At Roots n Permaculture, our courses are designed to build confidence, clarity and practical competence. We support people to understand their environment, recognise patterns in land and social systems, and design responses that lead to positive and regenerative outcomes.
Our learning pathways are suitable for individuals, land stewards, educators, designers, community organisers and changemakers across the world.
Our Learning Philosophy
Our work is grounded in the ethics and principles of permaculture and regenerative design. We encourage learners to think independently, observe deeply and respond appropriately to their own context.
Rather than offering fixed solutions, we guide you to:
- Identify patterns in ecological, social and inner systems
- Distinguish between patterns that build resilience and those that create harm
- Design interventions that shift systems towards long term wellbeing
By including inner systems in our learning, we acknowledge that beliefs, behaviours and assumptions shape how we design and relate. Developing awareness at this level strengthens collaboration, leadership and long term impact.
This approach ensures that what you learn is transferable. Whether you are working in rural landscapes, urban environments or community organisations, the skills remain relevant because they are rooted in observation and systems thinking.
An important part of our work is engaging critically with the history and evolution of permaculture itself. We explore questions of decolonisation, including what it means to decolonise permaculture in practice. This includes recognising traditional and Indigenous knowledge systems, examining power dynamics within design processes, and ensuring that regenerative work does not replicate patterns of exclusion.
We are committed to justice, equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion. We actively seek to make our permaculture courses available to a broad range of people and to create learning environments where different experiences, cultures and perspectives are respected and valued.
While most of our programmes are designed for adult learners and professionals, we also contribute to educational initiatives that support children and young people to develop ecological literacy and practical awareness from an early age.
Permaculture Design Course
Our Permaculture Design Course provides a comprehensive foundation in ecological literacy, systems thinking and applied design. The course explores the core frameworks developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, while adapting them to contemporary global realities and diverse cultural contexts.
You will learn how to read landscapes, assess social systems, analyse resources and constraints, and develop integrated design responses that are practical and context specific.
What Makes Our PDC Unique
Our PDC is not only about learning design frameworks. It is about learning how to function as a healthy and resilient community.
From the outset, we intentionally co create a learning culture based on shared responsibility, clear communication and collective progress. Alongside ecological design skills, we introduce practical tools for collaboration, decision making and community cohesion.
We hold a simple mantra throughout the course: if we do not all get to the end together then none of us have arrived.
This reflects a fundamental principle of regenerative design. Lasting change does not happen in isolation. It emerges through relationships, trust and collective capacity.
Specialist and Thematic Training
In addition to the PDC, we offer thematic courses and workshops that deepen practical competence across a range of regenerative skills.
These may include:
- Designing and building greywater treatment systems
- Developing low maintenance composting systems
- Biochar production and efficient cook stoves
- Small scale renewable energy solutions such as pedal powered generators
- Plant identification and ecological literacy
- Foraging and fermentation within resilient food systems
These trainings are not taught as isolated techniques. Each skill is explored within a wider systems context so participants understand how water, soil, energy, food, culture and community interrelate.
We offer both in person and online permaculture courses, enabling participation from around the world while maintaining strong interaction and applied learning.
Who Our Courses Are For
Our permaculture courses are open to anyone with a genuine interest in regenerative living and ethical design.
They are particularly suited to:
- Landowners and growers
- Educators and facilitators
- Community leaders
- Designers and architects
- Sustainability professionals
- Individuals seeking meaningful lifestyle change
We welcome participants from diverse backgrounds and aim to reduce barriers to participation wherever possible.
No matter where you are based, the skills you gain will help you work with your local conditions rather than against them.
Start Your Learning Journey
If you are ready to develop practical design skills and strengthen your systems thinking, explore our Permaculture Design Course or review our upcoming specialist trainings.
You may also wish to read more about our Vision and Ethics and our Teaching Approach to understand how our programmes fit together.
If you have questions or would like guidance on the right pathway, please contact us. We look forward to learning with you.