Permaculture Design Course in the Darjeeling Hills

emmaindarj · Oct 14th, 2009, 13:33

Got this info yesterday. I attended this course in 2006 and really enjoyed. Being run again later this month. Thought some IMers might be interested, but don't know where to post it. PM me for contact details.

(I have nothing to do with organisation/running of this, just passing on info)

22nd October to 5th November Certificate Course
22nd to 30th Non-certification Course
Training venue Mineral Springs, Dabaipani, Darjeeling

The course outline:
Mineral Springs Dabaipani is an internationally certified organic area and fair-trade labelled collective of 450 small farmers since 2002. The farmers have come under the Sanjukta Vikas Co-operative since 1996. The co-operative has been marketing small farmers organic tea in the international market, which is grown as a polyculture crop.
The participants will have home stay accommodations facilities with the members of Sanjukta Vikas Co-operative.
Permaculture is a design system to create regenerative, sustainable systems. Envisioned over 25 years ago by Bill Mollison and Dan Holmgren, from Australia, it has now spread to over 120 countries. Though its conception was as a land based system, its effectiveness has moved it into urban settings and to being applied in various social, political, and economic environments.
Permaculture was created through the synthesis of many design systems, with the emphasis on nature as the penultimate one. Similarly, the insights and value of traditional and indigenous practices and knowledge are acknowledged along with the necessity of molding these with our current understandings and the appropriate technologies of today's world. What Permaculture seeks to do is to create three-dimensional designs that are site specific and sustainable. By bringing together elements (orchard, water system, farmer, cow, etc.), techniques (organic framing, natural building, etc.) and strategies (microclimate, relative placement, etc.) a system is designed or altered based on regenerative relationships. It is these regenerative, beneficial relationships that give a system complexity, three dimensionality, and thus, resiliency.
The person attending the Permaculture Design Course will not only gain theoretical and practical knowledge on Permaculture at the end of the workshop but will be handed a Permaculture Design Course Certificate. This certificate will enable the participant to be a certified Permaculture Practitioner. This years’ course has been designed in such a way that both the certificate and non-certification participants will be spending the first seven days together after which the non-certification participants will leave. This approach has been adopted for the many enthusiasts who are unable to invest two weeks at one go. They can do a follow-up later and get their certification.

6345789 · Oct 15th, 2009, 03:24

i have been growing organic veg for 30 years, permaculture is just that with a load of new age twaddle. read the thread.

'three dimensional designs" 'site specific" 'regenerative relationships" 'relative placemant'

this is just a grouping of words that mean nothing

JuliaF · Oct 20th, 2009, 00:35

well said 634... I completely agree, even though I've not been growing organically for quite as long as you - only 19 years!

One of the best critiques I've ever read of permaculture was in an Indian book on organic farming. I bought it in Delhi but I think it was published in Goa. There were two main thrusts to the argument: firstly that a lot of it is just common sense so why give it all this theory and fancy names; and secondly that a lot of the ideas were lifted from what rural communities especially in poorer countries have been doing for ever, and these Australians come along and make out they invented it!

I'd also add that ideas that may work in Australia might not work everywhere else - the number of times I've heard people say 'mulch mulch mulch, it's all about mulching' - but in this part of the world that's just providing a duvet for the slugs

It also seems like pyramid selling to me - people pay to do a course and then they are certified. Certified to do what exactly? Err, certified to teach permaculture courses ...

GoanCanuck · Oct 20th, 2009, 00:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6345789

'three dimensional designs" 'site specific" 'regenerative relationships" 'relative placemant'

this is just a grouping of words that mean nothing

Agree 100%.

6345789 · Oct 20th, 2009, 17:47

I was expecting a bit of flack for my post, so thank you both. I just read the post again and i am even more confused!

6345789 · Oct 20th, 2009, 22:50

I should add that i lived at the" findhorn foundation" for 14 years so i am well versed in new age language

JuliaF · Oct 22nd, 2009, 01:47

You lived at Findhorn, numbers! (can I call you that?

)

So was it the fairies or devas or whatever they are who grew the big vegetables or was it just some good fertile soil?

For some reason I used to be on their mailing list a long time ago. We'd look forward to the course catalogue coming and then would laugh over it for weeks ...

6345789 · Oct 22nd, 2009, 16:01

Good fertile soil, yes it is a bit new agey but some good stuff goes on there.as well.

Oct 14th, 2009, 13:33	#1
emmaindarj Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Darjeeling Posts: 30	Permaculture Design Course in the Darjeeling Hills Got this info yesterday. I attended this course in 2006 and really enjoyed. Being run again later this month. Thought some IMers might be interested, but don't know where to post it. PM me for contact details. (I have nothing to do with organisation/running of this, just passing on info) 22nd October to 5th November Certificate Course 22nd to 30th Non-certification Course Training venue Mineral Springs, Dabaipani, Darjeeling The course outline: Mineral Springs Dabaipani is an internationally certified organic area and fair-trade labelled collective of 450 small farmers since 2002. The farmers have come under the Sanjukta Vikas Co-operative since 1996. The co-operative has been marketing small farmers organic tea in the international market, which is grown as a polyculture crop. The participants will have home stay accommodations facilities with the members of Sanjukta Vikas Co-operative. Permaculture is a design system to create regenerative, sustainable systems. Envisioned over 25 years ago by Bill Mollison and Dan Holmgren, from Australia, it has now spread to over 120 countries. Though its conception was as a land based system, its effectiveness has moved it into urban settings and to being applied in various social, political, and economic environments. Permaculture was created through the synthesis of many design systems, with the emphasis on nature as the penultimate one. Similarly, the insights and value of traditional and indigenous practices and knowledge are acknowledged along with the necessity of molding these with our current understandings and the appropriate technologies of today's world. What Permaculture seeks to do is to create three-dimensional designs that are site specific and sustainable. By bringing together elements (orchard, water system, farmer, cow, etc.), techniques (organic framing, natural building, etc.) and strategies (microclimate, relative placement, etc.) a system is designed or altered based on regenerative relationships. It is these regenerative, beneficial relationships that give a system complexity, three dimensionality, and thus, resiliency. The person attending the Permaculture Design Course will not only gain theoretical and practical knowledge on Permaculture at the end of the workshop but will be handed a Permaculture Design Course Certificate. This certificate will enable the participant to be a certified Permaculture Practitioner. This years’ course has been designed in such a way that both the certificate and non-certification participants will be spending the first seven days together after which the non-certification participants will leave. This approach has been adopted for the many enthusiasts who are unable to invest two weeks at one go. They can do a follow-up later and get their certification.

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Oct 15th, 2009, 03:24	#2
6345789 itchycoo park Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: london england Posts: 49	i have been growing organic veg for 30 years, permaculture is just that with a load of new age twaddle. read the thread. 'three dimensional designs" 'site specific" 'regenerative relationships" 'relative placemant' this is just a grouping of words that mean nothing

Oct 20th, 2009, 00:35	#3
JuliaF Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Co Cork, Ireland Posts: 351	well said 634... I completely agree, even though I've not been growing organically for quite as long as you - only 19 years! One of the best critiques I've ever read of permaculture was in an Indian book on organic farming. I bought it in Delhi but I think it was published in Goa. There were two main thrusts to the argument: firstly that a lot of it is just common sense so why give it all this theory and fancy names; and secondly that a lot of the ideas were lifted from what rural communities especially in poorer countries have been doing for ever, and these Australians come along and make out they invented it! I'd also add that ideas that may work in Australia might not work everywhere else - the number of times I've heard people say 'mulch mulch mulch, it's all about mulching' - but in this part of the world that's just providing a duvet for the slugs It also seems like pyramid selling to me - people pay to do a course and then they are certified. Certified to do what exactly? Err, certified to teach permaculture courses ...

Oct 20th, 2009, 17:47	#5
6345789 itchycoo park Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: london england Posts: 49	I was expecting a bit of flack for my post, so thank you both. I just read the post again and i am even more confused!

Oct 20th, 2009, 22:50	#6
6345789 itchycoo park Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: london england Posts: 49	I should add that i lived at the" findhorn foundation" for 14 years so i am well versed in new age language

Oct 22nd, 2009, 01:47	#7
JuliaF Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Co Cork, Ireland Posts: 351	You lived at Findhorn, numbers! (can I call you that? ) So was it the fairies or devas or whatever they are who grew the big vegetables or was it just some good fertile soil? For some reason I used to be on their mailing list a long time ago. We'd look forward to the course catalogue coming and then would laugh over it for weeks ...

Oct 22nd, 2009, 16:01	#8
6345789 itchycoo park Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: london england Posts: 49	Good fertile soil, yes it is a bit new agey but some good stuff goes on there.as well.