Created by Bill Molison, the Permaculture Design Course is an international certification course. 

It offers a foundation for learning permaculture (to see a definition of permaculture, click here).

It thus makes it possible to discover, within a group and in the different aspects of daily life, the ethics, the original principles and methodology, but also concrete tools and avenues for exploration in the face of the ecological and human issues of our time. 

This training takes place over 10 consecutive days. 

The time is divided between theoretical lessons and practical workshops. 

Accompanied by the teaching team, the trainees will produce a permaculture design.

This training includes an introduction to Permaculture:

•Definition - Knowing how to explain permaculture in a simple and concise way with telling examples.

•History - Where did Permaculture come from, who inspired it, who developed the concept, who implemented it. What is its development in Tunisia and in the world?

•Ethical and Design Principles - Know and understand the three ethical principles on which Permaculture is based. Know how to decipher and apply the principles, guide for the design of Permaculture systems.

•Observation - Learn to develop the sense of observation and systemic approach, element by element and then their interconnection.

•Design method - Use analysis and design tools in an order established by different methods in order to follow a complete and logical approach.

•Visit of a representative place - See and understand Permaculture implemented in a representative place where its inhabitants live Permaculture on a daily basis.

In addition, there is a series of specific modules and practical activities:

•Analysis and observation - Resources and identified needs of the inhabitants and users of the system, observation of the site, monitoring nature, zones, sectors, reading of the landscape. Principles of ecology: Flows and cycles, biodiversity, cooperation, guilds, climatic factors, relief, vegetation, natural succession...

•Water element - Water cycles, water in the landscape, keylines, rainwater harvesting, gray water recycling...

•Earth element - Notions of pedology, soil conservation, soil food web, nutrients, fauna and flora, mycorrhiza, soil test, soil displacement and tillage, practice in the garden...

•Role of trees and hedges - Basics of soil-friendly agriculture, soil fertility, soil regeneration, vegetable garden, annual/perennial plants, legumes, mulch, associations, successions, rotations, balance and diversity, seeds...

•Agroforestry - Garden-forest, orchard-vegetable garden, carbon farming, direct seeding, fruit trees and shrubs, orchard, strategies for arid climates...

•Animals in permaculture - Grazing, roles and needs of animals, bees and pollination. Water management and aquatic facilities, aquaculture...

•Composting - toilet-compost, mulching, hot compost, vermicompost...

•Housing and building - location, design, materials, energy efficiency, renewable energies, appropriate technologies, recycling...

•Design on a larger scale - ecovillage, eco-neighborhood, urban strategies, Invisible Links and Network, community, local organization, alternative economy...

•The permaculture network - Training courses, presentation of concrete examples, organizations...

The objective of this course is to convey a clear vision of what permaculture represents, its philosophy, its concepts  and its fields of application.

Understanding what design represents and putting it into practice gives participants the keys to a practical use of permaculture, likely to positively transform their lives.

At the end of this training, the trainee:

• Will be able to explain the causes and consequences that led to the invention of permaculture.

• Will have understood the fundamental notions of permaculture design such as patterns, sectors and zoning, and will be able to read a terrain with this new prism.

• Will know how to use ethics and the principles of permaculture to guide their decisions.

• Will be able to read a topography on a map and on the ground in order to design a water system suitable for the place and the production needs.

• Will be able to propose a bioclimatic habitat design with the use of ecological and healthy materials.

• Will be able to carry out a diagnosis of the soil and floristic bio-indication. He will also know where to find specialists if needed.

• Know several natural and regenerative farming systems depending on the ecosystem and the project (food garden, micro-market gardening on living soil, orchard-market gardening, meadow-orchard, agroforestry, small livestock)

• Know the fundamentals of the functioning of a tree and a forest in temperate, semi-arid and arid climates in order to better understand the establishment of trees in a system.

• Will be able to implement design-specific methodologies and tools to design a permaculture site, ergonomic and functional production zoning based on its diagnosis and functional analyses.

• Will be able to animate introductions to permaculture and participate in PDCs as a speaker on themes chosen together and will have a provided media library and a bundle of internet resources to deepen all the themes covered during the training.

• Elyes Mkacher is the host and lead trainer of this PDC. He is the founder of the Dar Emmima permaculture ecosystem and has been working since 2018 as a consultant, designer and trainer in permaculture with different national and international organizations. He had his first permaculture training in 2016 at the farm "l'ombre du palmier" with Massi Miatton and Corinne Abassi and followed up with a permaculture teacher's training at the "permaculture education institute" with Maurag Gambe in 2022 and a Permaculture Professional Design Course with Oregan States University in 2023.

• Nadia Latiri graduated in vegetable crops, She had her PDC in 2016 in "l'ombre du palmier" with Massi Miatton and Corinne Abbassi and actively contributes to the Dar Emmima project since its creation. .

We want this training to remain accessible to as many people as possible (up to 16 people). That's why for the same training, we offer two different types of accomodation: 

• "Autonomous students": 6 shared rooms/Max 12 beds available, participants will be accommodated in Permadwira (main venue) or in other furnished apartments in the city of Chebba. A vegan meal will be served each day during the lunch break. Drinks, fruit and cookies are provided for coffee breaks. Participants take care of their dinners and breakfasts throughout the stay. 

• "Dar Emmima guests": 2 private rooms/Max 4 places available, participants will be accommodated at Dar Emmima with vegan dinners and breakfasts served every day. Lunch and coffee breaks will be shared with other participants.

Each participant will have to set himself the amount he wants and can pay, according to his means and his satisfaction with the various services he has received during the course. The conscious price being a concept favored in permaculture, gives participants the opportunity to contribute financially to the project through generosity, appreciation and support, rather than obligation.

There is still a minimum amount to be paid in advance as a registration fee, and the rest can be paid, without obligation, at the end of the course. 

"Independent student" formula: 

• Registration fee/person: 600dt / 180 euros 

• Total indicative price/person: 1200dt / 360 euros 

"Dar Emmima guest" packages: 

• Registration fee/person: 1000dt / 300 euros 

• Total indicative price/person: 2000dt / 600 euros

Please note that registration fees must be paid no later than two weeks before the start of the course. This amount will be spent during these two weeks for the purchase of supplies and coverage of expenses related to the organization of the training. In case of cancellation, this amount may not be refunded.

The training will take place from 17th to 27th of May, 2024, interns must commit to make themselves fully available to the internship during the entirety of these 10 days.

Interns will be expected on Friday, October 17th to start the first session at 3pm.

The graduation ceremony will take place during the evening of Monday, October 27th and check-out can be done during the morning of Tuesday, May 28, 2024.

Applicants must duly complete the registration form (down below).

As space is limited, the organizers will select applications based on the completed forms in order to form a balanced group and create a valid waiting list for upcoming internships.

April 16th, 2024 will be the registration deadline, people who exceed this date will still be admitted to the waiting list.

The announcement of the selected candidates will take place on April 17, 2024.

Selected candidates will be contacted and asked to pay the registration fee by bank transfer to confirm their participation before May 1st, 2024.

• The language used during this training will be English.

• The diploma will only be awarded to participants present at all training sessions.

• It will not be possible to have minors (-18 years old) during the course.

• Four cats and a dog are currently living in Dar Emmima. Appreciating pets company would be essential to benefit from the "Dar Emmima guest" formula.

• The food served during the course is vegan.

• Participants undertake to be insured during the period of the course and to take care of themselves in the event of an accident.