Farmscale PDC booklet may 2017 by Richard Perkins

FARM SCALE PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE Information Booklet May 5th - 15th 2017 Join us for a recognised leading training Internationally accredited trainer P.R.I. (Aus) & P.C. Assoc (UK)

...farming, innovating and educating for the benefit of all...

farming, innovating and educating for the benefit of all

Åsen 20 Västra Ämtervik Sunne Sweden 686 95 www.ridgedalepermaculture.com

The result of 6 months work implementing our design in our first season in 2014

“Permaculture consciously and intelligently integrates regenerative agricultural ecosystems with socially just environments to produce fulfilling, stable and ethically sound livelihoods through whole systems management. Reflecting natural patterns, flows and relationships, permaculture design functionally interconnects diverse elements in highly cooperative and mutually beneficial arrangements that display robust energy efficiency and abundance of yield. The ethic of reinvesting surplus into natural and social forms of capital promotes care of all beings and the planetary systems.” Richard Perkins

Overview... Managing our farm holistically At ridgedale we believe that financially sustainable and socially beneficial livelihoods are founded on regenerating the world’s biospheres. We believe these three aspects that make up our triple bottom line are totally inseparable and so our decision-making consistently reflects this. To ensure our success we use testing questions to ensure our decision making at the farm is consistently aligned with our Holistic Goal. Below are 12 of the key outcomes we are managing towards related to our triple bottom line; 1. Build topsoil via intelligently integrated planting/Keyline layout & animal disturbances 2. Maximize photosynthetic energy captured on site 3. Restore water, carbon and nutrient cycling on site by mimicking natures processes 4. Create habitats that fully support organisms physiological needs 5. Increase diversity of wildlife species and natural “feedback” loops 6. Demonstrate socially just and sustainable profit with an open farm gate policy 7. Support world-class education in all aspects of regenerative systems design and holistic decision making 8. Develop local food resilience & facilitate access to beyond organic food by connecting people to local farmers 9. Prevent wasting of fiscal, human and ecosystem capital 10. Utilize regenerative technologies to minimize oil dependence 11. Create & demonstrate robust decentralized energy production 12. Continually reassess our holistic objectives and management process with decision makers

Read more about the design here http://www.ridgedalepermaculture.com/design-at-ridgedale. html

ridgedale PERMACULTURE is a family owned pasture and perennial crop based beyond organic local food producer and educational hub in Värmland, Sweden. A flagship multi- income diverse small farm, ridgedale is Scandinavia’s first Keyline designed farm and a leading European education provider in the field of Permaculture and Regenerative Agriculture.

Birds eye view of ridgedale PERMACULTURE

ridgedale PERMACULTURE’S primary responsibility is regenerating landscapes, ecosystem processes and soils through replicable, scalable and profitable symbiotic farm enterprises. Our secondary responsibility is to educate, facilitate, inform and empower people into action through regenerative design, enterprise and holistic decision-making that fosters and stimulates local community, economy and resilience.

Permaculture Design Course Overview PDC runs 6th May - 14th May 2017 Aim to arrive afternoon on the 5th May and set departure morning of the 15th Curious about the solutions that will allow us to restore the planets ecosystems whilst maintaining a stimulating and meaningful life living in resilient and mutually beneficial supportive ways? Are you looking to develop a career in professional Permaculture design? Wanting to establish your own project or farm? ridgedale Permaculture offers high calibre PDC trainings led by one of Europes leading design & education professionals. This course has a preset curriculum based on the content of Bill Mollison’s Permaculture: A Designers Manual. During the course, we will touch on every major topic in the book, combining dynamic lecture- storytelling and hands on practical/ demonstration exercises. We bring design into the course regularly, this is a design course and our experience shows that students who participate in a single final design at the end of a course, as is “traditional” often fail to fully grasp the design process coherently and comprehensively.

Our Farm Scale Permaculture Design Course empowers participants with the effective design solutions, skills and a methodical scientific approach to create resilient, synergistic systems that are ecologically sound, economically profitable and meet human needs, regardless of the site and circumstance.

“One of the most dynamic Permaculture teachers in Europe....” Maria Svennbeck, Director Permakulture Association, Sweden

Seeing integration as key to all we do we draw heavily on the work of Holistic Management® and Keyline Design® as well as other pioneering systems of Ecological and Social Design. Below is a summary of key topics and themes and you can read in more detail later in the document; •Theory and principles of Permaculture •Methods of design •Digital Design, CAD and GIS systems •Understanding patterns in nature •Water harvesting and management •Keyline Design® •Designing water into landscape •Drought-proofing •Water harvesting and drought-proofing •Trees & their energy transactions •Trees, water and energy cycling •Forest Gardens and Agroforestry Systems •Eco-friendly house placement and design •Energy efficient architecture •Bio Construction •Bio Intensive Annual production •Kitchen garden design •Composting •BioFertiliser & Compost Teas

Farming, innovating and educating for the benefit of all...

•Energy conservation techniques •Earthworks & their use in earth repair •Soils •Soil Microscopy •Soil rehabilitation and erosion control •Organic food production •Regenerative Livestock Management •Holistic Management® •Aquaculture •Ecological pest control •Climatic factors •Strategies for urban and rural settings •Recycling and waste management •Right livelihood •Catastrophe preparedness and prevention •Appropriate technologies for future communities •Jean Pain composting •Biochar •Reading landscapes

•Money and finance •Ethical investment •Bio regional organization •Effective working groups •Community Building •Decision Making •Leadership Development •Designing for urban and rural situations •Creating a balanced soil food web •Pattern Understanding •Intensive annual and perennial food and animal systems •Orchard and food forest design •System planning + integration •Design for different biospheres: tropics / drylands / cool climates •Strategies for building healthy, resilient communities •Regenerative Enterprise

Permaculture Design Course Overview Fast track your Permaculture pathway...

“Richard displays a wonderful didactic blend of charisma, engagement, team-building, empowerment and humility” IP_PDC student, Portugal, May 2013

Practical aspects of our courses This can vary due to the weather and according to our holistically managed priorities. As an Internationally Certified training we uphold the original format and perspectives for the training which has an intensive schedule. We do get out for practical work daily. Examples of practical’s from previous courses include; •Compost making •Compost Tea making •Soil microscopy •Bio Fertliser preparations •Mulch Systems •Tool use & care •Surveying & mapping •Establishing gardens •Growing under cover •Grafting fruit trees •Taking/ preparing cuttings •Keyline® Plowing •Pasture Examination

•Earth Resources Inspections •Tree preparation •Tree planting •Coppicing •Forest Garden planting •Growing Fungi •Bio Construction •Clay oven making •Pond construction •Preserving food •Bread baking •Beer making •Site visits

The day to day running of the farm will be also be your responsibility during your stay. These daily tasks will involve maintaining farm animal systems, kitchen garden systems, water systems, waste systems, nursery systems and the people systems of the farm. Teaching staff will mentor the interns through this process so that they feel comfortable in running systems in a diverse Permaculture project site.

Daily Schedule during the course The daily schedule is fast paced and intensive but sense engaging and suited to multiple learning styles. The training schedule is as below (with farm chores 6:30- 8:00am daily);

We are in a creative and supportive learning environment during our time together and encourage participants to come with an open mind for learning from a diversity of people from varying backgrounds and cultural viewpoints. We keep a space before breakfast for the daily tasks that support the smooth running of the farm and it’s systems., giving you hands on experience alongside the Core Team members in what it takes to make this place function.

“I would 100% recommend this course to anybody who wants to learn more about Permaculture! It’s delivered in such an inspiring and knowledgeable way, that when you finish the training you can’t wait to put it all into practice!” IP_PDC student, Sweden 2013

Preparing for your design assignment Hone your design skills... Our extensive teaching experience and work in the field has shown us that it is protracted observation and design thinking that allow you to synthesise and utilise the broad information we will cover in our time together. We have regular quick design exercises in our PDC courses to help synthesise and solidify the learning. There is an extended period over the final days for a more extensive group design. (All our design work will be in small groups) If you have a site you would like to develop design plans for then begin taking photographs and looking for topographic maps and aerial photographs. Search Google, Bing or local service for these if you do not have a detailed survey of your property. Public online topographic maps vary greatly from country to country so hunt online and see what you can find. You should also be able to find wind data, rainfall and temperature data easily enough. Take some soil tests, perhaps dig a soil profile pit and take some jar tests to find the composition of the soil. Take photos. If you can you might take some basic chemical analysis. Record species of plants exisiting on your site- can you find out what they might indicate? Basically, you are starting to gather data. Good design responds to both your objectives and the potential of the landscape. If you do not have a place to work on then you are welcome to work on designing systems or portions of the farm here. Have a look at the recommended reading at the end of this booklet and delve deeper into design beforehand if you can.

Why take a training at ridgedale PERMACULTURE?

We’re running the only dedicated Farm Scale Permaculture & Regenerative Ag farm/ Edu Hub in Europe where you can learn Keyline Design, Holistic Management, Agroforestry and all the other aspects of regenerative design we teach about IN THE FIELD. Learn where the action is! Our courses are accredited by the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI), Australia (PRI Registered Teacher No. 24) and the Permaculture Association UK. This ensures you are you being trained by a personally vetted field trained professional, actively engaged in design and with recognized teaching skill. Richard is regarded as one of Europe’s leading designer- educators as well as a leading Keyline practioner. We make a living designing professionally and we live and work in our designs and are continually deepening our knowledge and understanding to empower what we have to share. We are engaged in regenerative design daily; professionally, on the farm and at home and have been for many years. We are 100% committed to radical system redesign by managing financial, social and ecological elements holistically. DESIGN is the foundation of all our trainings Our experience shows that students engaging in regular design case studies synthesise course content much more effectively, and produce more competent and actionable designs. We teach principle-based design, so you will understand how to apply design to any site regardless of the climate or circumstance. Our no nonsense approach to design is key to our trainings, and our practical experience in every major climate zone integrating the best of several disciplines of regenerative design means we can impart very broad and practical knowledge and experience. We offer a clear, pragmatic and scientific approach to design. Permaculture is a design science; metaphysics is not included in our curriculums, and for good reason. Students of all backgrounds, cultures and religions are fully welcome and respected. We are integrationalists and believe in integrating anything effective and workable from any discipline to widen our scope, we have been using Keyline® design and Holistic Management® in our work for years. Permaculture Design and Regenerative Ag. are our full time passion and work. We are committed to regenerating soils, farms and communities globally. We run an extensive education and consultancy service and have designed in over a dozen countries on 4 continents in every major climate zone. Aside from our busy teaching schedule we have consulted for a variety of projects and clients. We invest our surplus into furthering our work regenerating landscapes and educating others to do the same. We only work with world-class practioners and teachers, whilst we have often run solo trainings we also co- teach with some of the best in the field. See our website for past co- teachers http://www.ridgedalepermaculture.com/past-co-teachers.html We can support you after the training with both personal and professional experience in further education we can offer advice, design support and recommend further learning opportunities for those wishing to take design further. We have acted as mentors in longer term education programs, such as the 2 yr Permaculture Diploma, as well as run a wide variety of workshops and trainings to students from over 45 countries through all climate zones.

Other information you need to know for your stay at ridgedale PERMACULTURE Dedicated to the benefit of all... Site Policy Accommodation & Facilities Catering

Included in the cost

The cost of your course includes a farm ridgedale PERMACULTURE is Accomodation for the PDC will be camp- Our courses are fully catered with whole- scale PDC course (Trainer accredited ing at the farm. It may be possible to rent some, balanced Organic food. We proa family home as well as a professional learning center. We cater to people from many cultures and nationalities so to help maintain a comfortable stay for all students are asked to follow a code of conduct during their visit.

For the benefit and wellbeing of all staying at the farm there is a strict no drugs policy. Anyone transgressing this policy will be asked to leave immediately. Consumption of alcohol is not permitted other than our final celebration. We do not tolerate any form of anti social behavior/ conduct and our commitment to deep ethics and the benefit of all form the basis of our working and social relationships.

a shared house within short walking dis- vide as much basic fresh food from the tance if you wish to pay the cost of approx. farm as possible, vegetables, fruit, dairy, 2000.00 SEK. (Contact us well in advance) eggs, meat, etc. At some times of year we may also have wild meats, berries Washing facilities are a large communal sau- and mushrooms available too. All bulk na/ washroom with a couple of private stalls products we buy in are organic and the for bucket showers. We request that people meals we serve are of a wholesome farm to bring purely ecological soaps as they drain menu type, which include preserved, ferinto our plant systems. Please also bring a mented and dried surplus products from swimming costume for the sauna/ washroom. the farm. We offer an option of our meals Whilst this is not exactly traditional by Swedish without meat products for vegetarians. standards we must point out that we have people from all over the world attending our train- Any variations to basic meat or vegings from very different cultural backgrounds. etarian diet are challanging for us to cater for, so students with specialFast Fibre optic internet is provided on ized diets need to supplement their site which is a. great research and learn- meals with their own food purchases. ing tool as well as allowing you to keep We only serve cofin touch with work and loved ones. fee once a day in the morning

“A deep dynamic well of hands on experience delivered with the joy and love that the earth needs now...” IP_PDC student, Thailand, 2009

by P.R.I. Aus and P.C. Assoc. UK) and also includes organic or beyond-organic farm food caterering, camping (please bring a warm sleeping bag to ensure your comfort!) access to our physical and digital libraries, learning materials and on site stay. We also offer pick up and set down at Västra Ämtervik. We are sorry but we do not offer reductions; our intention is to bring you the highest quality up-to-date trainings at affordable rates. We believe we are very competitively priced, particularly considering the crelative experience & expertise of our trainers and the investment made in the land to provide the highest calibre setting for such a training. We understand some people have difficulty raising the funds to participate in trainings, so we act as a course provider for Wethetrees, a dedicated Permaculture crowd sourcing site; http://www.wethetrees.com/pages/ fund-your-permaculture-design-course

Getting to ridgedale PERMACULTURE

What to bring for your stay?

Driving We are located quite centrally to all the major regional transport

Bring what you need to be comfortable. We provide a delicious and wholesome rounded diet with farm kitchen style menu but perhaps bring any special treats that we may not be able to cater for.

ÅSEN 20, 686 95 Västra Ämtervik, Värmlands län, Sweden

• A good tent and sleeping bag • A pair of work clothes, which you are happy to get get dirty • Work boots/ Wellies & comfortable shoes • Non-work clothes, be prepared for cold weather, multiple layers is best • Swimming costume for sauna (we have people from many cultures) • Water bottle for comfort when working in the field • Flashlight / Head lamp • Books- Bring a few to show to others • Towel and non toxic toiletries • Sunscreen/ hat/ sunglasses/ working gloves, etc if you need them • Notebook and good pens for taking notes • Maybe your own supply of coffee, we only offer it at breakfast! • Laptop & 500GB external harddrive (to make use of our extensive library) • A musical instrument if you like to play one • An open mind for learning from everyone present • High quality chocolate (optional but appreciated!)

Latitude: 59°50’15” N, Longitude: 13°08’34” E

hubs. We are 3 hrs from Oslo, 4 hrs from Stockholm & 3.5 hrs from Gothenburg. For Google maps use this address;

Train & Bus We recommend using the website http://www.sj.se/ which

gives you all the options and comparative prices when travelling in Sweden, in both Swedish and English. We can pick you up in Västra Ämtervik which is a neat 6km from the farm.

Flying Travel is simple from the three major transport hubs above. Use the train/ bus link to determine what feels best for you.

Come sun, rain or snow...

Booking onto the Permaculture Design Course We manage our bookings online on our website at the relevent course page, you can reserve a spot or pay in full via the secure service on the website. Places are limited so book early to avoid dissappointment.