Guatemala Permaculture Design Certificate Course, December 1-15 2013, with IMAP and Atitlan Organics

***Join IMAP and Atitlan Organics in Guatemala for the 2013 Permaculture Design Certificate Course***

Instituto Meso-America de Permacultura (IMAP) and Atitlan Organics are excited to announce their annual Permaculture Certification Course, which takes place in beautiful Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, from December 1st through 15th, 2013. This exciting 120+ hour, 15 day course covers, in detail, the full standard PDC curriculum laid out by the International Permaculture Institute and is the only recognized certification course in Guatemala.

The course offers students the opportunity to work on two separate permaculture development sites in order to obtain more diversified experiences. The first week takes place at the IMAP farm, which is in San Lucas and has a focus on community development, alternative technology/building, small-scale food production, and seed saving techniques. The second week will be held at Atitlan Organics, with a focus on food forest establishment, pond building, animal systems, and profitable permaculture models. Aside from these topics, water management, soil fertility, natural building, fermentation/value adding, and many other areas will be covered in detail. Electronic and printed materials (including the Permaculture Design Manual) will be given to all attendees.

Aside from the classroom and theoretical work, there will be many opportunities for hands-on learning. Tree planting, swaling, mulching, and other techniques will be practiced regularly and the course, like all PDCs, will include a student design project that is required for successful completion. Students will also take part in meal preparation via harvesting and value adding a number of diverse food from the farms. For those interested, there is also a workshop on animal harvesting, and all students are given the chance to process their own chicken.

We are really excited about this course and feel that it is one of the few courses that truly gives students the knowledge and understanding to go forth and execute sustainable permaculture designs that not only care for the planet, but also provide a healthy and happy livelihood for the practitioners, their families, and their communities.

For more info, please visit: http://imapermaculture.wordpress.com/mesoamerican-permaculture-design-course/ where you can find course details, FAQ, and the sign up page.