The Permaculture Design Certificate course, or PDC, is a more intensive course than the Introduction to Permaculture. Developed internationally since the 1970’s, it is generally seen as the heart of permaculture education. The Core Curriculum sets out the topics that will be covered on a Permaculture Association certified Permaculture Design Certificate course.
PDCs can be taught residentially, as a group experience with a greater social aspect, or using different formats for delivery. There is 72 hours minimum contact time between you and your teacher for you to be awarded your permaculture design certificate. Some courses offer this as part of a 10-14 day residential experience, others cover it over a series of weekends and over several months.
“I sense that many who attend a residential PDC are looking for a watershed point in their lives, where long held convictions are turned into actions. There is no doubt that completing a PDC is both a reassertion and discovery of one’s own core values and convictions and a deliberate attempt to forge a pathway towards one’s own stated goals and ambitions.” Steve Jones
It is internationally recognised that Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual by Bill Mollison is the basis for the PDC curriculum. The Permaculture Association core curriculum builds on the Designers’ Manual and extends the scope to address challenges of the British context, and to reflect the development of the permaculture field since the Designers’ Manual was published.
Overview of the core curriculum:
1. Context
2. Ethics of permaculture
3. Principles of permaculture
4. Design - processes, tools and significant design exercise
5. Themes - e.g. water, energy, buildings, etc.
6. Next steps & further information
7. Feedback
To read the full core curriculum in detail, follow this link. Certified teachers use the core curriculum checklist to self-certify that their course meets the curriculum, to ensure high standards of teaching.
Many PDC courses have the added benefit of learning additional skills. These may include activities such as:
• Community living
• Fermentation
• Wood skills / crafts
• Building skills - natural building
• Small projects - pizza oven
• Propagation
• Seed saving
• Fruit tree grafting
• Healthy living
• Regenerative Agriculture methods
Search through teacher profiles to find the specialisms you’re looking for.
“Our most recent course, for refugees from South Sudan was taught through two simultaneous translators to a group who spoke 8 different languages. Class content was pared to a minimum and we completed 16 different practical activities over the residential fortnight. Interestingly, the results were exactly the same or even more powerful than our usual format we use in the UK. Permaculture really works, it is adaptable, powerful and relevant and I think it is one of the most powerful tools we have to shift the mindset of humanity to a harmonious relationship with each other and our living planet.” Steve Jones
Example of an online course by Heather Jo Flores at Permaculture Women’s Guild
This online course offers students the full Permaculture Design Course plus the Advanced certificate in Social Systems Design, to represent the additional 40 hours of training included on how to build the invisible structures that enable your projects to stand the test of time. With this course you can study online, at your own pace, while practicing hands-on in your own home, garden, and community, and with the support of a 40-woman expert faculty from around the world. Enrollment is open to everyone, and includes 1:1 mentorship with a faculty member in or near your bioregion. This course was developed and administered by Heather Jo Flores, author and founder of Food Not Lawns, to fill a need for better options for single mothers, homesteaders, low-income women, and others who struggle to gain access to a comprehensive permaculture education. Tuition, scholarships and work-trade collaborations available
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permaculturewomen.com