Advanced Permaculture Program

This is What You Can Do in 2019

After working in India again last year, Living Ecology has made some beneficial changes for the local villagers and program participants.

Living Ecology Interview from SOL on Vimeo.

When you make the decision to participate in 2019’s Advanced Skills in Applied Permaculture Design program, you will now be able to help the same farmers, and receive even more value from the program. Shorter course modules allow local residents of India and international students to complete one or more modules at a time.

What Will You Earn?

In this revised program, you will be given the opportunity to participate in one or more of 10 course modules. When you complete the entire course, you will receive two certifications:

1. Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) from Aranya Agricultural Alternatives and Living Ecology.

2. Advanced Skills in Applied Permaculture Design and Rural Development

These certifications will help you take your newly learned skills to help spread this work to the rest of the world.

Who Should Apply?

… If you have a serious interest in permaculture, you should. Anyone with a desire to learn advanced permaculture principles and provide aid to those who need it most should apply.

Apply Now!

Advanced Skills in Applied Permaculture Design Program Outline

The current advanced permaculture course offering from Living Ecology is broken down into 10 modules. Some of these courses can be attended individually.


Module 1: Introduction to the Living Ecology Applied Permaculture Program			23rd-24th January
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
23rd January	Morning	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history, and methods.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Padma Koppula
	Afternoon	Visit to an urban farm (It is possible to join in this 1/2 day program only.) .		Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula
24th January	Morning	Tour of rooftop rain water Harvesting projects. Direct bore well recharge by rooftop rain water harvesting (It is possible to join in this 1/2 day program only.).	Tour of Roof top Rain water Harvesting projects. Direct bore well recharge by roof top rain water harvesting. (It is possible to join for this half day program only.)	Subhash Reddy SMARAN


Module 2 – Rain Water Harvesting Earthworks Course			25th-27th January
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
25th January	Morning	Overview of rainwater harvesting importance. Situation today with water in India and the world, as well as the history. Importance of vegetation – trees, groundcovers, cropping patterns.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Overview of rainwater harvesting structures. How to choose appropriate technique. How to calculate water in catchment areas and earthworks. Observation exercises. Landforms. Microclimate discussion.		Raya Cole
26th January	Morning	Learning to make and use survey tools – A frame, U tube and dumpy.	Tour of Roof top Rain water Harvesting projects. Direct bore well recharge by roof top rain water harvesting. (It is possible to join for this half day program only.)	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Use survey tools. Understanding contour lines and appropriate placement.		Raya Cole
27th January	Morning	Practicum in water harvesting assessment needs. Placing contour lines and understanding construction of percolation tanks.	Practicum in water harvesting assessment needs. Placing contour lines and understanding construction of percolation tanks.	Raya Cole/ Narsanna Koppula
	Afternoon	Implementation of water harvesting structures.		Raya Cole/ Narsanna Koppula


Module 3 – Permaculture Agricultural Methods			29th January - 1st February
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
29th January	Morning	Permaculture ethics and principles. Nature’s patterns.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Biodiversity. Food forest/Orchard planning.		Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula
30th January	Morning	Food forest/Orchard planning.	Tour of Roof top Rain water Harvesting projects. Direct bore well recharge by roof top rain water harvesting. (It is possible to join for this half day program only.)	Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula
	Afternoon	Polycultural cropping patterns.		Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula
31st January	Morning	Diversified cropping patterns.	Practicum in water harvesting assessment needs. Placing contour lines and understanding construction of percolation tanks.	Tuljimma
	Afternoon	Vegetable cultivation methods.		Raya Cole/ Padma Koppula
1st February	Morning	Animals in permaculture systems.	Animals in permaculture systems.	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Windbreaks. Zone 4 and 5 species – forest products. Ecological understanding of forests.		Narsanna Koppula/ Raya Cole


Module 4A - Permaculture Environmental Assessment and Report			2nd - 3rd February
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
2nd February	All Day	Assessment of water situation in the village. Farm cropping pattern, plant and tree species assessment of the village.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Padma Koppula/ Raya Cole
3rd February	Morning	Forest walk with villagers.		Padma Koppula/ Raya Cole
31st January	Afternoon	Write environmental assessment report, which includes climate report.	Practicum in water harvesting assessment needs. Placing contour lines and understanding construction of percolation tanks.	Raya Cole


Module 4B – Community Permaculture Methods and Interactions			5th - 8th February
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
5th February	Morning	How to work in villages – approach and methods. Lesson on interactions in villages – Important to know what they want and need. How to align our project into their needs and wants.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula
	Afternoon	Social mapping.		Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula
6th February	Morning	Socioeconomic survey.	Tour of Roof top Rain water Harvesting projects. Direct bore well recharge by roof top rain water harvesting. (It is possible to join for this half day program only.)	Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula
	Afternoon	Nutritional, food habit, and health assessment of villagers.		Raya Cole
7th February	Morning	Matrix exercise.	Practicum in water harvesting assessment needs. Placing contour lines and understanding construction of percolation tanks.	Padma Koppula
	Afternoon	Assessment of capacity building needs. Start preparing to teach Intro to Permaculture workshop for villagers.		Raya Cole
8th February	Morning	Finish preparing to teach Intro to Permaculture. Write Social Report for Permaculture Project.	Animals in permaculture systems.	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Teach Intro to Permaculture workshop in the village.		Narsanna Koppula/ Raya Cole


Module 5 – Advanced Skills in Permaculture Design and Mapping Prerequesites: Modules 2 & 3			10th - 23rd February
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
10th February	Morning	Selection of village farmer to work with.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Padma Koppula
	Afternoon	Prepare client interview questionnaire.		Raya Cole
11th February	Morning	Do client interview, working in partners.	Tour of Roof top Rain water Harvesting projects. Direct bore well recharge by roof top rain water harvesting. (It is possible to join for this half day program only.)	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Prepare site survey questionnaire.		Raya Cole
12th February	Morning	Prepare site survey questionnaire.	Practicum in water harvesting assessment needs. Placing contour lines and understanding construction of percolation tanks.	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Do site survey, working in partners.		Raya Cole
13th February	All Day	Continue with interviews and surveys.	Animals in permaculture systems.	Raya Cole
14th February	Morning	Lesson on mapping to scale and landscape graphics.		Raya Cole
14th February	Afternoon	Begin measurements for base map of farmer’s fields working in partners. Or use google maps.		Raya Cole
16th February	Morning	Measurements of partner’s field.	Measurements of partner’s field.	Raya Cole
16th February	Afternoon	Draw base map on A1 size paper.	Draw base map on A1 size paper.	Raya Cole
18th February	All Day	Visit client’s farm and plan earthworks, working in partners.	Visit client’s farm and plan earthworks, working in partners.	Raya Cole
19th February	All Day	Visit client’s farm and plan earthworks, working in partners.	Visit client’s farm and plan earthworks, working in partners.	Raya Cole
20th February	All Day	Visit client’s farm and map earthworks, working in partners.	Visit client’s farm and map earthworks, working in partners.	Raya Cole
21st February	Morning	Draw up earthworks overlay map.	Draw up earthworks overlay map	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Drawing concept design map.		Raya Cole
22nd February	Morning	Concept design map gets completed.	Write up planting plan	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Write up planting plan.	Write up planting plan	Raya Cole
23rd February	Morning	Write implementation plan.Talk about rain water harvesting workshop for villagers.	Write implementation plan.	Raya Cole/ Narsanna Koppula
	Afternoon	Give rain water harvesting workshop to villagers.	Talk about rain water harvesting workshop for villagers.	Narsanna Koppula
24th February	Morning	Time to complete any mapping that is unfinished.	Time to complete any mapping that is unfinished.	Raya Cole
	Afternoon	Group presentations.		Raya Cole


Module 6 - Management of Rain Water Harvesting Earthworks Implementation			26th February - 2nd March
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
26th February - 2nd March	All Week	Management of labor or machine work for the implementation of rain water harvesting features designed during Advanced Skills Module.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Narsanna Koppula and Raya Cole needed for one day.


Module 7 - Permaculture Design and Implementation Practicum at International Permaculture Convergence Site			4th - 7th March
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
4th - 7th March	All Week	Design and implementation projects at the International Permaculture Convergence site, a 130 acre permaculture farm. Projects to be determined based on the need of the farm and the convergence site. Raya has interest for this to be a compost toilet with natural building elements, a worm composting system, and a soldier fly set up for the chickens. Show greywater systems.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Raya Cole


Module 8 – Soil Fertility, Nursery Implementation and Beneficial Insects and Pollinators			9th - 16th March
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
9th March	Morning	Lesson on soil types, soil fertility, and plants appropriate for difficult soils.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Narsanna Koppula
	Afternoon	Practicum in composting methods and mulching and fertility for annual cropping areas.	Practicum in composting methods and mulching and fertility for annual cropping areas.	Raya Cole/ Narsanna Koppula
10th March	All Day	Compost and mulch procurement for design projects in village.	Compost and mulch procurement for design projects in village.	Raya Cole/ Narsanna Koppula
11th March	All Day	Compost and mulch procurement for design projects in village.	Compost and mulch procurement for design projects in village.	Raya Cole
12th March	Morning	Compost and mulch procurement for design projects in village.	Compost and mulch procurement for design projects in village.	Raya Cole
12th March	Afternoon	Lesson on beneficial insects and pollinators, integrated pest management.	Lesson on beneficial insects and pollinators, integrated pest management.	Raya Cole
13th March	Morning	Seed preservation class. Seed collection.	Seed preservation class. Seed collection.	Tuljimma
13th March	Afternoon	Seed education capacity building time with villagers. Soil fertility lesson for villagers.		Padma Koppula
14th March	All Day	Day 1: Nursery creation and seed planting.		Padma Koppula
15th March	All Day	Day 2: Nursery creation and seed planting.		Raya Cole
16th March	All Day	Day 3: Nursery creation and seed planting.		Raya Cole


Module 9 – Final Design Presentations For students who have completed full program. Anyone may attend.			19th - 21st March
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
19th March	All Day	Writing of detailed project report for permaculture project.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Padma Koppula/ Raya Cole
20th March	Morning	Students share photos and information.		Padma Koppula/ Raya Cole
11th February	Afternoon	Final design presentations to the Aranya Board of Directors.	Tour of Roof top Rain water Harvesting projects. Direct bore well recharge by roof top rain water harvesting. (It is possible to join for this half day program only.)	Padma Koppula/ Raya Cole/ Narsanna Koppula
21st March	Morning	Final debrief of internship. Passing on of management plan to Aranya employees.		Padma Koppula/ Raya Cole
12th February	Afternoon	Program closes. Goodbyes and closing.	Practicum in water harvesting assessment needs. Placing contour lines and understanding construction of percolation tanks.


Module 10 – Monsoon Season Permaculture Practices and Implementation			15th June - 6th July
Date	Session	Subject		Facilitator
15th June - 6th July	Three Weeks	Planting of polycultural annual cropping systems. Tree planting for permaculture designs from Module 5 with the village farmers. Food forest, live fencing, and windbreaks. Seed distribution to villagers. Observation, assessment, and adjustments, if needed, of rainwater harvesting.	Introduction to Aranya Agricultural Alternatives mission, history and methods.	Narsanna Koppula/ Padma Koppula/ Raya Cole

Apply Now!

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Gain Permaculture Skills, Aid the Earth, Benefit Villagers in Rural India

Join us for our Permaculture Design Certificate Course and our Advanced Permaculture Courses which will prepare you to design your land and/or start a Permaculture Business.

Living Ecology courses are an excellent blend of classroom theory, experiential learning, and social permaculture.

1. Permaculture Design Certificate Course

2. Permaculture Teacher Training

3. Rain Water Harvesting

4. Mapping to Scale and Landscape Graphics

5. Permaculture Solutions for Drought Mitigation and Climate Change

6. Permaculture Design Process and Consultancy Skills

7. School Permaculture Design and Teaching Activities

APPLY NOW

This is What You Will Accomplish

✓ Learning Permaculture Skills and Putting Them into Practice

✓ Having a Rural Indian Cultural Experience

✓ Become Certified

Fund Your Permaculture Journey

Excited to start planning your trip, but discouraged by a lack of funding for the program and travel arrangements? Here’s a solution: