a Certificate in Permaculture, it simply states "this certifies that
..... has successfully completed a Permaculture Design Course". The 'C' in
PDC means Course, not Certificate.

As there's so much interest in certificate courses, then check this out - we
might already have something like what you're talking about already
happening....

18 months ago Permaculture International successfully had 4 levels of
Certificates in Permaculture, plus Diploma of Permaculture, registered with
national accreditation authorities. This is a first for permaculture
globally. Years of soul-searching, discussion and research went into this,
and being able to offer a diversity of training at these standards with
quality assurance is important not only for credibility but helps us meet
many of the needs you and others have mentioned in various postings,
including making courses more economically accessible.

In short, the 4 levels of certification are:

Certificate I in Permaculture
Basics for beginners, how to care for plants & animals, live a conserver
lifestyle, get to know your bioregion, get a garden started - it's perfect
for high school students, problem learners, disadvantaged groups, youth
programs etc  (Last year a college in Melbourne had over 160 Year-9 students
graduate with a Cert I in Permaculture which they did as an elective
subject)

Certificate II in Permaculture
Skilled workers, trade assistant level, focus on maintaining systems, basic
plant & animal knowledge & skills, working in community organisations, seed
saving, operating water systems, basic alternative technology and natural
building. This training suits the gardener, unskilled homesteader, ideal for
people participating in community gardens, city farms, wwoofers etc

Certificate III in Permaculture
Trade certificate level with focus on implementation and coordinating
maintenance services, constructing and installing technologies, pc
structures, water systems, compost toilets, coordinating community projects,
harvest and storage systems, conserving, drying, post harvest handling etc

Certificate IV in Permaculture
Advanced trade certificate - basic urban & rural property design (including
public landscapes), operating a seed bank, planning & supervising
implementation, planning production systems, appropriate technology &
structures, community development, eco-enterprise skills, managing &
operating a business, bioregional analysis & planning (including community
economics), small group training and team supervision.

Diploma of Permaculture
Integrated design, field research, settlement design, community development
planning & facilitation, strategic planning, legal & legislative
requirements, tenure & legal structures, governance and tenure for
communities, organisation development, eco-business management, managing
overseas pc projects, basic project management, bioregional development
strategies etc.

I have my first certificate III and IV  courses (2 semester program) running
at present, a real joy to go beyond the PDC into the background knowledge
and practical skills to make it happen and do a professional job. I'm
looking forward to letting a bunch of highly competent pc practitioners and
designers loose at the ned of the year!!!!

:)

Ciao
Robyn