Permaculture is a holistic design system for sustainable living, creating systems for minimum effort and maximum effect. The word was coined in the 1970s but is based on indigenous practices for many generations, as well as modern tools and techniques – making the best of the new and the old to design and create sustainable systems in the present day.

The Permaculture Design Course is a 72 hour course which covers:

• the Permaculture Design Process: SADIMET, and the theory and practice of different design tools from mapping to implementation. This includes different opportunities to use the design tools and create an entire design in a small group.
• Permaculture ethics and principles and their application
• Themes of soil, water, plants & trees, growing your own food, the built environment, resource use, social systems and contexts. Each one explored in detail with a combination of student research and sharing from all participants
• Site visits to five different permaculture sites - each Saturday at a different location with different co-teachers. 

This course is a mix of online and in-person practical sessions. In person sessions will take place over six Saturdays 10am-5pm. Online sessions are a combination of set content (videos to watch or articles to read) and fully interactive Zoom (online teleconference) sessions on Tuesday evenings (7pm-8pm).

It is a 12 day (72 hour) course. There is a sliding scale to enable people of different income streams to attend. If you cannot afford to pay all at once, participants can pay in instalments. There is also funding available, please see here

About the sliding scale

There are 4 different price bands. For each of these bands you can either pay all at once, or in instalments.

For the instalment plan, you pay a non-returnable deposit, and we will then agree a payment schedule with you, to be paid in full by the course start date of 23rd March 2023. If there are fees outstanding after this date, there will be a further 10% fee added to the course cost, to cover the additional admin required. Instalments will be payable by bank transfer on receipt of an invoice from us.

There are a maximum of 2 unwaged places available. If someone is able to pay the good wage amount, then a further unwaged place will be made available. This is why it is called pay it forward. 

Funding available!!!!

You can apply for funding to pay the cost of this course! It's from Lantra in either the 'Next Generation Practical Training' or the 'Women in Agriculture' , neither are age-restricted. 

To apply you go to this website:

Skills Hub Scotland - Permaculture Design Course in Dumfries & Galloway

Then register for free and complete their application form. Contact Propagate at the same time so we known it is in hand.

About your tutors in Dumfries & Galloway:

See more info on the Propagate website for Dumfries and Galloway Permaculture Course. 

About Propagate (Scotland) CIC

Propagate is a worker-led collective specialising in local, community and sustainable food projects. We work collaboratively to co-create equitable, healthy and resilient food systems. Find out more about Propagate.

About the online elements

There are two parts to the online side of the course - 

1) When you join the course, you will receive a link to join the Permaculture Association's Community Hub. There you will be able to watch videos, do quizzes and read information (together with plenty of further reading) made by different permaculture teachers from different parts of the world who give you information about their specialism, whether that's about designing, or a different specialism such as dealing with droughts. This is a new course format being specially developed by Lusi, for you! 

2) Each week on Tuesday evenings 7pm-8pm there will be a t'eleconference call (using Zoom). This will be a way to discuss the content given in the Community Hub, or other questions arising. The dates of these sessions will be announced soon.

The Venues

The Hidden Mill, in Balmaclellan, is a Permaculture Association ScotLAND Centre which is a paradise of edges. It has pasture, woodland, waterways, ponds, forest gardens and orchards. It's a centre for education and experimentation in radical growing, green building and energy systems.

Auchencairn Link Park Forest Garden is a 10 year old edible forest garden aka food forest in the community park. There is a community allotment adjacent. 

Suie Fields is a Small family farm producing fresh and nutritious local food using natural and regenerative methods. 

Gatehouse of Fleet - we visit Lusi's  permaculture forest garden and the beautiful Cally Woods. 

St John's Town of Dalry - we will get involved in designing with and for the local community projects at the community centre and/or local school. 

More info: Dumfries & Galloway Permaculture Course (propagate.org.uk)

We will start at 10am to increase the possilibility to arrive by bus, and we will organise car sharing with other participants (it's one of the things we can do on the Zoom calls).