Permacultura | Permaculture

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.

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.

The 10ª edition of Introduction to permaculture was searched for 90 people from 23 UFSC undergraduate programs and external. This people have tried to occupy one of 20 vacancies.

Students interested in a vacancy into “Introduction to permaculture” (blue) and vacancies occupied (orange).

After to prioritise Geography and Biology students, the remaining vacancies was filled by the substitutive students list.

An eclectic composition it is always need for different ways to thinking occurs. This procedure enrich the learning process and the interchange of a diversity knowledges is essential for permaculturists certification. This is the compromise of 11 permaculture instructors up to the end of semester.

Seven UFSC external people hasn’t obtain a vacancy, because Introduction to Permaculture is a discipline and not a extension project.

The Introduction to Permaculture is a Permaculture studies group initiative and it is linked with Geography and Biological Sciences undergraduate programs at UFSC.

9ª permaculture design course class. Júlia, Ana Clara, Marina, Carina, Isis, Luca, Lucas, Raiane, Renan, Cláudia, Yasmin, Juana, Isabella, Pedro, Charles, Leonardo, Gustavo, Rinaldo, Miriam. Luiz. Instrutores: Marcelo, Iana. Arno e Arthur.

The 9ª edition of Introduction to permaculture discipline have certified more 20 permaculturists. NEPerma has formed a total of 173 permaculturists since 2012. This class, as well as previous editions, was composed by a diversity of students from different graduate programs, among them, biology, design agronomy, geography, medicine and others. Thus, NEPerma confirms its compromise to put into practice the multidisciplinary faces of permaculture at UFSC.

The final permaculture plan developed by these class students consisted in a familiar small farm in São Pedro de Alcântara, a small city distant 32km from Florianópolis. The classmates were divided into three groups and brought a lot of new ideas.

The introduction to permaculture discipline is offered semiannually by Permaculture Research Group (NEPerma).