PROJECT:

INTRODUCTION OF THE PERMACULTURE IN

MALAWI

REQUESTED BY:
PROJECT:

HOLLARD FOUNDATION (HF)

INTRODUCTION OF THE PERMACULTURE
P.O. BOX 1953
ETHIOPIA (Konso Special Woreda, SNNPRS)
LILONGWE
MALAWI

REQUESTED BY:

CISS Ethiopia / Save the Childeren, Finland

CONTACT PERSON:

M.J. KASAWALA

CONTACT PERSON:
CONTACT NUMBERS:

01 797 234 / 08 358 417

CONTACT NUMBERS:
DURATION:
3 YEARS (NOVEMBER 2008 TO OCTOBER 2011)
DURATION:

3 YEARS (NOVEMBER 2008 TO OCTOBER 2011)

AMOUNT REQUESTED:
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER
AMOUNT REQUESTED:
2008
2009
2010
TO
TO
TO
OCTOBER 2009
OCTOBER 2010 OCTOBER 2011
NOVEMBER 2008 NOVEMBER 2009 NOVEMBER 2010
TOTAL
OCTOBER 2009

OCTOBER 2010 OCTOBER 2011

TOTAL

IN

Table of Contents
BACKGROUND

1-2

.
RATIONALE

2-2

...
OBJECTIVES OF THE

2-4

PROJECT..
EXISTENCE OF SIMILAR

4-4

LINKAGES...
OVERVIEW OF

4-14

PERMACULTURE.
IMPLEMENTATION.........

14-

.........
PROJECT

14
15-

BENEFICIARIES
EXPECTED

15
15-

RESULTS...
CURRICULLUM for the 72hour Permaculture Design Course

16
17-

(PDC)...

19

BACKGROUND
Permaculture (PC) is a holistic design science that stresses taking
lessons from nature and bringing virgin forest culture into our gardens
or fields. It is being used as a tool for promoting sustainable living by a
growing number of people worldwide. In Africa, Permaculture is about
sustaining life and livelihoods. Permaculture addresses needs not
wants. It is about finding solutions to everyday problems. For many it is
about being able to put food on the table and provide for the needs of
the family and move out of vicious poverty and malnutrition. It is often
a question of survival in a world that is determined to make Africans
follow a development path that is based on foreign value systems,
irrelevant processes and external high energy dependent inputs.
Permaculture provides education that is more relevant to the local
situation. Permaculture and its cousin Indigenous Knowledge Systems
(IKS) are alternatives for Konso in Health, Nutrition, HIV and AIDS;
Konso, like most of Africa is facing a health crisis due to a variety of
reasons that include a collapsing health service delivery system,
simplified diets, bad feeding habits and lifestyles and devastating
impact of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Permaculture training will open
new horizons by creating awareness about preventive and
alternative health. In particular herbal remedies have proved to be
accessible, affordable and effective in many communities.
Permaculture as a practical solution to numerous challenges described
above is expected to bring out the following outcomes:
-

Increased awareness among Konso farmers of the alternatives to

the green revolution approach;
Increased awareness of the strategic importance of alternative
development paradigm among the young generation and policy
makers;
Raised profile of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and the
Natural Resource Management (NRM) model for endogenous
development;
Increased knowledge of appropriate technology such as oil
pressing and food processing from own produce.

Everyone interested in the sustainable development of Konso, Africa

and the rest of the world will find that Permaculture offers an
appropriate bottom up and holistic approach that builds on the
foundation of local indigenous knowledge and locally available
resources. The possibility exists for Konso, Africa and humanity to
design ourselves into oneness and harmony with the natural world.
In order to fulfill CISSs goal is to implement community-based and
managed projects for sustainable livelihood with focus to HIV/AIDS and
3

environment by holding a series of 72-hour Permaculture Design

Certificates (PDC) to equip members of the Konso community and the
region in the skills in Permaculture in conjunction with Regional School
and Colleges Permaculture Programme which covers East, Southern
and part Northern Africa.
RATIONALE
Konso like most of Africa has been a recipient of economic, political and
cultural domination by foreign entities for centuries. These external
forces have served to weaken the capacity of African communities to
be self-reliant, confident and to define their own paths to development,
in some instances leading to alienation from the land. In spite of this
sustained foreign onslaught and exploitation, Africa remains rich in
cultural and biological diversity.
Permaculture Design Course (PDC) opens horizons for Konso or African
communities to use their inherent natural and social wealth for
sustainable development. Konso who will have been exposed to
Permaculture are confident that the situation of hopelessness that has
so far characterized the Konso African story can be turned around to
one of hope as they work with nature to produce from their pieces of
land all year round.
Why are we spending so much on a health life?
1) What other goods, services are being squeezed out of our budget?
2) What is the cost to the planet and society?
The answer to our ecological woes is permaculture farming technology
because of the following positive responses:
(a) Permaculture uses resources that usually are naturally available in
good quantities and is less costly to the earths ecological
systems.
(b) Unlike the external high energy dependent inputs used in
conventional farming, permaculture farming technology uses an
annually renewable agricultural and self renewing pasture residue
often considered a waste product.
(c)

Permaculture is environmental friendly.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

Permaculture will help accomplish a number of long and short term
objectives:
These are to:

(a)

Demonstrate the use of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and

the Natural Resource Management (NRM) model for endogenous
development.
Permaculture in Konso will be built on the indigenous knowledge
systems (IKS) for instance elders will be used as resource people
in giving the youth heritage knowledge on agriculture, natural
medicines, natural foods and what brought about longevity in our
forefathers at the same taking cognizance of todays growing
population. Permaculture will also bring in guardianship of the
natural environment by taking herbs which have already been
researched on to be grown around homesteads, so that it would
be easy to suppress ailments at home as our forefathers used to.
On optimum nutrition the emphasis will be Let food be your
medicine and medicine be your food (Hippocrates in 390 BC.) The
people will be given a wide knowledge on what food to take and
what food not to take showing that with an adequate intake of
micronutrients most chronic diseases would not exist. One
example would be to look at how herbs such as lemon grass can
be processed for pharmaceuticals. Aloe vera could, according to
some research (lemon grass) suppresses effects of malaria and
(aloe vera) has many healing properties, supports healthy
digestion, skin, immunity and as such an all-round tonic.

(b) Relieve pressure of financial deprivation on the indigenous

Ethiopian \African farmers reliance on artificial fertilizers and other
non-locally available resources (farm inputs) by using
permaculture.
(c)

Develop a culture which is owner and benefactor friendly. The

independency on the use of non-locally and unaffordable
resources (artificial fertilizers and other farm inputs) can easily be
done by the owner and nature to eliminate external high energy
dependent inputs.

(d) Use permaculture as a self-renewing, natural and affordable

resource which is less costly to the planets ecological systems
and to the soil.
(e)

Demonstrate that permaculture is not careless neglect of the

landscape.
For CISS, Permaculture is not about abandoning your
landscape/design and letting nature completely take its course,
rather man/the designer who is created in Gods image, manages
his piece of land by using skills acquired from nature. No health
5

hazards will be allowed to interfere with CISSs version of

permaculture. Excess material from kitchen, garden and grass
would always be harvested to make compost to improve food
production. Wastes such as food cans, old utensils and bones will
be buried more than 60cm deep to build fertility trenches and
improve food production on the landscape.
EXISTENCE OF SIMILAR LINKAGES
The theme of permaculture is slowly taking root in Zimbabwe through
such philosophies as organic farming, natural farming and agroforestry. We at the CISS will collaborate with organizations involved in
permaculture and other sustainable practices such as: Permaculture
Network in Malawi, Regional Schools Colleges Permaculture Programme
Permaculture Association of Zimbabwe, Natural Farming Network,
Silveira House, AZTREC, Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre and SCOPE
Zimbabwe.
OVERVIEW OF PERMACULTURE
Permaculture comes from Permanent and Culture. The Culture referred
to here is the culture of the natural origin forest which replenishes itself
from time to time making it possible for us to harvest wood, humus,
fruits, thatch grass and other resources for our day to day use.
Definition
Definition: a holistic science which places element/components so
that they can work together to create a network of useful connections.
-

Permaculture is about understanding natures patterns and

applying these to the land.
Permaculture aims at creating an interconnected WHOLE through
good design, planning and management, but with species useful to
us.
Permaculture is about creating pieces of paradise wherever we
live.
Permaculture is technically an ecological design strategy which
attempts to assemble the material and conceptual components of
an eco-system in such a way that all life benefits i.e. human and
non-human as well.
Permaculture has evolved into methods of designing ecological
communities and restoring rural, urban/suburban backyard,
apartment balcony, to a design of an entire community or city into
areas that are locally self-reliant.
Permaculture focuses on possessiveness and is a solution-oriented
design strategy perceiving site problems and limitations only as
design opportunities. It is an integrated concept, which centers on

the interconnectedness of all things, which make up each

particular system.

Biblical origins of Permaculture

The Garden of Eden was the essence and the living model of how
mankind was and is to use land sustainable. In it everything human
and non-human life needed was found. Life was easy with the food in
abundance, clean water and a balanced environment. All man was to
do was eat, rest and admire nature, but what went wrong Man decided
to separate himself from nature and thought of conquering it by
bringing those practices that harm nature yet the Garden of Eden was
put to show us really Gods model of what He expects the people to do
on it. Mankind can bring the principles and practices from the Garden
of Eden into their land /design without difficulty.
African Indigenous Agriculture and Permaculture Origins
Our forefathers were so interwoven with nature that they never went
into a new planting season without going out into nature to reconcile
with nature with a traditional rite. Even before eating the first crop or
harvest. As a result of this continuous interaction with nature when
they went to plant their crops, nature remained a living model in their
design. The field was so balanced with all forms of crops and lots of
legumes supporting their soils. It is not news that Africans lived long
because of their connections to nature and diversified form of
agriculture. Permaculture can bring this back with a lot of holistic
planning which it strongly focuses on.
Modern Origins of Permaculture
Permaculture came as an answer to ferment of late 1950s, which
included military adventurism, the bomb, ruthless land exploitation,
the arrogance of the polluters and the general insensitivity to human
needs. An unethical world could waste more on killing people than on
earth care on helping people. What was to be done seemed impossible.
It consisted of researching, applying and teaching sustainable human
eco-systems. Not only teach but also develop a model for others to
learn from. When started in 1976, the apparently impossible was the
only possible. It is not so much that permaculture works or doesnt
work; it is rather that such a system has to work if we are to sustain
the biosphere. Nobody was more critical of the process than the cofounders had, that is Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and nobody was
more aware of the potential weaknesses.

Today we can count in excess of 200 people who have attended

Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC). Some have dropped on the
way, but so many are in effective action around the globe. From
Australia to America, Asia, Europe and Africa, permaculture is practiced
in more than 80 countries. The challenge is to take permaculture ideas
into mainstream and encourage the principles of earth care and people
are to grow in the hearts and backyards of millions. It is already
happening. We must believe in the power of transformation, for efforts
of a few to crack the amour of the existing order.
Permaculture as Originated by Bill Mollison
Nov. 1959: Watching kangaroos browsing in the floristically simple
rainforests of Tasmania, Mollison wrote in his diary:
I believe that we could build systems that would function
as well as this one does.
In this statement we see an attempt to understand interrelationships between browsers, plants and similar systems
that we could create ourselves.
1972-1974: Bill Mollison develops an interdisciplinary earth science
(Permaculture) with a potential for positive integration and
global outreach.
1976:

First public appearance of the permaculture concept with

the article entitled: A Permaculture System for Southern
Australian Conditions-Part One by Bill Mollison and David
Holmgren which appeared in the Organic Gardener and
Farmer, Volume 1 Number 1, 1976 and also was printed in
Tasmania College of Advance Education newsletter Feral
Gazette.

1978:

1.
Interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation,
which created an avalanche of interest from the Australian
community.
2. Publication of the Book Permaculture One by both
David Holmgren and Bill Mollison as a feedback of the
article produced in 1976.
3. First Permaculture International Journal was published.

1979:

Permaculture Two was published.

1981: Permaculture matures sufficiently to be taught as an applied

designed system and the first ever 26 pioneer students graduate from

an intensive 72 hour lecture (PDC) series (About the same lecture

hours as a University subject).
1982:

People actually make a living from products derived from

stable permaculture landscape designs.

1984:

The first ever International Permaculture Convergence

Conference (IPC1) was held in October. 100 permaculturists
were awarded applied diplomas for serving two years after
the Permaculture Designed Course (PDC).

1987:

Bill Mollision comes to Botswana to open the Africa Centre

with the first PDC in Africa ever. Many people from around
Africa attended the course.

1988:

1.
Zimbabwes John Wilson and friends who also had
attended the PDC sought a farm in Mount Hampden and
set up the Fambidzanai permaculture Centre which started
to train people in permaculture. It is still doing the same
today.
2.
Mollison again
Designers Manual.

1990s:
1995:
1997:

authored

book:

Permaculture,

Walkers begin permaculture in Malawi

International Permaculture Convergence, Perth Western
Australia.
School and Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE)
starts in Zimbabwe

2006:
2007:
Brazil

Permaculture comes to schools in Malawi

International Permaculture Convergence (IPC8) held in

2008:

Ethiopian Permaculture Association scales up membership

drive

2009:

International Permaculture Convergence (IPC9) to be held

in Malawi at Phalombe, Thuchila Estates, 1 to 6 November.

Permaculture Ethics (Goals)

Permaculture has a set of ethics or guiding principles. The three
primary ethics are:

Care of the Land

Care of People
9

Reduce consumption and share surplus

Permaculture as a designed strategy, while gaining popularity and

recognition in Australia the United States, has been slow to make a
mark in Ethiopia and Africa in general. Ethiopia and the rest of Africa
requires a new vision given the depletion of the regions natural capital,
primarily the soil, water, forests, and the economic and social
conditions that pervade the continent. Permaculture based
communities could be the future for the African regions given the
history that of being a mosaic of self-reliant communities with resource
based communities. By adopting permaculture design principles,
Konso, Ethiopia, and Africa at large could once again create self-reliant
lives, by growing food and providing for shelter, energy and their
livelihoods, all within a supportive and interdependent community.
The design concept of permaculture has a lot of offer to agriculture. Bill
Mollision, one of the originators of permaculture concept believed that
no culture could thrive let alone survive without a strong, local,
sustainable agriculture at its base.
Permaculture Ethics (Goal)
1. Care for the Earth
This means keeping all the water clean and unpolluted-no poison in
it or the soil carried away by water. It means keeping the air clean
and unpolluted and keeping the soil rich. What is often forgotten in
the
widespread
promotion
and
encouragement
of
monoculture/cropping situation. It means maintaining of a great
variety of living organisms (plants and animals of all sizes. It is the
great variety which brings stability.)
2. Care of the people
This is to do with promoting self-reliance working towards a
situation where people are truly able to decide, initiate and create
for themselves; instead of introducing systems which make people
very dependent on outside inputs, such as is seen with the
dependency on artificial fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and advices
that have grown in recent years. Many farmers would not be able to
continue without these.
3. Reduce consumption and share the surplus (Recycling
Excess)
This is straight forward and is the basis of Nature efficiency. Here
recycling refers to all forms of excess such as animal and plant
wastes metal paper, plastics, information, wealth.

10

The above three ethics are the broad goals of permaculture. Any
decision can be usefully tested against these goals. Is supplying
people a certain kind of seed going to lead them becoming more
dependent? What effects will the application of certain technologies
have on the variety of plant and animal life? Are resources being
recycled? These ethics are not new. They have been part and parcel
of many previous societies, but need to be resituated today, to be
part of any sustainable development.
Bill Mollisons Laws of Permaculture
1.
Everything is connected to everything else.
A chicken adds fertilizer to a fruit tree and so breaks the lifecycle
of some of the pests that spoil the fruit. The ducks on the pond
aerate it for the fish and whose manure feeds the algae which
feeds the fish. The water from the roof of the house caught in pits
to grow plants to feed the people in the house and keep the
house cool and protected from the winds and hot sun, the plants
also benefiting from the protection and reflected heat of the
house.
2.

Everything gardens.
In nature the bee is one of the busiest gardeners transporting
pollen from plant to the next. The birds fly around with seed that
stick on their feet or swallow and then transferred from one part
of the forest to the next, besides, the birds drop their highphosphate manure full of seed of berry-producing shrubs and
trees. These germinate and grow. Steadily, a high community of
species which all depend on each other is established and a high
level of succession is achieved.

3.

The yield of a system is theoretically unlimited.

Limit is only imagination and experience of the designer.

4.

Protracted and thoughtful observation, rather than protracted and

thoughtfulness labour.

5.

The problem is in the solution, or everything works both ways.

Problems turned into assets and wastes into resources.

6.

Stay out of the bush, its already in good order.

7.

Work with nature instead of against it.

Principle 1:
Relative location

11

This principle involves the strategic selection and placement of plants,

animals, structures etc., so that the yields of the one element become
the raw material or requirements for another element, all the while
relating the design to the partners of the particular landscape. The
classic example for this principle is the chicken. What are the chicken
products that can be used by another element in the design? Are these
elements in the correct location to benefit from the interaction?
Chickens produce fertilizer (manure), CO2, and heat, all of which can
be used in a greenhouse. Is the greenhouse near the chicken coop?
This same type of analysis can be conducted for all elements in a
design.
Principle 2:
Multiple Functions Singe Elements
As a rule of thumb, every element should provide at least three
functions. Instead of simply having chickens for income (one function),
they might also serve other needs such as fertilization and weed
control. Another example is an element as simple as a fence. If a fence
is needed to contain animals, for example, design the fence in such a
way that it provides many functions. A living fence can act as a holding
area for animals, provide animals with food and fodder, act as
windbreak, and provide food and medicine for the family. One final
example is a living resource such as bees. When designed into a
system, they serve several functions; food, income and pollination.
Principle 3:
Multiple Elements, Single Function
Multiple elements for a single function add diversity and the local farm
ecosystem becomes more resilient to local environment fluctuations.
For instance, if the single function is soil fertilization, instead of simply
relying on chemical fertilizer, introducing multiple elements would
include crop rotations, use of legumes, animal manure, etc. As other
example, take the function of heating a structure such as greenhouse.
Multiple elements would include body heat from animals, heat from
compost piles placed against the structure, and the use of thermal
mass to store the collected heat.
Principle 4:
Efficient Energy Planning
The goal of this designed principle is to help reduce the amount of
effort (primarily human labour) required to manage a farm. The
property is divided into zones related to how frequently each zone is
visited. The more intensive the activity the closer to human habitation
it should be. For instance, gardens and high maintenance animals
should be closest to the house.

12

Principle 5:
Biological Resource
In the case the goal would be to move away from monoculture. In
permaculture designed agriculture systems, animals would be
introduced into the farm. Ponds and water lands might also be created.
The idea of this principle is to attempt to mimic the diversity of natural
systems and, hopefully, the resilient and resistant qualities of those
natural systems. The design would also focus on utilizing energy flows
(water, wind, etc.) that pass through a farm. It is also important not to
forget the most often neglected biological resourcepeople!
Principle 6:
Energy recycling
When redesigning a farm it is necessary that energy flowing through
the system is used in many different ways. In the case of water, water
harvesting system might be created (key line system, dams, swales,
etc.) to intercept water as it passes through the landscape. Energy
recycling would also include recovering biogas from manure and
orienting structure to obtain maximum solar gain.
Principle 7:
Maximize diversity
For permaculture systems, the idea is to build more stability into a
farm by maximizing diversity, both in terms of plant and animal
species, but also in terms of income or livelihood. In terms of plants
and animals, diversity refers not only to the total number of species,
but more importantly to the number of beneficial interactions between
those species. It is important to create as many niches, micro sites,
and habitats as possible by increasing edges, patterns and creating
plant guilds. In terms of diversifying income, this might include energy
tree / perennial grass planting for biomass and liquid fuels, medicinal
plants, etc.
Principle 8:
Stacking
In permaculture design, stacking in time, space (using vertical space
with trellis structures, etc.) and schedule (time x space) is often
discussed. Stacking is important in terms of making human derived
food production systems more compact so that larger areas of land can
be put back into more natural state in the hope of healing the plant.
Principle 9:
Appropriate technology
In this principle, appropriate refers to its relation to the local culture.
For instance, use of implements that are locally made, can be applied

13

locally, and made use of with the skills of local people. Also, there
should be less reliance on fossil fuels.
Principle 10:
Scale
A return to smaller scale agriculture in the pilot phase as we gain
confidence for full scale permaculture. This is to attempt to balance
technical diversity.
Summation
The challenge for the new permaculturist is to always come up with
strategies on how to scale out programmers as well as to link her / his
small activities with what is happening globally.
PREPARATORY STAGE 1
OBJECTIVES:(a) To design a gardening plan for model gardens.
(b) To collect and stock indigenous seedlings from nearest possible
supplies.
(c) To source other necessary inputs for the model garden.
(d) To continue sourcing literature for Permaculture and develop a
permaculture library.
(e) Establish a hands-on working group.
(f) Networking with permaculture associations around the globe.
(g) To develop strategies for forming womens club Women Managing
A Healthy & Sustainable Life (WMTOHSL)
STAGE 2
The main emphasis of this stage will be to hold permaculture training
workshops on the model site. In this stage the community would come
to view the first ever model garden in Malawi.
OBJECTIVES FOR STAGE 2
(a) To carry out hands on workshops with community members on the
model site on members gardens.
(b) To draw a timetable for site visits to permaculture model garden
by various sectors of society.
(c) To organize a field day to showcase the achievements of
permaculture in the pilot project area.
(d) To co-ordinate and design at least one model garden at each of
the rural schools practicing sustainable farming.
(e) To exhibit permaculture literature at two or three book fairs in the
country.
STAGE 3

14

This stage will put a thrust on networking and expanding in the

countrys provinces and other countries of the region.
OBJECTIVES OF STAGE 3
(a) To select the provinces where permaculture district pilot projects
can be established and done.
(b) To network with sustainable-living organizations in the Ethiopia for
possible establishment of permaculture sites.
(c) To participate and attend international permaculture forums.
(d) Display an actual permaculture garden at agricultural shows
around the country.
(e) To display permaculture literature at book fairs nationally and
regionally.
(f) To hold workshops nationally and regionally.
(g) To produce a bi-annual newsletter on permaculture farming in
Malawi.
PROJECT BENEFICIARIES
Direct beneficiaries will be the community members at stage 1.
Members of the public will benefit as they visit to view the
permaculture model garden. Workshops participants will benefit from
the hands-on activities. Women groups will gain confidence to manage
their own gardens from the hands-on workshops; members of the
public who come to view the project displays at agricultural shows
around the country and at other conventions in both the northern and
southern regions of the country. The SADC region will be exposed to
the permaculture farming principles as we go to make displays at their
fairs. Africa will also benefit from a threatening desert if its people
accept that Permaculture is the solution to environmental destruction.
The greatest beneficiary will be the earth as only its annually selfrenewing element, soil is used.
EXPECTED RESULTS
(a) The permaculture model garden will be completed and put to use.
(b) Hands-0n skills for community members and workshops
participants will have been developed so that they can take action
to use the environmentally-friendly farming practices.
(c) The community and members of the public will be conscious of
the sustainable farming alternative of permaculture.
(d) The permaculture model site will be used as a working example to
further the permaculture farming philosophy.
(e) Videos on the step-by-step permaculture farming will be in
circulation.
(f) Detailed documentation will be carried out and circulated to
partners.
(g) Evaluation by an independent evaluator will be ready.
15

(h) A designed programme for the continuation of permaculture

farming will be prepared; permaculture farming will continue to
spread to all parts of the country.
(i) Number of constructed model gardens and quality of product.
(j) Number of participants, groups who visit the site, women, school
children and members of the general public.
(k) Number of exchange visits with similar organizations.
(l) Summary workshops evaluations.
(m) Production of support materials such as books, magazines,
pamphlets, newsletters, slide pictures and videos.

16

PROPOSED
HOLLARD
FOUNDATION/PERMAINTERVENE
INTERNATIONAL 72- HOUR PERMACULTURE CURRICULLA [PDC].
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

Introduction
Introduction to SFEL. Course outline, references, materials and
housekeeping issues.
Why learn the permaculture concept?
Historical background to permaculture, worldwide, relationship
with African indigenous agriculture and indigenous knowledge
systems (IKS)
Characteristics, ethics and principles of permaculture.

2.0
2.1
2.2

Ecosystems Blocks
Permaculture base is ecology.
Water cycle, mineral cycle, energy flow, cycle of matter,
succession and limiting factors to energy flow.

3.0
3.1
2.2

Resource Assessment
Why resource assessment
Water management and
construction and practicals.

4.0
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4

Principles of Design
Procedures skills and techniques.
Observations, sectors, zones, deductions, maps, etc.
Taking advantage of different macro-climates in design.
Reduction of risks, energy use and selection of appropriate plant
and other elements to implement on the design.
Observing different microclimates and creating various
microclimates.

4.5

harvesting

techniques,

A-Frame

5.0
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4

Soils
Traditional soil classification.
Observation of various soils and relates plant and animal life.
Types of soil erosion damage and types of soil repair.
Water in relationship to soil and soil rehabilitation.

6.0
6.1
6.2
2.2
6.4

Plants Uses in Permaculture

Nurseries propagation methods theory and practice.
Plants multiple functions in permaculture design.
Forests and guilds as air-conditioners, food, diggers, mulches
windbreaks, etc.
Designing food forests by mimicking natural forest.

7.0

Nature Patterns

17

2.2

Creating highly productive designs/landscapes by integrating

nature patterns e.g. spirals, linear circles, etc.

8.0
2.2

Productive Landscapes/ Designs

World climatic zones, appropriate and situational approach for
the designer.
IKS of soils, water use and nutrients have always been
sustainable.
Homebuilding and citing with productive landscape, comfort,
health, energy consumption in mind.
Food gardens for the city and countryside.
Keeping water and soil in productive state and developing selfsufficiency.
Orchards as chemically food forests. Protective fertilizers,
firewood species in the food forests. Use of small animals in food
forests; chickens, ducks, turkeys, bees, guinea fowls, guinea pigs,
and pigs.
Alley cropping and integrating large animals like cattle and
game.
Dry land farming techniques- principles of erosion control
strategies, bunds, minimum till, port-holing, tied ridges, tied
furrows, mulch farming, mixed and intercropping, etc.
Natural forests creation for provision of firewood, oils, dyes, bark,
incomes, etc
Conserving remnant forests to build up corridors and
various ways of promoting their growth.

2.2
2.2
8.4
2.2
2.2

2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
9.0
9.1
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2

Productivity and Sustainability

Weed management to acceptable levels.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) insect classification,
structure and life cycle. Role of predators.
Vegetable and herb gardens-mandala garden design and
construction, keyhole beds, organic materials and mulches.
Aquaculture production systems- fish, plants water plants,
tortoise, etc.
Designing for natural disasters drought, fire, war, storms,
floods, etc so that the landscape recovers speedily.
Waste disposal-effluent systems animal waste, manure.
Recycling pruning timber and composting.
Biotechnology and its effects today including GMO information.

10.0 Self-sufficiency
2.2 Building self-sufficient communities:-country skills e.g. weaving,
crafts, small scale excess food packaging and processing
10.2 Ethical investments

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2.2

Access to production base, the Land for the disadvantaged

members of the community and legal protection for land
ownership.
10.4 Preparing management and development action plans including
monitoring and evaluation for the permaculture design.
11.0 Accreditation
Certificates will be issued in conjunction with:
11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4

Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre, Zimbabwe.

International Permaculture Institute, Australia.
Schools Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE), Zimbabwe.
Regional Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme
(ReSCOPE)
11.5 Hollard Foundation will issue these certificates in consultation
with Tichafa Makovere Shumba an internationally registered
permaculture trainer and consultant who has worked in
permaculture most Southern African countries, now on a one
year as permaculture consultant in Southern Ethiopia.

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