From November 7–15, 2026, Thailand will host the 16th International Permaculture Convergence (IPC) for the first time. Under the theme Sustainability and Beyond: Many Paths the week-long event will bring global leaders and pioneers in permaculture together with practitioners of indigenous wisdom from Thailand and elsewhere in the world. The conference is being held at the Golden Jubilee Museum of Agriculture, near Thailand’s ancient capital in Ayutthaya, which is dedicated to sharing knowledge about Thailand’s Sufficiency Economy, while the convergence is being held at Loong Choke bamboo farm, a beautiful forest garden near Khao Yai National Park dedicated to teaching about building with bamboo.
Both events will feature presentations, workshops, and discussions on a wide range of permaculture-related topics, including building resilience in the face of financial, environmental, economic and demographic challenges, restoring healthy ecosystems, and community building.
Keynote Speakers
Kyle Holzhueter
Kyle Holzhueter will draw on over 20 years of bridging Western permaculture and traditional Japanese building craft. Kyle works as a farmer, builder and educator specialising in natural building materials and sustainable systems such as no-till rice cultivation, agroforestry, natural plasters and energy efficiency.
He is a graduate of the Kyoto Plastering Institute and the first westerner in Japan to pass the highest level Japanese National Plastering Exam.
David Holmgren
David Holmgren co-originated permaculture with Bill Mollison and distilled the discipline into the twelve design principles used by permaculture teachers worldwide. For the permaculture community in Thailand and across the region, his presence at IPC16 is a thread back to the source. The farms, food forests, natural buildings and seed networks gathered here are local answers to a global idea, and the man whose pen helped start it is taking the time to speak to them directly. It is a rare and fitting way to open a conference whose whole purpose is to carry that idea forward.
Other Speakers
Catherine Austin Fitts
Catherine Austin Fitts, publisher of The Solari Report, has developed Financial Permaculture as a framework to redesign the financial system using ecological principles. Her philosophy integrates Bill Mollison’s permaculture models with her own financial strategies to foster community resilience and economic self-reliance. A core concept is the Eight Forms of Capital, which expands the definition of wealth beyond money to include diverse, interchangeable assets essential for resilient communities.
Manish Jain
Manish Jain is the co-founder of the Ecoversities Alliance, a global network connecting alternative higher education and learning spaces. A leading voice in decolonising education, he also co-founded Swaraj University in Udaipur, India, is a key figure behind the Indian Multiversities Alliance, and serves as coordinator of Shikshantar Andolan, a people’s institute advocating unlearning and gift culture.
Jon Jandai
Jon Jandai founded Pun Pun, a center in Northern Thailand for self-reliance where he holds regular workshops and events for guests who want to learn from him and his team about self-reliant living, organic gardening, community living, natural building and natural health. His TEDx talk, “Life is easy. Why do we make it hard?” has now been viewed over 5 million times. He questions the modern lifestyle where many are in a continuous cycle in trying to earn and gain more, and contrasts it with living a simple life with the freedom to be happy.
Thalea Tane
Thalea Tane will moderate the Weaving Together the Threads of Wisdom panel on the second day of the conference. This session will bring together the different movements that align with permaculture and share the common strands. It will have a particular focus on indigenous traditions with deep cultural roots. Thalea is an indigenous leader from Aotearoa, New Zealand dedicated to revitalising regenerative communities across Oceania and Southeast Asia. She has project managed long-term ecological restoration projects for local, national & international communities – always aligning her work to Te Tirīti O Waitangi (the founding document of Aotearoa, NZ), Matauranga Māori (the Indigenous knowledge bases of Aotearoa, NZ), interlinking the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to indigenous principles.
Padma Koppula
Padma Koppula is the co-founder of Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, a 17 year old permaculture nonprofit organisation in India. Aranya was the host of the International Permaculture Convergence in November, 2017. India has a large government watershed program, in which Aranya has been responsible for facilitating the implementation of rainwater harvesting and vegetative plantings on 37,500 acres of land.
Robin Clayfield
Robin Clayfield is an acknowledged Permaculture Elder and Pioneer and an international educator, group facilitator, ceremony guide and ‘best-selling’ author specialising in Social Permaculture, creative, interactive facilitation, teacher training, group leadership and community governance. Robin has lived at Crystal Waters Permaculture EcoVillage in Queensland, Australia for over 38 years and guides tours and ‘EcoVillage Experience Days’ in and around the village. She has lived and breathed Permaculture, Deep Ecology and social change for over 43 years.
IPC16 Conference — November 7–8, 2026
The IPC16 conference brings together designers, farmers, educators, builders, and community leaders for two days of keynotes, talks, and conversations. It is being held at the Golden Jubilee Museum of Agriculture, better known as Wisdom King Farm. Throughout the conference there will be a farmers market – a gathering of farmers and local wisdom-keepers from across Thailand to share organic produce, herbal remedies, traditional food and the know-how behind it.
IPC16 Convergence — November 11–15, 2026
The IPC16 convergence is a five-day, participant-led gathering where learning happens through doing, sharing, and direct exchange through workshops, demonstrations, discussions, and practical sessions shaped by the people in the room.
Set at Suan Loong Choke Bamboo School in Nakhon Ratchasima, the convergence is designed for real participation. Sessions will unfold across multiple spaces, from kitchens and meeting rooms to outdoor learning areas, creating room for both focused teaching and informal collaboration.
For more details about IPC16 Thailand 2026, or to register for the event, please visit thaipermaculture.org.
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