Why should I do a permaculture design course?

[cottager]

Part of how I think about things is doing a cost/benefit analysis of any major choice I make.

So, please, give me reasons why this would be good for me (I WANT it, but wanting something won't cut the mustard in my world ... I need solid why's ... please?).

Background on me ... been a gardener for a very long time (grew up on science and gardening ... funny mix).

I have been teaching food production for nearly two decades now, with the last few years in a dedicated kitchen garden program.

Just need an excuse really ... please give it to me

[Pakanohida]

Part of how I think about things is doing a cost/benefit analysis of any major choice I make.

So, please, give me reasons why this would be good for me (I WANT it, but wanting something won't cut the mustard in my world ... I need solid why's ... please?).

Background on me ... been a gardener for a very long time (grew up on science and gardening ... funny mix).

I have been teaching food production for nearly two decades now, with the last few years in a dedicated kitchen garden program.

Just need an excuse really ... please give it to me

I grow food with out pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers, ((IE - Fukuoka / Hazelip)) My bills have dropped tremedously & my health has gone up. If that is not a good enough reason I do not know what is.

However, I have 1 more reason. When you have your own healthy food growing without chemical or any other inputs then the stuff on your property, and you are generating your own electricity, what is left to buy? Who do you really need to rely on besides yourself? When you get to a point when you make your own food and power, that's when you become truly free, and that to me is the best reason of them all.

Freedom.

[labradel]

yes pak all that can be done without chemicals without a pdc. so why is a pdc required

[eco4560]

For some people having the certificate gives them business opportunities to market themselves. Like setting up a design business, or adding it on to their landscaping business.
For others they don't have the basic knowledge to design their own place for more effective production and can learn those skills from the PDC. I don't know what you know, so maybe you wouldn't get anything out of it at this level. But I have just finished my PDC after reading / talking / watching permaculture for almost 4 years and I learned new things. That will also be dependant on the quality of your teacher.
If you study locally, you are supporting a fellow permie (your teacher) to progress the permaculture message. You will also establish networks with other students that may bear fruit in time.
If you study exotically (i.e. Malaysia, Namibia etc) your fees will subsidise a local person to attend who would otherwise not have been able to do so, and they get to take permaculture back to their village / town and pass it on.
It is also an excellent opportunity to stop for a while, and instead of being busy with do-ing, think about why and how you do things, and whether there is a better way. And if you have a good teacher (thumbs up to Tom Kendall at Kin Kin) its fun too!

[Grahame]

i'm like you cottager, I've never taken a PDC and I would like to. For me there are a couple of compelling reasons. One, to meet and spend some time with like-minded people. I think we under-estimate how important networking and building a 'community' of permies is. Two, you can always learn more about permaculture, gardening, anything and people with experience are the best ones to teach you. Everyones experiences are different, everyones problems and solutions are different and we can learn from all of them.

Money and time are the main reasons I don't do one.

[cottager]

Thank you for the help!

Positives so far:
1/ Supporting a fellow permie (being short on funds, this one has to be relegated to nice-to-do);
2/ Learning something (that's a given!).
I would need to justify this new knowledge with a return for learning (in other words, not just for my own benefit, but to incorporate in teaching).
3/ Fun (this it would be! ... also on the nice list )

Negatives (potential) so far:
1/ The cost could be better allocated to solar energy
2/ Money ...

I'm still having trouble making the pdc hit the top of the list of things I should spend money on. Don't get me wrong, I WANT to do the pdc, with a passion!

How can I make it pay for itself? Will my learning benefit others? How can I combine the three concepts of self-education, educating others and income streaming?

Someone suggested (because of my long-term volunteer community work) that I could perhaps apply for funding (a grant) to cover the cost. Has anyone done this?

[purplepear]

I think that if you need others to convince you then you are not yet ready for the information. When you are ready then making the time and money available will be an easy thing as it will have prioity. So dont do it till you are ready.
For me and for many I have taught, the PDC opens doors to knowledge that you already have and that you have access to, and you start to "know" stuff you have no business knowing.
It is not that likely that a PDC will "Pay for itself" unless you consider a planet saved payment. Your learning will defiantly benefit others and even now your passion for Pc is more than likely changing people around you.
Our PDC costs as little as $10 an hour and you will not find education that cheap often but in time you may well change your mind. Remember that you can do so much from a Permaculture perspective without a PDC - just join a local permaculture group, transition towns, organic growers. or participate in a permablitz or two. You will contribute heaps and learn heaps too.
The door that a PDC will open for you will be ready when you are.
I love your passion.

[labradel]

i had been practicing permaculture approx 19 years before i did my pdc i think that doing the pdc after a good time for some practical experience is of help to get better value for the time/money spent doing the pdc

[Pakanohida]

yes pak all that can be done without chemicals without a pdc. so why is a pdc required

You utterly missed the point. For me, it's about learning how to truly be free while living with my environment.

[deee]

I'm a fledgling PDC teacher, so I have a thumping great bias, but here's a few reasons:
- if you do a local PDC you will help build community for yourself and others
- a good, part-time PDC will let you appraise what you have while you're standing in it: permaculture is a design science. I was a gardener and scientist who had read a lot about permaculture before I did a PDC. After the PDC I saw the whole system, not just the parts. The PDC will give you the tools to improve on what you already have, and a part-time PDC will let you apply your knowledge progressively, without overwhelming you.
- permaculture is about more than gardening and growing food. A PDC is often life-changing, causing students to re-examine many facets of their lives. For some, it is an emotional roller coaster. Its a journey enhanced by sharing with others.
- your knowledge will be really valuable to others on your PDC. Think of it as your part of Fair Share.

The UK Permaculture magazine published 10 reasons to do a PDC a couple of issues ago. I'll track it down......

It upsets me to see people holding off doing a PDC because of money. Can I have a brief vent? I run a really cheap PDC. It costs $600, the same price I paid Rowe Morrow and Lis Bastian when I did mine. I simply can't justify charging more than they did. I offer one free place per course to a local community garden. I'm struggling to find students, yet courses that cost 3 times as much fill up quickly. Is the permaculture community "brand obsessed" too?
D