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12 day Immersive Course,
(optional weekend experiential learning)
minimum 72 hours of instruction
Certificate in Permaculture Design (PDC)

A Transformative permaculture experience

Become a permaculture designer: gain life changing holistic sustainability skills

Included in all our PDC courses:

2 Week Course

8 hours per day*

(M-F, 8am-4pm)

(+ optional experiential learning)

72 hours of instruction

(international standard)

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Weekend + Evening Add ons

(optional Extras)

What is A Permaculture Design Certificate?

A 'PDC' is the first step towards a holistic sustainable livelihood. From farming at any scale, to water harvesting, energy consumption and production and building practices, Permaculture is a design science with its roots in nature.

 

This PDC covers the principles of permaculture in a style that appeals to the average home owner, youth and large scale farmer alike. It includes the application of permaculture principles to organic food (produce and livestock) production, home design, construction, energy conservation and generation, and explores alternative economic structures and legal strategies supporting permaculture solutions.

 

Upon completion you will be able to design integrated, productive ecosystems that are capable of meeting all our human needs, whilst benefiting the environment.

What is Permaculture?

Permaculture is a design science with its roots in nature. By mimicking natural systems and we create landscapes which allow humans and nature to interact in harmony, benefitting one another. Permaculture is not new, it looks to the past, bringing the very best practices forward into a new light and system of thinking.

 

Permaculture design is a holistic approach to all living situations, and applicable to any climate. Though this course will focus its efforts on tropical examples, the theory carries across all regions. Permaculture design, the ethics and principles of permaculture can be applied to patio gardens, backyards, urban and suburban gardens. Producing high yields of organic fresh food, low impact energy consumption, lowered costs of living and lessen the environmental costs associated with use of the land, for any size family or land lot. Permaculture can be applied to homesteads, small scale farms and market gardens, as well as to broad acre farming and ultimately, global ecosystem restoration projects.

The Venue: Walkers Reserve, Barbados

Walkers Reserve is an amazing ecosystem restoration project; a 300 acre silica sand quarry undergoing a transformative regeneration programme utilizing permaculture practices. Walkers has moved from barren land, deteriorating sand dune ecosystems and an extractive past, to soil building, regeneration, native species increase, endangered species protection, carbon sequestration and agricultural yields.  From sand mine to food forest; the Walkers Reserve is an exemplary venue to observe permaculture in action.

 

CPRI’s home within Walkers Reserve is developing organically as we grow. Our facilities currently include a brand new teaching area with AV facilities and internet, a teaching kitchen and bathrooms, a group learning shelter area with access to a nursery, intensive demonstration and experimental planting areas. Teaching will occur in all areas of Walkers Reserve relating to each topic covered. This will include beach side dune ecosystems, sand pit, regenerated alleys and food forest, lakes, ponds and chinampas microclimates, old growth natural areas, bee yard, irrigation ponds/dams and flooded/dry swales, steep slope planting areas, areas experiencing stress from salt spray, extreme heat, drought, below water level, flood prone, slippage, extractive quarrying. Walkers can showcase many permaculture elements from composting to rain water collection, natural material building and cooking, nursery production, swales and earth works related to soil conservation, ecosystem development, apiary programme, food forest and syntropic agroforestry. You will be exposed to the many problems and solutions which Walkers Reserve has to showcase as it relates to each of the permaculture principles explored throughout the course.

Your Instructors and Team:

Permaculture Guru: Erle Rahaman-Noronha will take the lead in teaching this course. Having taught permaculture courses for over 20 years and developed some of the most impressive permaculture sites in the region, his vast knowledge will be the key to opening your mind, and some new doors for your regenerative, sustainability focused future. 

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Erle Rahaman-Noronha:  Permaculture "Guru"

Erle will be the lead permaculture guru for this PDC.  

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He grew up in Kenya, obtained his BSc in Biochemistry and MSc in Zoology at the University of Guelph, Canada and has made Wa Samaki Ecosystems in Trinidad his home for over 22 years. Wa Samaki is a multigenerational permaculture farm where he has implemented and has taught Permaculture Design since 2007. His teaching has spread across the Caribbean and he currently consults on regenerative projects Caribbean wide on both a small/home scale and borad/corporate scale. He was the permaculture specialist in charge of the regeneration at Walkers Reserve in Barbados from its inception, served as the Director of Regeneration at the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research, Education and Design (WIRRED). Erle now sits on the board of directors at CPRI Barbados as the lead regeneration and education specialist, all while managing his Wa Samaki site in Trinidad in a very hands on way. Erle brings a wealth of practical experience to tropical projects seeking to become regenerative.  He is also a crazy barefoot runner whenever he gets the chance to be off the farm!

Follow to learn more about Erle:

  • Facebook
  • TedX Talk
  • Instagram
  • Instagram
  • Instagram

Wa Samaki Ecosystems   TedX Port of spain          Wa Samaki               Tropical Fish TT        Syntropy Caribbean 

A Tribe approach : hands on PDC course with optional extras 

Permaculture is a tribe thing, a community-building journey, joining a course means becoming part of a worldwide family of people protecting our earth through our every day choices. With tribes in mind, we have developed one of the first permaculture courses to be taught by a "tribe" of educators and experts in a wide variety of fields! This means that Erle will be your lead Permaculture Education Guru, and will be supported by the expertise in the team on the ground at Walkers Reserve in Barbados, as well as local and regional experts in various fields, popping in to say hi, giving their personal perspective,  hosting a hands on session or supplementing your learning on a particular topic in a virtual or in-person way. We are thrilled to expand our tribe to benefit your education by including a diverse set of educators and online resources locally, regionally and worldwide! With a CPRI PDC @ Walkers Reserve you will get the best experience we have to offer. 

As concerns around health are still high, we are able to offer this course as a hybrid virtual/hands-on course. This means that the course is taught IN PERSON on site at Walkers Reserve 100% of the time, however should a situation arise where you are unable to attend in person due to illness, we have the resources to offer video content to cover missed sessions or to join in virtually on our online platform to view the classroom sessions from home (this is not a pre-filmed session, this is the live in-person session viewed as if you were part of the group). We will supplement hands-on sessions with at-home homework or research work completed from home. Ideally, everyone will be healthy and able to attend a minimum of 80% of the course work including the final design project in order to gain the certificate at the end.

Local Students:
"No Frills price"

$950 BDS

Our "No Frills Price" for local Bajan Students who live locally and will communte to the course each day includes:

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  • A digital PDC Manual.

  • A permaculture notebook and course journal.

  • A digital copy of the Tropical Permaculture Design Manual.​

  • WIFI at the educational buildings on site. 

  • A Certificate in Permaculture Design on completion of the course. 

  • A 1 year complimentary CPRI membership to access all of our resources and support. â€‹

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NB: International students who would like to book a hotel or Airbnb and drive themselves in each day are welcome to register for the 'no frills' price. 

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*Optional excursions and hands on

permaculture experience offered on the weekend may incur a transportation / entrance fee cost. 

International Students:
"Full Immersive experience"

$950 USD

Our "Full immersive Experience" Package for international students brings you the whole experience of Permaculture, Walkers Reserve and regeneration as a lifestyle.

 

Included in this package: 

  • Everything included in the no frills package +

  • Camping accomodation onsite at the picturesque and breezy Walkers Reserve (*Basic tent and camping equipt. provided, upgrades available)

  • All course related, on island transportation and airport transfers. 

  • All meals - shared harvesting and cooking schedule with other students. Meals will be as locally sourced, organic and seasonal as possible with vegan options. 

  • All add-on courses and excursions offered on the weekend between the 2 weeks will be included free of cost. 

  • Additional experiential education that comes with staying at a permaculture site. 

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NB: Local Bajans are welcome to sign up at the international rate to gain the full experience as well. 

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