WHO ARE THEY?
The Permaculture Skills Center is a 5-acre demonstration site and educational institution dedicated to sharing regenerative land development and management practices. They are located in the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed just south of Sebastopol, in Sonoma County, California.
WHAT DO THEY GROW?
Since winter 2012 PSC has installed over 2000 feet of stormwater harvesting earthworks, four habitat ponds with constructed wetlands, two acres of rotational grazing pasture lined with on contour hedgerows. They rotate a mobile chicken coop that holds one hundreds pasture-fed chickens and a pair of alpaca, and a llama for natural fiber generation. They planted 250+ heirloom fruit and nut trees with hundreds of medicinal, soil-building, insect-attracting and edible plants as an understory. They now have one acre of vegetables, strawberries and cut flowers, plus an outdoor classroom and market stand.
Furthermore they host one-day educational workshops and tours, sustainability related community events and our two vocational training programs – the Ecological Landscaper Immersion and Farm School– all of which use the site as a living learn-scape.
Farm School is Permaculture Skills Center's newest vocational training which focuses on growing livelihoods supported by regenerative land management in agriculture. Using the innovative farms of Sonoma and Marin Counties as a classroom, students have opportunity to learn and mentor with the region's leading-edge producers and food system innovators, get business coaching, tour successful models and expand their community of support.
Farm School is an 8-week farm and business skills intensive followed by a 6-month mentorship. (Could also insert the image attached here which gives a nice visual of the program)
HOW DO THEY HELP NEW FARMERS GROW?
We asked the Permaculture Skills Center for the top five ways and reasons to connect with them for their farm school, and here they are:
The Permaculture Skills Center is a 5-acre demonstration site and educational institution dedicated to sharing regenerative land development and management practices. They are located in the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed just south of Sebastopol, in Sonoma County, California.
WHAT DO THEY GROW?
Since winter 2012 PSC has installed over 2000 feet of stormwater harvesting earthworks, four habitat ponds with constructed wetlands, two acres of rotational grazing pasture lined with on contour hedgerows. They rotate a mobile chicken coop that holds one hundreds pasture-fed chickens and a pair of alpaca, and a llama for natural fiber generation. They planted 250+ heirloom fruit and nut trees with hundreds of medicinal, soil-building, insect-attracting and edible plants as an understory. They now have one acre of vegetables, strawberries and cut flowers, plus an outdoor classroom and market stand.
Furthermore they host one-day educational workshops and tours, sustainability related community events and our two vocational training programs – the Ecological Landscaper Immersion and Farm School– all of which use the site as a living learn-scape.
Farm School is Permaculture Skills Center's newest vocational training which focuses on growing livelihoods supported by regenerative land management in agriculture. Using the innovative farms of Sonoma and Marin Counties as a classroom, students have opportunity to learn and mentor with the region's leading-edge producers and food system innovators, get business coaching, tour successful models and expand their community of support.
Farm School is an 8-week farm and business skills intensive followed by a 6-month mentorship. (Could also insert the image attached here which gives a nice visual of the program)
HOW DO THEY HELP NEW FARMERS GROW?
We asked the Permaculture Skills Center for the top five ways and reasons to connect with them for their farm school, and here they are:
- To learn from the leaders - Farm School provides the unique opportunity to learn from a wide spectrum of pioneering practitioners in an integrated fashion, all who represent different pieces of the new paradigm of agriculture.
- To develop skills - whether its’ soil management, crop planning or farm design, this program roots new knowledge by teaching it through useful real-world application.
- For business training - acknowledging that a farm enterprise's finical sustainability is core to perpetuating its ecological sustainability, this program integrates business design, development and management trainings each week.
- To find focus - since it's easy to spread yourself thin by taking on too much when getting started, Farm School helps you get clear on your piece of the puzzle and then create a farm and business plan to align passion and profitability.
- For mentorship and community - because none of us can do it alone, Farm School is as much about growing a network of peers and mentors as it about cultivating your skills. After the 8-week intensive students are encouraged to return to the area they intend to start farming and PSC will help you set up a 6-month mentorship to support you getting started.
MORE INFO AT:
www.permacultureskillscenter.org
www.permacultureskillscenter.org
Written by Rose DeNicola
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