Certificate II in Permaculture Enters Australian High Schools

Certificate II in Permaculture Enters Australian High Schools

From Garden Clubs to Government Scope:

For decades, a gap has existed between what students learn about sustainability in the classroom and the practical skills needed to care for land, grow food, restore ecosystems, and design resilient local systems.

Students may study ecology, food systems, climate pressure, and environmental change, yet the hands-on skills needed to respond to those realities have often remained outside the formal curriculum – in garden clubs, weekend workshops, community projects, or informal electives.

That gap is now beginning to close.

The Certificate II in Permaculture (AHC21722) is now “on scope” for delivery in Australian secondary schools through ReadCloud. This means students can complete a nationally recognised vocational qualification in permaculture while gaining credit toward their secondary schooling.

For the Australian permaculture movement, this is a significant step. Permaculture is moving from the margins of education into the mainstream structures of secondary schooling.

Why “On Scope” Matters

In the Vocational Education and Training sector, being “on scope” means that a Registered Training Organisation has been approved to deliver a particular qualification.

Permaculture qualifications have existed on the national training register for some time, thanks to the substantial work of Ross Mars and many others who helped establish and defend permaculture within the formal training system. However, getting a qualification into high schools is a different challenge.

VET delivered to secondary students sits at the intersection of two highly regulated systems: school education and vocational training. A course must be credible to schools, acceptable to regulators, deliverable by teachers, and assessable under national competency standards.

That required serious groundwork.

The Permaculture Australia VET Circle developed a comprehensive 270-page Training and Assessment Strategy specifically designed for the high school context. This strategy provided the structure needed for ReadCloud, a school-focused RTO, to bring the Certificate II in Permaculture onto scope.

Because ReadCloud already works with secondary schools, the qualification is now positioned for wider adoption in Australian school-based VET programs.

The Role of the Permaculture Australia VET Circle

The Permaculture Australia VET Circle has been the driving force behind this work.

The Circle brings together permaculture practitioners, educators, and vocational training specialists who understand both the ethics of permaculture and the requirements of formal education. Their work has not simply been to promote permaculture, but to make it administratively possible for schools to deliver it with integrity.

That matters.

Without the regulatory architecture, permaculture remains vulnerable to being treated as an optional extra. With it, schools can offer permaculture as a recognised vocational pathway.

“If you are attacking a problem that you can fix in your lifetime, then you are thinking too small…”

Bringing permaculture into schools is exactly that kind of long-term work. It is not only about next year’s subject offerings. It is about building a generation of students who can participate responsibly in food, fibre, ecological, and designed systems.

A Four-Year Pathway from Tools to Systems Thinking

The Certificate II in Permaculture has been structured into four clusters, designed to scaffold student learning from Year 9 through to Year 12.

The pathway begins with practical outdoor work and gradually builds toward research, agricultural science, system design, production, and industry awareness.

Year 9: Working in Ecological Services

The first cluster is designed to give students early success through practical action.

Students focus on tool safety, workplace health and safety, weather observation, hand tool maintenance, and basic ecological restoration. The reading and writing demands are deliberately kept low so that students can first build confidence through hands-on work.

This is an important design choice. Many students who may not initially see themselves as academic learners can experience success through competent practical work. They begin by doing real tasks with real tools in real environments.

Year 10: Know Your Bioregion

The second cluster shifts toward research, mapping, observation, communication, and local ecological knowledge.

Students investigate their local bioregion, record information about Country, and develop workplace communication skills. This cluster gives practical purpose to literacy, numeracy, geography, and environmental understanding.

Rather than learning about ecology in abstract terms only, students are asked to understand the place where they actually live.

Year 11: Basics of Food Production

In the third cluster, the science deepens.

Students work with integrated plant and animal systems, crop production, propagation, soil health, and plant nutrition. They begin to read whole-site permaculture plans, conduct soil pH testing, propagate seedlings, and run small agricultural trials.

This is where the common misconception that permaculture is “just gardening” begins to fall apart.

Students are not merely planting seeds. They are learning to observe relationships, manage living systems, collect evidence, and make decisions based on site conditions.

Year 12: Obtain a Yield

The final cluster functions as a capstone production season.

Students manage crops from planting through to harvest, use low-volume irrigation, collect and store seed, record yields, and investigate employment pathways in the permaculture industry.

By the end of the course, students should not only have completed a qualification. They should also have experienced the discipline of bringing a living system through a full cycle of production.

That is a serious form of learning.

High-Level Science with Mud on the Boots

One of the strengths of the Certificate II pathway is that it does not force students to choose between practical work and intellectual rigour.

The course begins with tools, restoration, and work-readiness. It then moves into mapping, bioregional research, soil health, plant nutrition, irrigation, seed saving, production, and industry investigation.

This is science with mud on the boots.

Students learn through participation in real systems. They encounter water, soil, weather, plants, animals, tools, and human decisions as connected realities. That kind of learning helps students see that sustainability is not just a set of values or opinions. It is a practical discipline requiring knowledge, judgement, skill, and responsibility.

Career Pathways and Further Study

The Certificate II in Permaculture can lead directly into entry-level roles such as:

  • Urban food growing assistant
  • Permaculture farm worker
  • Community nursery worker
  • School garden assistant

But its value is broader than those direct employment outcomes.

The qualification builds transferable skills relevant to horticulture, agriculture, nursery operations, landscaping, conservation and ecosystem management, sports turf management, community food systems, and on-Country land management.

Students develop outdoor work-readiness, communication skills, workplace safety awareness, environmental observation, tool use, and practical responsibility.

For students who want to continue studying, the Certificate II can also provide a foundation for Certificate III or IV in Permaculture, the Permaculture Design Certificate, or further study in sustainability, environmental science, agriculture, education, or community development.

It is not a ceiling. It is a foundation.

What Schools Need to Do Now

The timing of this announcement matters.

Most high schools begin finalising subject offerings for the following year around Term 3. Schools interested in offering Certificate II in Permaculture in 2027 need to begin conversations now.

The pathway is straightforward:

  1. A teacher or school leader identifies interest in offering the course.
  2. The school’s VET Coordinator contacts ReadCloud about adding Certificate II in Permaculture to the school’s 2027 offerings.
  3. If a school works with another RTO, that RTO can contact Permaculture Australia about licensing the Training and Assessment Strategy.

Permaculture Australia holds the copyright for the strategy and is willing to support interested teachers, schools, and RTOs who want to make the qualification available.

One school in Western Australia has already added the course to its 2027 offerings. The opportunity now is for more schools to follow.

A Mainstream Pathway for Ecological Responsibility

The move into high schools does not reduce permaculture to another school subject. At its best, it gives permaculture a more secure public form.

It allows students to encounter ecological design, food production, soil care, water management, local bioregional knowledge, and practical responsibility as part of their formal education.

That is the real significance of this moment.

Permaculture is not only about growing food. It is about learning to participate wisely in the systems that sustain life.

If Australian schools are serious about preparing students for the future, then students need more than abstract awareness of environmental problems. They need practical skills, vocational pathways, ecological literacy, and the capacity to design for resilience.

The Certificate II in Permaculture offers one credible way to begin.

For further information, teachers and VET Coordinators can view the course outline in ReadCloud’s 2027 Course Guide or contact Permaculture Australia at hello@permacultureaustralia.org.au.

Building National Permaculture Pathways through VET

Building National Permaculture Pathways through VET


Permaculture in Australia is rich in practice. Across backyards, farms, schools, community gardens, and regeneration projects, people are applying permaculture principles to real-world challenges every day. From food production and water management to social enterprise and ecological restoration, permaculture has proven itself as a practical, ethical,
and adaptive framework for living well within limits.

What has been less consistent is how this learning is recognised, supported, and made accessible through formal education pathways. Much permaculture learning still occurs informally, through short courses, mentorships, and community projects. While this informality has enabled creativity and responsiveness, it has also limited access for many
learners and constrained long-term impact. This is where vocational education and training (VET) matters.


The Permaculture Australia (PA) VET Circle exists to strengthen permaculture education within nationally recognised training systems—without losing the ethical, ecological, and systems-based foundations that define permaculture. Its work sits at the intersection of practice, education, and policy, supporting educators, schools, and training organisations to
deliver high-quality, credible permaculture learning. This article outlines why the VET Circle exists, what it has been working on, what it is hearing from the sector, and where it is heading in 2026 and beyond.

WHY VET MATTERS FOR PERMACULTURE

VET plays a critical role in Australia’s education ecosystem. It provides nationally recognised qualifications that are portable across states and industries, quality-assured through regulatory frameworks, and aligned with workforce skills and employability outcomes. For many learners—particularly young people, career-changers, and those
seeking practical pathways—VET offers access and legitimacy that informal learning alone cannot provide.
For permaculture, engagement with VET is not about standardisation for its own sake. It is about access, equity, credibility, and long-term viability.

Schools require curriculum-aligned, quality-assured programs that can sit alongside reporting, moderation, and accountability requirements. Community organisations need training that can align with funding agreements, compliance expectations, and partnership arrangements. Learners increasingly need qualifications that are recognised by employers, institutions, and government agencies.

Without engagement in the VET space, permaculture risks remaining fragmented, inconsistently delivered, or inaccessible to those who would benefit most—particularly young people, regional learners, and those seeking employment pathways in land management, food systems, and sustainability-related work.

At the same time, permaculture does not fit neatly into narrow or siloed training models. It is interdisciplinary by design, place-based in application, and ethical in orientation. The challenge is not simply to fit permaculture into VET, but to work intelligently within the VET system while retaining the integrity, depth, and systems thinking that make
permaculture distinctive. This tension—between compliance and complexity—is where the PA VET Circle focuses its
work.

THE ROLE OF THE PA VET CIRCLE

The Permaculture Australia (PA) VET Circle operates within Permaculture Australia’s sociocratic structure and aligns closely with PA’s Educate pillar. It is not a registered training organisation (RTO), nor does it seek to centralise or control permaculture education. Instead, it acts as a coordination, insight, and development circle, supporting a diverse national ecosystem of educators, trainers, schools, and organisations. The Circle’s work includes:

  • Understanding how permaculture is currently delivered within VET contexts
  • Supporting alignment between permaculture practice and national training packages
  • Sharing effective delivery models and lessons learned
  • Advocating for quality, access, and integrity in permaculture training
  • Strengthening pathways across schools, adult education, and industry Members of the VET Circle work across a wide range of contexts, including secondary schools, adult education, curriculum design, compliance-aware practice, and community-based training. This diversity ensures the work remains grounded, practical, and responsive to real conditions on the ground.

WHAT THE VET CIRCLE HAS BEEN WORKING ON

Aligning Permaculture with Existing Training Frameworks Rather than creating parallel or bespoke qualifications, the VET Circle has focused on how permaculture aligns with existing national training packages. These include packages related to agriculture, conservation and ecosystem management, horticulture, land management, and sustainability. This work involves identifying where permaculture principles and practices already sit naturally within units of competency, as well as where gaps, ambiguities, or tensions exist. It also involves unpacking assessment conditions, evidence requirements, and compliance expectations so that permaculture educators can engage confidently with the system.

Understanding the language and structure of the VET system allows educators to focus their energy on teaching and learning, rather than constantly navigating uncertainty. This alignment work reduces duplication of effort, supports audit readiness, and helps ensure that permaculture training delivered through VET remains both rigorous and authentic.
Supporting School-Based Permaculture Pathways One of the most promising areas of growth is VET delivered in secondary schools. Schools across Australia are increasingly seeking programs that are hands-on, project-based, and
connected to sustainability, wellbeing, and real-world problem-solving. Permaculture is exceptionally well suited to this space.

In school contexts, permaculture provides rich opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, drawing together science, geography, design, mathematics, technology, and ethics. When delivered through VET frameworks, this learning can also contribute to recognised qualifications, supporting diverse post-school pathways. Across Australia, schools are embedding permaculture through VET certificates or skill sets alongside Design and Technologies, Agriculture, STEM, Outdoor Education, and wellbeing programs. Students engage in practical work such as food production, water harvesting and reuse, biodiversity monitoring, ecological design, and community-based projects. Consistently, educators report improved student engagement, stronger connections to place, and increased confidence among students—particularly those who do not thrive in purely academic learning environments.

Listening to Educators and Trainers

A central part of the VET Circle’s work has been listening carefully to those delivering permaculture education on the ground. Across conversations nationally, common themes continue to emerge:

  • The cost and administrative burden of compliance
  • Fragmentation between informal permaculture education and formal VET
  • Inconsistent expectations and interpretations across providers
  • Tension between depth of learning and funding or time constraints
  • Educator fatigue and burnout.

Alongside these challenges is significant goodwill, creativity, and commitment. Many educators are delivering high-quality programs under difficult conditions, often with limited institutional support. The VET Circle’s role is to surface shared patterns, validate lived experience, and identify opportunities for collective improvement rather than isolated
effort.

A SCHOOL-BASED CASE STUDY

In one secondary school context, permaculture is embedded across Years 7–12 through a staged, project-based program. Students begin by developing foundational skills in observation, soil health, and biological systems before progressing to applied projects. These projects include building worm farms, establishing tree guilds, managing aquaponics
systems, conducting biodiversity surveys, and redesigning sections of the school grounds to improve water efficiency and ecological function. At senior levels, this practical learning is aligned with nationally recognised VET units. Assessment evidence is drawn from authentic activities, including practical demonstrations, design documentation, reflective journals, and collaborative projects. Students are assessed on what they do, not just what they can describe.

From a compliance perspective, the program meets VET requirements. From a permaculture perspective, it remains contextual, ethical, and systems-based. From a student perspective, it is meaningful, empowering, and relevant. Programs like this already exist in different forms across Australia. The challenge is not invention, but support, visibility, and scale.

WHAT THE VET CIRCLE IS HEARING FROM THE SECTOR

Across conversations nationally, several consistent themes are emerging.

Access and equity
VET pathways can significantly improve access to permaculture education for young people, regional learners, and those seeking employment-relevant skills.

Quality and consistency
There is strong appetite for clearer expectations around quality and assessment, without rigid standardisation that undermines local context or innovation.

Bridging informal and formal learning
Permaculture’s informal education traditions remain vital. The opportunity lies in building bridges between informal learning, community practice, and recognised training where appropriate.

Educator support
Shared resources, exemplars, and peer networks could significantly reduce duplication of effort, compliance fatigue, and burnout.

PERMACULTURE, WORKFORCE, AND FUTURE NEEDS

Australia faces increasing challenges related to climate change, food security, biodiversity loss, and water management. Addressing these challenges requires a workforce with practical ecological skills, systems thinking, and ethical grounding.

Permaculture education delivered through VET has the potential to contribute meaningfully to this emerging workforce. Graduates can move into roles in land management, community food systems, education, local government, and environmental services, bringing permaculture thinking into diverse settings. For this potential to be realised, pathways must be clear, credible, and supported.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026 AND BEYOND

As the VET Circle looks ahead, several priorities are clear.

  • Strengthening relationships between PA, educators, RTOs, schools, and partner organisations.
  • Making effective existing programs more visible and shareable
  • Exploring flexible pathways such as skill sets and micro-credentials
  • Continuing reflective, ethical engagement with the VET system
  • Engagement with VET is not an end in itself. It must always serve the deeper purposes of
  • permaculture: care for earth, care for people, and fair share.

AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE

The PA VET Circle is a working circle, not a closed group. If you are delivering permaculture through VET, exploring pathways in schools, working with an RTO, or interested in curriculum, assessment, or systems alignment, your experience is valuable.
Participation can include sharing insights, contributing to discussions, collaborating on projects, or helping shape future directions. Permaculture has always thrived through networks. The VET Circle exists to ensure those networks can engage effectively with Australia’s education systems.

CONCLUSION

Permaculture education in Australia stands at a critical point. Demand is growing. The challenges facing communities and ecosystems are intensifying. Education that is practical, ethical, and systems-based is increasingly essential.
Engagement with VET is one way permaculture can meet this moment—by creating pathways that are accessible, recognised, and enduring, while remaining true to its principles.
The work of the PA VET Circle is ongoing, collaborative, and grounded in practice. It reflects a simple conviction: permaculture belongs not on the margins of education, but at its heart.

Russel Montgomery
Permaculture Australia VET Circle
Images courtesy of Carey Baptist College, WA

VET Course Industry Validation

VET Course Industry Validation

The Vocational Education Training Circle of Permaculture Australia has designed a Certificate II Permaculture course for delivery to high school students.

They are in the final stages of gaining approval for a pilot delivery of it, and they would really like some volunteers to read the course and give feedback. 

 Volunteers will need a PDC or equivalent.  There are four clusters and each one focuses on a different aspect of permaculture practice, so you could choose your own area of expertise and interest.

There is a lot of jargon in the system, so it helps if you have some experience within the VET or school systems, but is not essential if you are willing to read past it all. 

  • Cluster One  – Working in Ecological Services – we are looking for permies with expertise in bush or degraded site regeneration work.
  • Cluster Two – Know your Bioregion – has a unit in it called “Report on Country”. We are particularly looking for people with expertise in working within indigenous knowledge frameworks.
  • Cluster Three – Basics of Food Production – this cluster focuses on food production in school or community gardens
  • Cluster Four – Obtain a Yield – has a unit in it called “Work Effectively in Permaculture”, which explores the range and variety of vocations available, including arts, food, environment, construction, and energy.  

For more information, and to express your interest in being a part of this exciting development, please contact the VET circle at: vet@permacultureaustralia.org.au

Accredited Permaculture Training

Accredited Permaculture Training

VET Circle Update – June 2025

If you are not sure, Accredited Permaculture Training (APT) is permaculture education accessed through Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and is a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification – just like your plumber, sparky, horticulturist, hairdresser, motor mechanic. These qualifications are identified as Certificate I through to Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma.

Vocational Education and Training


In the early 2000’s APT was kicked off, and APT was provided by and available through several RTOs across the country, some were private RTOs and some were TAFEs (Technical And Further Education organisations), operated by the public sector.


Over the last decade and a half, hundreds at least (perhaps more) Permies undertook this training, mostly completing Certificate III and Certificate IV. In late 2024 a new team was established, a VET Circle, within Permaculture Australia to progress the extraordinary work done before to invigorate this pathway for permaculture education. Importantly, not to conflict with other learning streams, such as PDCs, but to coexist and with an intent of complimenting other education streams. Providing choice for our permie community.


After a lot of discussions, discovery of what courses were where and in what state, understanding any new guidelines that might exist for the delivery of APT, connecting with our Jobs and Skills Council – Skills Insight (responsible for all agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, etc and of course Permaculture, in VET), we have an aspiration and a plan.


Our aspiration is to initially focus on Schools; the delivery of permaculture education within the school curriculum for years 9 through 12, commencing in 2026, in every state and territory. We know some schools in Victoria and WA are already delivering Certificate II for years 9-12. Our discovery, like any design forensics, is expected to be a little wanting and
there may well be others we have yet to find and connect with – let us know if you or someone you know should be connected with.


Our plan that is underway is to refresh the Certificate II training material, to bring a refreshed approach to structure and content, and shift it to a more appropriate project-based learning approach rather than paper-based knowledge tests – more suited to learning permaculture.


There are several things that must happen to give us the capability to start delivering in 2026, including engagement with schools, engagement with RTOs, establishing a list of any member with an interest and competency in teaching Certificate II in schools, and last but by no means least, is the uplift of the training material.


The VET Circle has established a team that will work on the revised training materials. We want to hear from anyone that can contribute to this team and its endeavour. Be that simply insight, through to hands on writing. The team is being led by Lindra Woodrow, who most of you will know or know of, and is a veteran of VET, not just in permaculture but also other
disciplines.


The door is open, and we welcome any inputs you feel you can contribute. And of course, if you know folks who might not be members of PA, but have a skill and an interest, reach out and encourage them to contact us. If you are an accredited teacher and/or have a valid TAE, and have an interest in teaching in this space, let us know so we can add you to the
growing team of interested/available teachers.


And of course, if you want to get your school onboard in 2026, or know of a school that should be contacted, get in touch.
Please contact us at vet@permacultureaustralia.org.au

Permafund stories
WOMENS PERMACULTURE FARM in KENYA – NOURISHES BODY AND SOUL

WOMENS PERMACULTURE FARM in KENYA – NOURISHES BODY AND SOUL

Article by John Champagne

Domestic and sexual violence against women is a global scourge in every country and in places like Kenya, support networks can be difficult to find. Agatha Amani House is an NGO and Kenya’s first women and children’s safe house for those fleeing abuse. Their mission is to empower victims to heal from their trauma and help them become self-sufficient.

Permaculture is central to Agatha Amani House achieving that aim.

They were successful in applying for a $2000 grant from Permafund to present a 6-day workshop that included as a practical exercise, the beginnings of establishing a Food Forest. 18 participants were selected including 10 women from the shelter and 8 from the community.

Early preparation included getting local permaculture experts in to assess the site and come up with a spatial design. Soil samples taken revealed a lack of nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc with a low reading of organic matter. The main topics covered in the workshop included soil preparation, water harvesting and planting guilds.

This project was completed in 2023 and a more recent report outlining the ongoing progress of the Permaculture Farm was received.

Early learnings were the need for an increase in mulch materials to combat the severe dry periods for water retention and soil build-up. Also, small animals were included in the Food Forest system with their manure increasing the volume of compost that was able to be added.

The farm is not just a source of nutritious food, it embodies a sustainable healing space that helps women and children rebuild their lives, cultivating hope alongside the crops. The farm does more than nourish bodies….it nourishes souls. 

At Agatha Amani House the wish is that the farm becomes a beacon of hope that spreads through Kenya and beyond. It’s another example of permaculture flourishing where the need is great. 

Your donations to Permafund assist projects such as this and emphasise our 3rd Ethic of distributing surplus resources with a financial leg up to projects already operating and run by local people.

Permafund Grant Update Report from November 2024

Permafund Grant Update Report from December 2024

PROJECT STATUS UPDATE REPORT 

PROJECT NAME:  PERMACULTURE FOOD FOREST WORKSHOP & FOOD FOREST ESTABLISHMENT FOR AGATHA AMANI HOUSE-ABUSED WOMEN SHELTER-KENYA.

The project continues to progress and to yield day by day. For the last 2 months, we have been receiving a lot of rain and thus our vegetables and trees that we initially planted are blossoming well. Our farm officer together with the women hosted at Agatha Amani House has been taking care of the food forest; maintaining it, adding more plants and also being in charge of harvesting the yields. The food forest has been a great source of improved nutrition; vegetables and herbs for the hosted women and their children. It has also acted as a learning hub, as we have been using it for field visits. People visit to see the food forest and also to learn about permaculture. The workshop participants have reported great success on their farms too. 

                                     

We have been selling the surplus vegetables to the neighbours and the nearby market. We normally make food baskets with all the varieties we have in the farm or sometimes we sell as per the customer’s orders. 

Through the continued assessments done on the food forest, it has been noted that our farm; soil needs a lot of watering during the dry season, more than how we have been watering there before. This was noted through the planting of some red cabbage that took way more than the 3 months to mature.  We are currently working on better watering schedules and water conservation activities in the farm. 

For preservation of our surplus, we made this small solar drier. Preservation of our food forest produce is one of the central problems we have been facing as we would like to save the food for the dry seasons when food is scarce. Drying these products will help solve these problems, while also making an important contribution to improving the population’s income and supply situation.

    

Solar Drier made by the women of AGATHA AMANI HOUSE

Among the key learnings from the workshop, we have been very intense in practising what we learnt. The project has been keen on applying the principles of permaculture in the entire design and in both food forest phase I and phase II, Climate Change; Building resilience and mitigation, Water Harvesting and conservation, Soil Fertility Building and Care of Trees and seedlings among others.

Next Steps

There is a need for another workshop, as a follow-up on the previous one together with additional topics and activities such as the construction of a dam for water harvesting, more shed nets for the dry season plus Increased crops and trees including cover crops.

We also look forward to learning more on how to use the solar dryer and how to use and package the dried vegetables and fruits. This will also involve learning on how to do value addition to most of the products that we produce at our food forest. Hence making us more sustainable at the shelter.

Permaculture Australia welcomes the launch of Growing on Country course

Permaculture Australia welcomes the launch of Growing on Country course

Our thanks to Dominique Chen, Managing Director of Yuruwan for this report,

“Growing on Country is an online course for anyone in any field (from permaculture, regenerative agriculture, syntropics, horticulture and nursery work, to backyard pottering) who wants to be an ally when growing, gardening or engaging with Indigenous plants, people and communities on unceded land. 

Specifically, it is for those wanting to explore how to effect social and environmental justice through growing and gardening. 

The course will support learners to be informed, respectful, equitable, culturally safe and inclusive in their relationship with people and with Country.

Growing on Country has been written, designed and developed by a team of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people with contributions and feedback from Elders, knowledge holders, researchers and community members.

It is a very unique and much-needed resource in the space of reparative, land-based work. All profits from the course go to Yuruwan – an Aboriginal-run not-for-profit supporting First Nations urban food initiatives.

The five-module course includes interviews, current critical research, case studies, links to readings and resources, inquiry questions, and provocations for applying information within individual learning, teaching and growing contexts.

This emphasis on practical application empowers learners to make a real difference in their own communities. The self-paced course is accessible for one year from the purchase date. At the end of the course, learners will receive a certificate of completion. 

We are grateful to have received support from Permaculture Australia’s Permafund, and are happy that the course is now live and ready to do some good work in the broader community. 

You can access the course & further information at www.growingoncountry.com.au”. 

Thanks, Dominique Chen & congratulations Yuruwan on the course launch.

Permaculture Australia’s gift fund, Permafund, contributes to permaculture education and environmental projects in Australia and overseas. Gifts to the fund can be made here. All gifts over $2 are tax deductible in Australia and are greatly appreciated.