Wa Samaki Ecosystems - Permaculture Trinidad

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Welcome the Summer solstice of 2012 in Trinidad by taking Sixth Annual Intensive Permaculture Design Course from June 22th to 24th, 2012 : Enjoy the Hindu Festival of Lights 'Diwali' while taking the Seventh Annual Intensive Permaculture Design Course from November 9th to 18th, 2012 . Please note that we have taken into consideration the time constraints for people to take 14 days off work to attend the traditional course so it has been condensed into a 10 day course and the hours of contact will be longer each day.

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Welcome the Summer Solstice of 2012 with a fire circle and drum session under the stars at Wa Samaki the night before the start of the 10 day Permaculture Design Course (PDC) from June 22th - July 1st, 2012Details of each section can be found in the 'Course details and Fees' window. Day 1: Fri, June 22, 2012Introduction of ParticipantsCourse OutlineOrientationVirtual tour of Wa SamakiB R E A KBioregionalism Observing nature, reading landscapesL U N C HInvisible structuresBehavioral changesB R E A KWater - first prioity in a designDay 2 :Saturday, June 23, 2012Introduction to organic gardening and companion plantingB R E A KDesigning an organic garden L U N C HRoot crops walk at Wa Samaki B R E A KRootcrops/organic garden/ mandala tour Day 3: Sunday, June 24, 2012Permaculture HistoryPermaculture Ethics and PrinciplesLUNCHZones and SectorsProjects B RE A KTour of WaSamaki EcosystemsDay 4: Mon June 25, 2012ClimateBio-geographyEcosystemsL U N C HPatterns Forests and trees B R E A KSoilsMicro- climatesDay 5: Tuesday June 26, 2011Field tripLUNCHBuilding Design Waste treatmentEarthworksBREAKLevelling ExerciseSwaleDay 6: Wed June 27, 2012 AnimalsAquacultureB R E A KMapping LUNCHTree Crops and Food GardensBroad scale LandscapingB R E A KFire and CatastropheEnergy and appropriate TechnologyDay 7:Thu, June 28, 2012Design ProcessWildlife restorationB R E A KEconomics and MoneyL U N C HInterviewing of ClientsB R E A KProject WorkDay 8 :Fri June 29, 2012Village Land accessB R E A KCostsPresentation SkillsL U NC HUrban Planning, City designB R EA KTeam Base MapsDay 9 :Sat, June 30, 2012Design WorkB R E A KDesign WorkL U N C HDesign WorkB R EA KDesign WorkDay 10:Sun, July 1, 2012Design WorkB R EA KDesign workL U N C HTeam PresentationsB R E A KPresentation of Certificates
Experience the Hindu Festival of Lights 'Diwali' while taking the 10 day Permaculture Design Course (PDC)November 9th -18th, 2012Details of each section can be found in the 'Course details and Fees' window. Day 1: Fri, Nov 9, 2012Introduction of ParticipantsCourse OutlineOrientationVirtual tour of Wa SamakiB R E A KBioregionalism Observing nature, reading landscapesL U N C HInvisible structuresBehavioral changesB R E A KWater - first prioity in a designDay 2 :Saturday, Nov 10, 2012Introduction to organic gardening and companion plantingB R E A KDesigning an organic garden L U N C HRoot crops walk at Wa Samaki B R E A KRootcrops/organic garden/ mandala tour Day 3: Sunday, Nov 11, 2012Permaculture HistoryPermaculture Ethics and PrinciplesLUNCHZones and SectorsProjects B RE A KTour of WaSamaki EcosystemsDay 4: Mon Nov 12, 2012ClimateBio-geographyEcosystemsL U N C HPatterns Forests and trees B R E A KSoilsMicro- climatesDay 5: Tuesday Nov 13, 2012Field tripLUNCHBuilding Design Waste treatmentEarthworksBREAKLevelling ExerciseSwaleDay 6: Wed Nov 14, 2012 AnimalsAquacultureB R E A KMapping LUNCHTree Crops and Food GardensBroad scale LandscapingB R E A KFire and CatastropheEnergy and appropriate TechnologyDay 7:Thu, Nov 15, 2012Design ProcessWildlife restorationB R E A KEconomics and MoneyL U N C HInterviewing of ClientsB R E A KProject WorkDay 8 :Fri Nov 16, 2012Village Land accessB R E A KCostsPresentation SkillsL U NC HUrban Planning, City designB R EA KTeam Base MapsDay 9 :Sat, Nov 17, 2012Design WorkB R E A KDesign WorkL U N C HDesign WorkB R EA KDesign WorkDay 10:Sun, Nov 18, 2012Design WorkB R EA KDesign workL U N C HTeam PresentationsB R E A KPresentation of Certificates
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The PDC does not have prerequisites and tries to expose all students to the topics from as simple a level as possible. What a graduate receives at the end of the course is an understanding how the whole design system works and what may be needed from other sources to make the system work. The Permaculture designer does not need to have all the skills necessary to implement a design, but must be able to recognize what skills are needed and where to source them independently. The PDC is now run over a 10 day period and provides an intensive exposure to the principles of Permaculture design. Students come together on a Permaculture farm or site and live there for the duration of the workshop. The course has been condensed to 10 days from the traditional 14 day period by increasing the contact hours each day.The PDC follows the accepted 72 hour contact format specified by the Permaculture Institute of Australia. Graduates obtain a PDC certificate upon completion of the course and are allowed to use the word Permaculture in their pursuit of making a living. An overview of the PDCDay 1Introduction of ParticipantsPermaculture HistoryOrientation and a site visit of Wa Samaki EcosystemsPermaculture EthicsThe Three Ethics form the core around which the course is taught. They are as followsCare for the EarthThis includes all living and non-living things plants, animals, land, water and air Care for all PeopleThis promotes self-reliance and community responsibility. We need to be mindful to ensure that everyone has access to resources necessary for existence Care for Community This requires us to control our population and be disciplined consumers so that we can distribute what is surplus to our needs, for the benefit of other people and all life. The ethics are translated into actions by following 12 principles. These principles help establish all the parameters around which a Permaculture design is set up and are constantly reviewed throughout the PDC. They are applicable to almost all situations. The 12 principles include Relative location, optimizing connections Elements performing multiple functionsFunctions supported by many elementsEnergy efficient planning: Zone and sector analysis Use biological resourcesEnergy cycling: plants and animals in an integrated system Small-scale intensive systems : Grow boxes, deep litter beds, small animal systemsNatural plant succession and stackingEncouraging polycultures and diversity of speciesIncrease the "edge" within a system: Unique niches and resource accumulationObserving natural patternsPaying attention to scale: Planning for the long term AttitudePatterns and Observation: all human knowledge is based on recognizing patterns not discrete bits of information. Observation and recognition of natural patterns and implementing them in designs can increases efficiency by reducing work or harnessing natural energies.Day 2 ClimateBio-geographyEcosystemsWaterB R E A KForests and TreesL U N C HReading LandscapesB R E A KSoilsMicro- climatesClimate/ Biogeography: an introduction to all the climatic zones a student may work in globally and what design criteria must be looked for to successfully design in different climatic zonesEcosystems: an introduction to natural ecosystems and what must be observed and learned from them for application into a Permaculture designWater: a global look at the water situation, and what design criteria must be applied at a household, local and national level to conserve and harness this resourceReading Landscapes: the ability of a designer to enter any landscape and be able to recognize certain aspects of the terrain to design for all aspects of Permaculture.Forests & Trees: forests and trees form the backbone of most Permaculture designs as they are the ultimate solar collectors to provide all of the other needs of a sustainable design. Soils: Students are exposed to all the necessary criteria needed to form healthy soil as well as the differences between natural, undisturbed soils, Permaculture soils undergoing repair and heavily damaged agricultural soils. Nutritional profiles are looked at as well as methods of soil remediation.Microclimate: all climatic zones have areas within them that do not match the broad climatic expectations based upon their altitude, nearness to water etc. that allow things to grow or jobs to be done that are not normally possible. Designers learn how to find these areas or how to create these microclimates by designing elements or using elements that exist on the landscape. Day 3Zones and Sectors Mapping 1B RE A KBuilding DesignWaste TreatmentL U N C H Leveling exerciseB R E A KFire and Catastrophe Energy Appropriate TechnologyLeveling Tools and Earth working exercise: Designers are taught how to build and use simple leveling devices that prove invaluable on sites to trap water, build contours and roads and lay out trees. A hands-on exercise is normally done on a site to implement some of these features.Home System/Zone & Sectors: A key factor to the success of Permaculture is to start small and start from your doorstep and move outwards, always managing what you can control. Students are taught how to analyze the movements of their client to design for efficiency, to section off different areas of properties for different types of uses and to analyze external factors affecting properties and how to design to enhance or decrease their influences. Building Design and Waste Treatment: Students are exposed to current and alternative building designs that utilize local less energy intensive materials and are more ecologically friendly. Students are taught how to assess different criteria to come to more informed conclusions on houses that are normally one of the highest cost ins in current lifestyles. Waste treatment designs and solutions are looked at to handle residential grey water as well as alternatives to handling waste that is normally sent to septic tanks or sewage treatment plants. Mapping 1: The ability to read maps of all types allows designers to access information for the general area, as well as details of the site he or she is working on. Details of map reading and designing according to the information obtained from maps are followed by introductory design work on simulated sites. Fire and Catastrophe: Students are exposed to different fire hazard conditions as well as criteria needed to be analyzed to design for storms, hurricanes, droughts and other potential natural disasters and what to have in place to come back quickly after such disasters. Permaculture designs always take into account such hazards as poor planning can be very expensive in the long run. Energy & Appropriate Technology: Technology imported from northern climates may not necessarily be the best technology to use in tropical areas either in the form of machinery or practices. This module teaches students about the different energy needs required in designed systems and how one can go about finding the appropriate technology that is affordable, simple to build and maintain and durable.Day 4Field Trip L U N C HMapping 2Exercise or Field Trips: Students are taken on a field trip to observe what they have learned and to begin seeing potentials for designs.Mapping 2 : Students learn how to survey and draw their own maps of sites they are working with. Designing on paper is one of the best ways of avoiding costly mistakes that could take place on the ground with poor planning. Sites are used that will test regular methods of obtaining measurements to show students what alternatives they may have.Roads/Earthworks: Designing with earthworks to create roads, trap water, build shelters, guard against catastrophe. Moving earth is one of the primary and usually expensive aspects of large designs before other biological systems are put in place. Properly designed earthworks can be extremely durable and cost effective in the long run.Day 5Animals AquacultureB R E A KTree Crops and Food GardensL U N C HBroad scale LandscapingB R E A KWildlife RestorationAnimals, Aquaculture, Tree Crops, Food, Garden Design: A day of analyzing and designing for all the different living systems in a Permaculture design and how to plan for energy efficiency and connections to reduce the amount of work and supervision a design needs.Broad scale Landscape: Designing for large acreages encompassing zones 3, 4 and 5. Students look at different aspects of designing for areas that are not routinely visited, require low maintenance but must also provide resources/revenues for the owner. Wildlife/Restoration : Repair of degraded lands using pioneer plant species and wildlife to bring in initial natural seeds and then planning for wildlife over the long term. Day 6Agronomy of Root CropsCassavaDasheenSweet PotatoL U N C HOrganic GardenBREAKOrganic GardenAgronomy of root cropsThe conventional and permaculture ways of production of some of the important starch producing tropical root crops are looked at in more details.The Organic garden and companion plantingA mixture of important tropical and temperate vegetables are studied to determine which groups grow well together and which do not. Students are taught how to design garden beds that allow for proper crop rotation, the correct companions for the chosen crops, planning for continuous production over time and methods of improving soil health and in turn plant health. Day 7Design ProcessB R E A KProjectsEconomics and MoneyL U N C HInterviewing of ClientsB R E A KProject WorkDesign Methods: Different methods of approaching design work are looked at. Students are exposed to alternative methods using senses that are not used in conventional western designing. Students then have a larger choice of what design approaches to use for their projects. Economics and Money: The current economic system is analyzed and alternative economies and more sustainable systems looked at that exist globally. Goods and services that are traded without the use of money are demonstrated as alternatives when modern economic systems have failed. Design Process/Data Gathering/Teams: Methods of gathering data for design projects are outlined as well as a methodical way of beginning the design process. Students are divided into teams that will undertake group design projects for the final presentationsInterview of Client/ Teams Analysis: Student teams begin the interview process with an actual client whose land will be used to produce designs for. Students will treat this as a real interview similar to what they may expect once they begin designing for real clients. All aspects of the design process are followed to give as complete a design as possible.Day 8Village Land accessB R E A KBioregional cultural workCostsPresentation SkillsL U NC HUrban Planning, City designB R EA KTeam Base MapsVillages and Land Access: Rules governing land access for all humans are looked at as well as design criteria controlling villages. Most food producers are small scale farmers that do not have land tenure. Different systems of land use and tenure are analyzed to determine what systems are sustainable and what systems lead to land abuse and deterioration.Bioregional Cultural Work: Students are exposed to the concepts of bio-regions and bioregionalism. Supply chains and food miles are analyzed and solutions of reducing these by sustainably harvesting the natural resources of our bioregions are analyzedCosts: Analyzing and determining true cost of projects are looked at. Ways of avoiding over runs and making errors that require the continuous input of resources are studied. Communal projects are looked at that may help alleviate some of the problems individual householders run into. Presentation Skills: an introduction to making effective presentations, a prerequisite to successful client relationships and design acceptance.Settlement: Criteria are looked at for what makes successful settlements and what are the historic and cultural limits that evolved in establishing them. Details are given on what makes successful hamlets, villages, towns and cities and what rules regulate their survival successes and failuresCity Design: Case studies are analyzed of what have shown to be successful cities that are sustainable and that have evolved or are designed using the principles of Permaculture. Urban Strategies: looks at making cities more self sufficient, reducing the ecological footprint through multi use zoning. Teams Basemaps: Teams present their outlines for the projects they will be working on Day 9 Design WorkB R E A KDesign WorkL U N C HDesign WorkB R EA KDesign WorkTeams Conceptual Design: The morning is spent on teams putting together their designs for their final presentationShort Reports: a 10 minute report on how far the team has reached in their final design projects.Teams Detailed Design : Teams spend the rest of their day finishing design workDay 10Design WorkB R EA KDesign workL U N C HTeam PresentationsB R E A KPresentation of CertificatesTeams Finish Designs : Morning for final team presentation work Presentations: Teams make final presentationsNetworks: An overview of the networking process and achieving Permaculture networks within the bio region Teaching: Further aspects regarding teaching Permaculture and other requirementsPresentation of CertificatesClosing : Closing circle and review of the course
Cost, Registration & ContactInternational and Regional Participants:The cost of the two week program, including lodging, meals, field trips, certified instruction and all course materials, is US$1000 - airfare not included. Regional participants staying at the farm pay a subsidized price of US$950 airfare not included.To register, please request a form from us at wasamaki_tstt.net.tt Please make check or money order payable to Erle Rahaman-Noronha.You may also pay in cash at the start of the courseMail registration to:Permaculture at Wa Samakic/o 6 St. Anns Avenue,St. Anns,Trinidad and Tobago, WILocal Participants:Locals not staying on the farm pay a subsidized price of $4000TT. Participants paying in full before Sept 30th qualify for a special price of TT$3500. To register, please print, fill out and send the Registration Form. Please make check or money order payable to Erle Rahaman-Noronha.Mail registration to:Permaculture at Wa Samakic/o 6 St. Anns Avenue,St. Anns,Trinidad and Tobago, WIIf you have any questions about the course please contact:John Stollmeyer at (868) 624-1341 or 295 8122Erle Rahaman-Noronha at (868) 673-4180 or 373 2890Food, Lodging & TransportationInternational and regional participants staying at the farm will be provided with three meals daily. Accommodations are in shared rooms in the main farmhouse or intern house. Local, driving in, participants will be provided with lunch and may pay for their additional meals should they wish to stay on in the evenings.Please inform us of your dietary needs and preferences in the registration form.A camp site is in the process of being constructed and if you would like to camp outside be sure your tent is waterproof and preferably large enough for your comfort, easy to disassemble, yet compact enough to transport.
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Page 3 What to bring to TrinidadIn general it would be good to be able to carry all your own bags, so pack light. You can expect to find most of the consumer goods available within trinidad but not very close to the farm. Be prepared to pack out all batteries and non biodegradable waste, avoid excessive packaging.Do not leave bags unattended. You will be met at the airport.In addition to the obvious things you would need for a couple of weeks in the tropics (socks, underwear, t-shirts, shorts, sandals) please consider the following items for this course:sneakerslong pants for mosquitoessun hatsun screeninsect repellantbug netnotebook(s)/sketch bookpens and pencilsheadlamp/flashlightextra batteries if specialisedwater bottle/camelbacktoweltent if you prefer campinglight weight sleeping bagToiletries: - non phosphate soap and shampoo (biodegradeable)women tampons or padssmall sewing kitThere is a washer and dryer available for doing laundry, however ecological laundry soap is not, we would appreciate if you could bring some.Optional:camerafilm (might be more expensive here if you still use film!)extra battery for camerabook(s) to read and share with othersmusical instrumentsfavourite comfort/snack foodjournalMedical kit:Please be sure to bring any medicines you may need and please inform us of any medical conditions, allergies or special information about your health. Many pharmaceuticals are available over the counter but local pharmacies may not have your exact prescription. Please come prepared.Shots are not required. There have been some cases of dengue fever in the country but none in Freeport, the site of the workshop.
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Short introductory courses are held monthly at our demonstration sites in Port of Spain or Freeport. The schedules are posted below

PDC Sat. July 31st 2010_ 6 St. Anns Ave., St. AnnsStart your own back yard organic garden using Permaculture Principles One day seminar 9am-3 pm (lunch included)Cost: sliding scale (suggested donation $300)Course taught by Johnny StollmeyerLearn how to find the best location,How to create fertility and recycle wasteHow to increase biodiversity and minimize pest damage andWhy we should evolve more self-sufficient local communities.Register by calling 624 1341 orEmail john dot Stollmeyer at gmail dot compage under construction

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Introductory workshops Sat. Aug. 27th 2010_ 6 St. Anns Ave., St. AnnsStart your own back yard organic garden using Permaculture Principles One day seminar 9am-3 pm (lunch included)Cost: sliding scale (suggested donation $300)Course taught by Johnny StollmeyerLearn how to find the best location,How to create fertility and recycle wasteHow to increase biodiversity and minimize pest damage andWhy we should evolve more self-sufficient local communities.Register by calling 624 1341 orEmail john dot Stollmeyer at gmail dot compage under construction

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General information Sat. Sept 18th 2010_ Wa Samaki Ecosystems Designing for water harvesting and conservation Learn about the critical resource called clean water! Learn about roof top collection, swales, tanks, ponds and damsFind out how to build an A-frame, find the contour of the land and the layout and construction of a swale to harvest rainwater and create microclimates. Finish with a tour of Wa Samaki Ecosystems to view its multi use ponds systems encompassing 14 ponds strategically placed across its 30 acres.One day seminar 9am-3 pm (lunch included)Cost: sliding scale (suggested donation $300)Course taught by Erle Rahaman-Noronha and Johnny Stollmeyer Register by calling 624 1341 orEmail john dot Stollmeyer at gmail dot compage under construction

Page 4 The 4th annual 10 day Permaculture Design Course is taking place at Wa Samaki Ecosystems from Oct 29th to Nov 7th. please view the other section for details

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Page 7 Small animal systemsOne day seminar 9am-3 pm (lunch included)Cost: sliding scale (suggested donation $300)Course taught by Johnny Stollmeyer/Erle Rahaman-Noronha

Page 8 Mapping and basic designingOne day seminar 9am-3 pm (lunch included)Cost: sliding scale (suggested donation $300)Course taught by Johnny Stollmeyer and /or Erle Rahaman-NoronhaDetails and date to be posted

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PDC
Introductory workshops
General information
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