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Permaculture Design Course (PDC)

11 days | Certified course
English Language
January 26 — February 6, 2027

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Learn permaculture immersed in an ecological regeneration project in Chilean Patagonia. Our PDC course combines theoretical training, practical fieldwork, and direct experience in agroforestry systems, water management, food production, and ecological design.

 

You will learn about:

 

  • Ethics and principles of permaculture

  • Regenerative systems design

  • Soils and natural fertility

  • Water retention landscapes

  • Agroforestry and food production

  • Appropriate renewable energies

  • Bioconstruction

  • Efficient stoves

  • Composting

  • Resilient economies

  • Design methodologies

  • Animal handling & management

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Why study at Alma Verde?

 

Because permaculture is best understood when it can be observed in practice.

 

Alma Verde is a permaculture school nestled in Chilean Patagonia, where permaculture principles are lived out daily through direct experience. Here, the landscape becomes the classroom, and every element of the place offers opportunities to learn about design, cooperation, and our relationship with nature.

 

During the course, you will participate in an immersive experience that combines learning, observation, community, and connection with the environment. It's a space to acquire practical tools, broaden your perspectives, and discover new ways of inhabiting and regenerating the land.

 

 

Format: In-person, 72 hours (11 days of classes)

Course language: English

Date: January 26 — February 6, 2027

Fee: 1,000 USD

Instructors

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Cristián Weber

Founder of Alma Verde Permaculture, with ten years of experience in permaculture. Bioconstruction specialist and water retention landscape designer.
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Pablo Llambias

Creator of Permaculture Podcast, the most listened-to permaculture podcast in Spanish, with fifteen years of experience in bioconstruction, appropriate technologies, organic agriculture, and sustainable design.

The Course

Day 1 – Welcome and Orientation
 

  • Arrival and registration

  • Introduction of participants and facilitators

  • Community agreements

  • Group integration activities

  • Course overview
     

Day 2 – Foundations of Permaculture
 

  • History and evolution of permaculture

  • Bill Mollison, David Holmgren, and Masanobu Fukuoka

  • Permaculture ethics

  • The Permaculture Flower

  • Design principles

  • Systems thinking

  • Conscious and regenerative design

  • Observation exercises
     

Day 3 – Patterns, Natural Processes, and Design Methodology
 

  • Patterns in nature

  • Physical and social patterns

  • Landscape reading

  • Scale of Permanence

  • Sectors and zones

  • Site analysis, design tools, and topography
     

Day 4 – Climate, Topography, and Water
 

  • Climate factors

  • Microclimates

  • Solar orientation

  • Wind patterns

  • The hydrological cycle

  • Topographic surveying tools

  • Water harvesting and infiltration

  • Introduction to swales and Keyline Design
     

Day 5 – Soils and Soil Fertility

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  • Soil formation and structure

  • Soil biology

  • Nutrient cycles

  • Composting

  • Vermiculture

  • Biofertilizers

  • Soil regeneration strategies
     

Day 6 – Trees, Forests, and Agroforestry
 

  • Ecological functions of trees

  • Plant guilds

  • Food forests

  • Ecological succession

  • Agroforestry

  • Syntropic Agriculture

  • Windbreaks and shelterbelts
     

Day 7 – Food Production

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  • Agroecological gardens

  • Biointensive farming

  • Polycultures

  • Companion planting

  • Integrated pest management

  • Plant propagation

  • Grafting

  • Seeds and seed saving

  • Crop planning and production calendars
     

Day 8 – Animals in Regenerative Systems
 

  • Functions of animals in design

  • Animal–plant integration

  • Poultry management

  • Beekeeping

  • Holistic grazing

  • Aquaculture and integrated systems

  • Animal welfare
     

Day 9 – Human Habitat and Appropriate Technologies

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  • Bioclimatic home design

  • Natural building

  • Energy efficiency

  • Rocket mass heaters

  • Renewable energy

  • Greywater systems

  • Ecological sanitation

  • Composting toilets
     

Day 10 – Social Design and Regenerative Economics

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  • Social permaculture

  • Community organization

  • Facilitation and decision-making

  • Local economies

  • Regenerative enterprises

  • Project management

  • Community resilience and transition​

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Day 11 – Integrated Design and Final Presentations

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  • Integration of course concepts

  • Design project development

  • Mapping and design proposals

  • Group presentations

  • Evaluation

  • Feedback session

  • PDC certification and closing ceremony

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