This is a 72-hour theoretical course with hands-on farm and community experiences, encouraging everyone to be involved. The course is open to anyone, no experience required. We promise that the course will leave feeling really inspired from the teachings and of course lasting connections. The course will take place at the Laikipia Permaculture Centre with lead facilitator, Joseph Lentunyoi for one week and the rest of the course will be spread out at different sites in the region assisted by other PRI Kenya facilitators which will be most exciting!
Participants will learn from expert instructors on effective design methodologies, edible gardening, agroforestry systems, water harvesting, natural building techniques, farm value addition, bee keeping, nutrition and basic composting systems including vermicomposting etc. LPC is already a fully developed permaculture demonstration and education site so participants will get to see a fully working site in action and women’s groups that are doing some profound work using permaculture techniques.
The Permaculture Design Certificate is a 72-hour theoretical course based on Bill Mollison’s Designers’ Manual, teaching how we can use today’s tools and technology to create a more sustainable and equitable world for all species. Permaculture is more than just gardening, it is a sustainable lifestyle. Permaculture ethics are Earth Care, People Care and Return of Surplus and this is taught by showing students to focus on local resources and their local community, and to have well thought out design practices to create abundance sustainably. Permaculture has brought a real lasting impact in Laikipia so courses such as these are really helping transform the region greatly!
Students are very welcome to stay back on the site should they wish to gain more experience volunteering. This of course comes at an extra cost to cover accommodation and meals per day. Minimum stay is one month. Funds go directly to the site and projects.
ABOUT THE TRAINER & SITES
Joseph Lentunyoi is a certified Permaculture Designer and Consultant. Joseph is the co-founder of PRI-Kenya, the first organization in Kenya dedicated solely to Permaculture education, projects and research. Joseph took his PDC with Geoff Lawton and his teacher training with Geoff in Australia during a three month internship. He has later completed another Teacher Training and Advanced Consultancy Training with Warren Brush in Kenya, run in partnership with PRI-Kenya.
He has taught permaculture in Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania and Somaliland for a wide range of audiences, from school children to professionals in the field and has worked with small and large NGO’s as well as businesses such as eco-lodges as a professional permaculture design consultant. Joseph has a wealth of knowledge about Earthworks resiliency work. His courses are truly dynamic, showcasing some exceptional practical work at his site, Laikipia Permaculture Centre (LPC) in Laikipia and transforming his community through permaculture which has been a long time dream of his. LPC was founded in 2012 on a degraded piece of land donated by Joseph’s father. In 2013 Joseph started working with women’s groups in the area who were growing Aloe Secundiflora and who were facing challenges with pest control, at the same time LUSH cosmetics in the UK, PRI-Kenya partner, was showing an interest in the aloe for their line of cosmetics. This started the partnership between LPC, PRI-Kenya and LUSH on the Laikipia Permaculture Project.
You will have the opportunity to visit The Laikipia Permaculture Project which is being developed along the same model as the other projects part of the Permaculture & Regenerative Enterprise Programme, though at the same time designed with its very specific context in mind. The project works with four women’s groups, one of which is an umbrella group for six women’s groups, with a total of 227 women. The women are Maasai and traditionally pastoralists, hence there is not really any indigenous farming knowledge. Climate change, severe environmental degradation and change of land available for grazing has however pushed the Maasai to find alternative livelihoods. The area where we work is a drylands, receiving very little rain and overgrazing and charcoal burning has led to severe degradation resulting in huge gullies and soil erosion. A majority of the women we work with walk between 10-20 km to the nearest market to buy food and eat only a few proper meals per week.
A key part of the project is also the development of Laikipia Permaculture Centre as a central education, demonstration and processing site.
COURSE LOCATION
One week at Laikipia Permaculture Centre and 4 days at Naatum Women’s Group
COURSE HOURS
Full days, Monday – Saturday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm (one Sunday off as well as travel time during field visits)
COURSE FEE
East African Rate – 40,000Ksh
(all inclusive of meals, accommodation and certification excludes transport to and fro Laikipia)
ACCOMMODATION
Camping (tents provided) accommodation is included in the course fee.
MEALS
All meals provided in the course fee. We invite you to share our simple meals with us with at least 80% of the produce coming directly from the farm itself. We cook a variety of vegetarian and meat meals, prepared by volunteers and cooks on site. A camp communal kitchen is available for use (you are welcome to buy your own produce too).
HOW TO ENROL
Sign up below. You can pay for your course now via Paypal (admin@pri-kenya.org), bank transfer or Mpesa. Kindly email us at courses@pri-kenya.org for enquiries.A 50% deposit is absolutely mandatory to secure your spot on the course. Participants’ enrollment determines the course from actually taking place so we encourage you to confirm your places as soon as your register for the course below.
