The iLAND Criteria & Assessment Process will evolve as we find out what is most helpful for projects - the initial set of Essential Criteria and Desirable Criteria learn from the experience of existing LAND projects and are as set out below.

iLAND Criteria:  The purpose of the iLAND Criteria is to help projects to understand and implement best practice in permaculture demonstration and education, to help guide decision making for projects so that they can work towards creating an excellent centre.

To work toward becoming a recognised iLAND centre you need to provide evidence to:

  • demonstrate that all or most of the 10 essential criteria are already achieved, or will be achieved in the foreseeable future
  • meet or work towards the 4 desirable criteria.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

EDUCATION, LEARNING & DEMONSTRATION CRITERIA:

  1. Demonstration: demonstrate local sustainable food growing and permaculture in action on site, with appropriate signage and information available to aid understanding.
  2. Learning: have a programme of permaculture training and events, including involvement in local-regional permaculture tutor training and a system of quality assurance for PDCs.
  3. Resources: have educational & training resources available for visitors, and be committed to helping develop and improve existing and new education resources, including in the most relevant language(s) for your region

DESIGN CRITERIA:

  1. Have a permaculture design plan for your site (land design) and project (e.g. education systems or economic systems design) that you are committed to implementing which clearly incorporates permaculture ethics, principles and methods, with the design on display.
  2. At least one project member has completed a Permaculture Design Course (PDC).

CRITERIA FOR WORKING WITH VISITORS, VOLUNTEERS & COMMUNITY:

  1. Be able to receive volunteers and visitors.
  2. Have strong connections with sustainable food networks, locally or across your region / country.
  3. Have appropriate health & safety procedures and risk assessments in place, as necessary.

iLAND NETWORK CRITERIA:

  1. Be willing to share skills and relevant information with other projects in the iLAND network, including via the iLAND webpages within the website of IPEN.
  2. Be willing to contribute to iLAND project monitoring and evaluation and work with IPEN to help achieve more of our shared target outcomes.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

ORGANISATION CRITERIA:

  1. Be well organised with the aim of continuing to develop your management, communication and education skills.
  2. Contribute to establishing a national (or regional) LAND centre system hosted by an appropriate national permaculture organisation or network, or a collaborating networks in your global region.

MONITORING AND RESEARCH CRITERIA:

  1. Have a programme of monitoring or research. This might include: visitor and training numbers; outcomes of education activities; ongoing records of planting and yields; records of other activities e.g. relating to water, sanitation, health; systematic photographic recording of the site; other research activities.

SKILL SHARING CRITERIA:

  1. Be willing to host or help generate national or regional skill sharing and training events

The above criteria have been adapted from the very successful UK LAND project's criteria, so we thank UK LAND for being and inspiring example and the lessons learnt so far, including the emergence of ScotLAND, who we are also grateful to for helping us with a streamlined application process. The criteria have been adjusted a little for iLAND because in many situations around the world learning and demonstration centres will be very pioneering projects, with much less support and maturity within their national permaculture education systems.

iLAND Assessment:  For LAND Centres that want to be part of a system of quality assurance and validation, we foresee a Peer-to-Peer iLAND Assessment system as the best way to start. This will need to establish ways to address the range of issues and challenges that are likely to emerge in considering how to assess pioneering demonstration projects. IPEN sees this international Validation system as being of great value in some situations (e.g. for local government recognition; to support funding raising; for attracting course participants and international volunteers; for partnering with educational institutions and other iLAND members; etc), while being largely irrelevant in others. If you are confident that your project meets most of the Essential Criteria above, and is committed to progressing further, then the starting point for this system is to complete our Phase 1 iLAND Application system