Permacultura | Permaculture

Presentation of results on the construction of permaculture in Brazilian academia.

The International Permaculture Convergence is a hybrid event, held biannually, which includes conferences and the convergence between people who practice permaculture.

The IPC14 had the massive presence of permaculturists representing the Abya Yala peoples, such as the Guarani, representing the originally people and permaculturists from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Uruguay. In smaller number, participants from the USA and Italy.

The event was a good opportunity to learn about other global initiatives promoted by the international movement, including the representativeness of the peoples of Abya Yala showing the diversity of permacultures developed in Latin America.

Arthur Nanni (NEPerma/UFSC), presented the lecture “Building permaculture in the Brazilian academy”, which addressed the progress of NEPerma/UFSC and the NEPerma Network Brazil, showing the actions developed aiming the popularization of permaculture in the Brazilian territory and for Portuguese-speaking countries.

Arthur, Antonio, Anna, and Alessandro. Permaculturists who work for the insertion of permaculture in academia.

Another important topic discussed involves the creation of paths for the insertion of permaculture in academia, with other international partners who are in the same objective, such as Anna Bartoli and Alessandro Villella , both from Italian Accademia of Permaculture and Antonio Morreti, professor at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional – Facultad Regional Delta in Argentina.

Permaculture already has a degree course in Mexico and is present in postgraduate programs, such as Specialization in permaculture, offered at UFSC. Debates on the agenda focused on the development of a unified minimum curriculum for the Abya Yala countries, also seeking to represent our actions in the global academic scenario.

2^nd edition of E-book.

Permaculture education is much more than a collection of how-to techniques. In the newly launched second edition of Teaching Permaculture, the Brazilian Permaculture Groups and Studies Network (NEPerma Brazil). Now fully updated and offering new chapters on permaculture planning (PDC) and teaching permaculture in K-12, Teaching Permaculture is a complete training course in e-book format. It shows educators how to reveal the world systematically as well as inspire sound decision-making for a better future.

Teaching Permaculture is now more relevant than ever. Professors and academics of all disciplines are now recognizing permaculture as a holistic socioenvironmental science. Permaculture has become foundational to critical environmental education in primary, secondary, and technical schools. Application of permaculture principles is also gaining popularity with government organizations, institutes, and designers. And in Brazilian universities, permaculture groups are consolidating permaculture in academia and creating permaculture-focused teaching initiatives and research and extension projects. Teaching Permaculture serves as a resource for all.

Knowledge plataform

The NEPerma Brazil Network and NEPerma/UFSC encourage all permaculture instructors working in universities, technical schools, K-12, institutes, and permaculture stations to familiarize themselves with Teaching Permaculture. Through the digital knowledge platform Teaching Permaculture. (Google Chrome offers free on-screen translation from Portuguese to a variety of languages.), the reader can print it on demand and offer feedback for future revisions. Access the Portuguese-language version, Ensinando Permacultura, here.

Text: Arthur Nanni

Review: Courtney Johnson

The Permaculture Research Group at UFSC (NEPerma) in partnership between the Architecture and Urbanism Post-graduate Program and UFSC Publisher releasing the book Teaching Permaculture.

The book is a NEPerma’s experience synthesis on teaching permaculture at the academy. Released in two ways, printed and e-book versions, Teaching Permacultura aims to encourage educators/instructors on PDC teaching.

Teaching Permaculture comes to attend the growing requests on how to teach permaculture. The book is a combined effort from professors, technicians and students stimulating the permaculture teaching throughout different learning grades, being more suitable for academic instruction. The publication brings a series of classes and methods to teach including basic contents, substantiated on Bill Mollison’s PDC syllabus and adopted to Brazilian universities’ needs. Its 16 chapters suggest how to teach each thematic inside a PDC and provide the needed interactions to reach a systemic teaching, where students are invited to be the protagonists of their own learning.

The e-book version on PDF format is available on the UFSC Publisher’s website and NEPerma’s principal webpage.

The authors expect “Teaching Permaculture” be a tool for all permaculture instructors, working in universities, governmental/nongovernmental organizations and institutes seeking, like us, to propagate and spread permaculture knowledge on its reachable zone and beyond.

Would like to translate this book to another language? Please, contact us by e-mail .

[in Portuguese] Você tem interesse em traduzir a obra para outras línguas? Entre em contato conosco pelo e-mail .

Essay: Arthur Nanni

Review: Alexandre Nanni

Donizete and partners learning about the A frame.

The UFSC Permaculture Study Group and UFV Architecture Department, were finalized the second permaculture design course directed for academic public. The first edition was performed in Florianópolis city on 2017 when it was certified 14 new professors as permaculturists.

This second edition was organized by Arthur Nanni (UFSC) and Josarlete Soares (UFV). The course was presented on 72 hours with participation of permaculturists Roberto Goulart (UFV), Luiza Valente (UFF) and Jefferson Mota (Igatu farm). In the current edition more 19 permies were certified, including professors, technical workers and postgraduate students.

Roberto Goulart teaching ecobuilding on DAU/UFV.

Focused on academics, the PDC is a basic permaculture training course where pedagogical and teaching, aiming to stimulate professors to spread and popularize permaculture in Brazil, through extension and teaching activities.

As results, the highlight was the inclusion of new colleagues into Brazilian Permaculture Study Group Network. This network congregates permaculture study groups and actions developed on academy environment. Furthermore, the network defined a series of new permaculture popularization initiatives, like the creation of undergraduate and graduate applied disciplines, development of projects evolving different universities, planning for new study groups development and the implementation of teaching materials, aiming the diffusion of permaculture philosophy in all education grades.

The Brazilian Permaculture Study Group Network is now building the next edition of PDC4academy expected for 2022 on Fluminense Federal University.

Souce of registrations for Permaculture graduate program.

In the past two weeks it was started a selective process aiming to fill vacancies on Graduate Course in Permaculture. This course is an initiative of Permaculture Study Group and Rural Education Department of UFSC.

Projected to be a presential course, the initial expectant it was the regional attendance for Florianópolis metropolitan territory. The second aimed public has included candidates from Santa Catarina state. This scenery was confirmed. An amount of 154 requests for 30 vacancies available were registered, being 78% from Santa Catarina state and the remaining from other Brazilian states as well. Two other candidates interested were from Chile and Colombia. Around 2/3 these 154 are women and someone already have any type of post graduation.

Professor’s team of Permaculture Study Group believes this permaculture courses demand, including post-graduation and undergraduate levels, can be linked to the fact of people are looking for innovative professional actuation ways in areas based on truly sustainable purposes.

The Permaculture Graduate Course offered by UFSC is the fourth initiative in Brazil. Previously, there were developed similar courses at universities like UECE, UFCA and PUC-Campinas.

Arthur Nanni presenting results of UFSC Permaculture Study Group Photo: Paolo Martins.

The UFSC Permaculture Study Group (NEPerma) participated on 2º Permaculture, Agroecology and environmental education Seminar, promoted by Permacultura Lab institute and Environmental education from “El Sur” Group (GEASur). The event happened at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State.

It was presented by NEPerma the results of six years on teaching, research and extension. “Permaculture on academia” was the theme developed. Arthur Nanni talked a synthesis about permaculture initiatives on universities around world and Brazil scenarios, highlighting the results and products generated by NEPerma/UFSC.

Borned in academic environment on 70’s, permaculture as a grassroots movement, is now widespread around world and present in more than 150 countries, linked basically to farms and institutes. In the past decade, a brew of teaching, research processes and application of several techniques, brings permaculture back to the academia, recognized as a holistic and socio-environmental science. Its recent insertion on academia is providing advances on adoption of its philosophy for environmental education and social organization on a sustainable way.

The discussion of insertion of permaculture on academia agenda is not a recent and involves different and important aspects. One of them, is about permaculture movement/science institutionalization to beyond traditional institutes and farms, that supposes a weakening of anarchical and self management way of development originally purposed by permaculture. The NEPerma’s researchers are working on it discussion and understands the role of academia on permaculture promotion, as a technical-scientific supporter, looking for improving teaching methods and pedagogical instruments, as well as to validate scientifically used processes and techniques of land management. Thus, it is aiming strengthen through research, teaching and extension actions for both, permaculture movement and science, following such as the agroecology development on Brazilian universities and it several undergraduate and post-graduate programs.

The Permaculture on academia lecture’s content is described on article Building permaculture on Brazilian academy [in Portuguese], published recently.

More information about the Seminar and Instituto Permacultura lab [in Portuguese].

Arthur Nanni talking about permaculture in southern Brazil.

NEPerma and Igatu farm have a shared history. The Igatu farm began its activities in 2011 to be a place for tests and experiments developing social technologies applied to permaculture management. Over time, the Igatu farm was adopted as an experimental laboratory to provide content to the “Introduction to permaculture” course, a subject offered since 2012 by the UFSC Geography undergraduate program.

Soon after, in 2013, the research and extension actions started by NEPerma adopted Igatu’s area as a demonstration space, offering for course participants a place to practice the knowledge learned in class.

Igatu’s history was told through a “Permaculture in Southern Brazil” lecture, that was presented in November as part of Permaculture Design Course (PDC), offered by The Food Forest learning centre, situated at Gawler, a city near to Adelaide in the state of South Australia. The permaculture learning centre is recognised as an exemplar of permaculture management with more than 30 years of the Brookman family’s experience.

In the lecture, the permaculturist/professor Arthur Nanni showed the strategies of permaculture planning in small farms in southern Brazil, considering low impact strategies under subtropical climates. Further, he gave a brief explanation about the use of open-source Geographical Information System tools in the permaculture management of small farms.

Graham Brookman, Arthur Nanni and Keri Chiveralls at The Food Forest learning centre.

The PDC offered by the Food Forest respects the international syllabus, that certifies participants as permaculturists, as does NEPerma at UFSC. The PDC had the participation of more than ten permaculture instructors. They presented in a rich and diverse way leading to a solid and practical understanding of permaculture. One of highlights was the presence of David Holmgren, permaculture co-creator with his vast knowledge of permaculture Worldwide.

Essay: Arthur Nanni

Review: Graham Brookman, Amie Anastasi

New permaculturists colleagues. Suzana, Jorge (instructors), Luiz Gustavo, Willian, André, Erick, Marcelo (inst.), Arthur (coord.), Ariane, Marírlia (Pedro), Leonardo, Maria Helena, Filipe, Renata, Marcelo, Luana, Manuela, Júlia (inst.) and Rosilene.

The UFSC Permaculture Study Group (NEPerma/UFSC) has finished last week the first permaculture design course (PDC) for professors and auxiliaries technicians of Brazilian federal universities. A total of 14 new permaculturists were certified by Arthur Nanni, who coordinated a team composed by Marcelo Venturi, Arno Blankensteyn, Lucas Espírito Santo, Renata Palandri, Yasmin Monteiro, Jorge Timmermann, Suzana Maringoni and Júlia Lahm. The course also had the participation of doctor César Siomionato and logistic support by permaculturist Pedro Buss.

The first course aim was to establish a UFSC permaculturists’ professors internal network. However, a external demand from another universities in Brazil, have changed this objective to embrace this community too. It was the case of professor Manuela Pereira, who teaches agroecology at Federal University of South Border (UFFS – Brazil). Other colleagues from more four universities were included as participants.

Participants on recognising permaculture energy zones in Igatu small farm at São Pedro de Alcântara municipality. Photoby Rosilene Pereira.

After 80 hours of sharing knowledges, the course showed the scientific fundamentals of permaculture, it logic and applicability to educate people for life. The final design project developed by participants involved a permaculture undergraduate curriculum definition and an ideal campus to host this undergraduate program at UFSC, thought as an element, including it necessities, characteristics and functions.

As a extra result, it can be highlighted the creation of Brazilian Permaculture Study Group network, by having  NEPerma/UFSC as responsible for its articulation. Other result was the decision to create a scientific journal in the permaculture thematic.

Finally, NEPerma’s team have decided to offer each two years a new edition of PDC4academy. The next edition is expected for 2019 when the coordination will be by permaculturist Marcelo Venturi.

New permaculturists: Vinícius, Bernardo, Henrique, Danillo, Caroline, Elisa, Susana, Juceli, Grazianne, João Vitor, Lara, Larissa e Joice. Marcos Isao e Felipe not registered in this photo.

The Permaculture Study Group (NEPerma) have finished it semiannual Permaculture Design Course and certified the 11ª class of permaculturists through the discipline “Introduction to Permaculture. Since the begin of activities of permaculture at UFSC, NEPerma have certified more than 200 permaculturists.

These new permaculturists had the opportunity to learn and share knowledges into 90hours of PDC, coordinated by permaculturist and Prof. Arno Blankensteyn. More 12 instructors permaculturists have participated of this NEPerma’s PDC edition.

The next edition of NEPerma’s PDC will occurs in the winter vacation period and, aim to share permaculture knowledge for Federal Universities’ professors, to purpose one permaculture undergraduate program at UFSC and build a network of permaculturists acting in professional teaching.

Plot 1 – Offered vacancies (blue), occupied (orange),  non-vacancy students (yellow) and permaculturists certified (green).

In 2011, twenty two permaculturists from six Brazilan biomes had a meeting at Florianópolis, reviewed the 80’s Bill Mollison PDC Syllabus. The purpose of it meeting was create a updated Permaculture Design Course curriculum to share with people, ways to live in harmony with nature, using the permaculture philosophy.

This meeting creates an updated program based in how energies flows in the landscape, that inspires the creation of “introduction to permaculture” discipline at UFSC Geography undergraduate program. This discipline was the start point of permaculture activities at UFSC and it be offered for the first time in 2012 and come to it 10th edition in 2016.

Since it second edition, the discipline demand to attend overpass the vacancies capacity.  It had created a surprise between professors evolved in it development. Students from different UFSC programs began how to participate to insert the PDC formation as an additional activity in their professional curriculum. Based in this scenery, since fourth edition (2013/2) the procedure to receive students from other programs and external people was adopted. This action  generated an increase of people interested into participate, more clearly in 2014/1 ascension curve (Plot 1).

An important behaviour to cite is the amount of over 75% (Plot 1) of students certified each semester, showing the interest of students for the theme.

Plot 2 -Diversity of programs from where students come from and have interested to attend the Introduction to Permaculture discipline.

Furthermore, the group of professors evolved in this discipline aim to develop research and extension activities at UFSC. Thus, this group had create the Permaculture Study Group (NEPerma). that start its activities in August of 2013 together of Environmental Analysis Laboratory.

In 2013, NEPerma starts the The UFSC woodland environmental restoration project , planned by sectors end energetic zones, using techniques of cultivated ecology in the process. This project follows nowadays and have offered to the academic community, as well as to the neighbourhood, the opportunity to comprehends better how to interact right with nature.

In the same year, NEPerma starts too the Permaculture at School project [in Portuguese], which purpose to lead environmental education to primary schools of Florianópolis by permaculture point of view.

In 2014, NEPerma start to develop Permanent Land project [in Portuguese], which objective to share permaculture knowledges with rural extensionists and small farmers around Florianópolis region. The project was concluded in 2016 and have certified 34 permaculturists by presential and virtual teaching.

PermaChico was a project developed in association with young seminarians and monges of Paraná State (southern Brazil). This initiative become strong the relationship between both to environmental questions.

Furthermore, the NEPerma’s permaculturists team made a lot of audio-visual materials to teach at distance the Permanent Land PDC.  This material can be accessed for free.

As complementary activities, two documentaries were subtitled to Brazilian Portuguese, Seeds of permaculture and The voice of the wind. These actions aims facilitate the understand about permaculture and sustainability to Brazilian people.

At the same time, NEPerma was concluded three Geography Program Conclusion Monograph and follow developing a doctoral thesis, what objectives a better comprehension how permaculture can stimulate permaculturists to live in countryside way, changing cities by rural areas.

Teaching landscape reading for students of the last class.

Nowadays, the NEPerma’s professors are working to create a Permaculture Program at UFSC, discussing about time duration, disciplines and entire of activities important to educate permaculture.

This program aims to form citizens capable to act into natural resources management, generalists in their academic education, with technical-scientific knowledge and social views to absorb and develop new technologies and methods according to human specie permanence on Earth.

We are only starting activities. The next 5 years are welcome!

Do you want to know more? Access permacultura.ufsc.br