Permaculture Design Course

Our Permaculture Design Courses comprise the 72-hour Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) syllabus and are structured as 2-week on-site residentials. A PDC is an introduction to rethinking far more than just the way humans work with land. As a framework and set of principles, it represents a paradigm shift, profoundly transforming perspectives on life itself, and our relationship with it and with each other.

We've been running PDCs at Quinta do Vale (see our project page), since 2019. The teaching team have a range of relevant academic backgrounds allied with years of practical experience. The site itself, which is fully off-grid and features many examples of sustainable living strategies and techniques, is very much part of the team and has a way of working a quiet magic on participants.

Courses are taught in English through theoretical classroom lectures and practical sessions. We utilise the collective intelligence of the group and students work in teams to develop projects and designs.

The particular challenges of this mountainside location mean the course is unsuitable for people with mobility issues.

The accommodation is camping on-site. 3 vegetarian meals a day are served. Special diets can be catered for. There are hot showers and free wifi on-site. There’s also a nearby river beach and cafés, all within 300m of the quinta.

The surrounding valleys have attracted eco-immigrants from all over the world during the last 10-15 years. We often manage to squeeze events going on in the wider community into the PDC so participants can get a taste for the exciting things happening here.

We place special emphasis on small class sizes. This means more individual attention for each student, a more intimate group dynamic and a more comfortable, relaxed classroom experience. This is the kind of place where students become family. So be warned – this place and the landscape and community it’s embedded in can capture your heart and your imagination!