Permaculture Design Certificate Course
Skill up and have fun while earning an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certificate presented by Soil Food Web Foundation in cooperation with the Permaculture Association
Now enrolling for the September 16th - December 20th, 2026 Cohort
Learn from Nature
If you're looking for a robust overview of permaculture & renegerative design, this course is perfect for you!
Discover practical ways to understand and apply nature’s wisdom in your daily life. By combining scientific observation with time-tested traditions of regenerative living, this course reveals powerful new possibilities for creating healthier lives, thriving landscapes, and meaningful livelihoods.
Permaculture principles offer a practical framework for designing systems that work in harmony with nature. Through these methods, you’ll build the skills and confidence to become a more capable designer in everyday life—whether you’re planning a garden, organizing a project, or shaping a long-term vision for your home or community.
Permaculture provides accessible, affordable, and achievable solutions that can be applied anywhere—from homes and gardens to farms, businesses, and community initiatives. Learn how to meet more of your own needs while cultivating resilience, productivity, and abundance in a rapidly changing world.
Permaculture is a comprehensive design science for building resilient landscapes, livelihoods, and communities rooted in the principles of living systems. This course brings that science to life through the lens of the Soil Food Web.
Developed in cooperation with the Permaculture Association (UK), this certificate covers 72 hours of instruction across 12 weeks of self-paced content, weekly live sessions, hands-on design projects, and a global peer community you'll carry with you long after graduation.
What our graduates are saying
Our first cohort has spoken up! Check out what they have to say about the Soil Fodo Web Permaculture Design Certificate experience
In Collaboration With the Permaculture Association
“A fantastic way to better yourself, the community, and the environment for the future, with the skills and confidence to design and implement permaculture strategies. The logical next step in Soil Food Web endeavors!”
Ben Armstrong
Australia
“This course was excellent- comprehensive, providing great specificity yet not overwhelming! The videos were superb and the instructors excellent- knowledgable and engaging. Very happy and grateful.”
Lina Free
Guyana
“Joining this course is the best decision I made so far this year. I learnt about the different climates and how people farm differently all over the world with permaculture ethics and principles.”
Yongliang Rao
Singapore
“A comprehensive immersion in permaculture. Tremendous amount of course material focused in one place. Enthusiastic, supportive learning environment. Worth the time and money.”
Bob Tillman
USA
“Such a wide spectrum of ideas presented in a smooth and enjoyable fashion. I felt supported in the learning process and empowered to level up my knowledge base and community engagement. Thank you!”
Alex Murray
Canada
“Vast amount of inspirational material from a wide variety of global teachers. A most valuable source of information for future design projects.”
Dana Dean
UK
“Yes I loved the course conducted virtually. It gives a good interaction and understanding virtually and physically in our area. Thank you Delvin and Kavi for facilitating and a fun learning sessions.”
Judy Chua
Malasia
“The Permaculture Design Course has opened my eyes in so many ways. It has given me so much more than I expected and it has changed the way I think about things and how I interact with people.”
Vicky Davison
USA
“Great facilitators of permaculture course; Warm, inviting, welcoming, knowledgeable, fun, enthusiastic entertaining. highly recommend.”
Shawna Hett
Canada
Curriculum Overview
70+ Educators | 12 Chapters | 3 Sections | 2 Live Instructors | Weekly Live Sessions | One living system
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Permaculture Essentials
Module 1 | Weeks 1 - 4Think like nature. Upgrade your ability to make effective, efficient, and ethical decisions using the permaculture design toolkit. Recognize nature’s pattern language. Map a meaningful place in your home, garden, farm, or project.
[ Chapter 1 Permaculture Foundations | Chapter 2 Design Tools & Frameworks | Chapter 3 Designing with Patterns ] -
Ecological Essentials
Module 2 | Weeks 5 - 9Work with nature. Level up your ecological literacy with regenerative methods, strategies, and techniques for gardening and farming. Soak up the Soil Food Web science of ecology and biology. Learn permaculture approaches for working with animals, trees and wild spaces. Understand how nature is designed for water and apply these principles in different scales. Study new approaches to resource use for resilience and adaptability to changing climatic conditions.
[ Chapter 4 Design with Soil | Chapter 5 Design with Plants | Chapter 6 Design with Plants & Animals | Chapter 7 Design with Water | Chapter 8 Design with Climate ] -
Design Essentials
Module 3 | Weeks 10 - 13Apply nature’s lessons. Meet the needs, opportunities, and challenges of drylands, cool climates, and tropics. Bring permaculture into life and livelihood. Design a meaningful place in your home, garden, farm, or project.
[ Chapter 9 Dryland Design | Chapter 10 Cool Climate Design | Chapter 11 Tropical Design | Chapter 12 Social Permaculture ]
~ Live Session Instructors ~
Delvin Solkinson
Lead Permaculture Instructor
[email protected]
Delvin Solkinson is a community gardener, student and teacher from ʔayʔaǰuθəm (Qathet) in British Columbia, Canada. He has completed a Permaculture Design Certificate, Diploma and Masters Degree in Permaculture Education with Bill Mollison, the co-originator of Permaculture. Dedicated to life long learning, Delvin has done many in-person programs including 13 advanced courses and 14 teacher trainings with Permaculture elders including David Holmgren, Rosemary Morrow, Larry Santoyo, Robin Clayfield, Geoff Lawton, Scott Pittman, Starhawk, Toby Hemenway, Looby Macnamara, Doug & Sam Bullock, Jude Hobbs, Michael Becker and Jon Young. Ongoing training included completing three additional Permaculture Diplomas, numerous Permaculture Design Certificate Courses, and an experimental Doctoral Degree in Permaculture Education with Larry Santoyo of the Permaculture Academy. Delvin has served as the Diploma Program Co-ordinator for the Permaculture Institute since 2018. He is a Diploma Tutor with Permaculture Association UK and Senior Diploma Tutor with Permakultur Danmark. With his wife Grace, Delvin served as Dean and co-Lead Instructor for the 720 hr in-person Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystem Diploma with Pacific Rim College. They built gardens and structures, raised animals and organized a large teaching team including Indigenous Wisdom Holders. Together they teach, write books, create card decks and learning games, write articles and serve as social media managers for Permaculture Magazine. Delvin has co-taught 27 year long Permaculture Design Courses over the last 20 years. He is an accredited teacher with Permaculture Institute, Permaculture Association, Permaculture Institute of North America and Permaculture Research Institute. Delvin collaborated with Graham Bell, Dr. Elaine Ingham and the Soil Food Web School to co-create this legacy online Permaculture Design Certificate Course.
Kavi Reddy
Permaculture Instructor
[email protected]
Kavi Reddy is a permaculture educator and community organizer who constantly actualizes solutions for the benefit of Earth today and in the future. She stumbled upon Permaculture in 2013, earned her PDC in 2017, and has advanced permaculture certifications in landscape mapping, passive rainwater harvesting design, and soil fertility building. Kavi has learned from and taught alongside many Permaculture elders in the U.S. and India including Jude Hobbs, Narsanna Koppula, Clea Chandmal, Robyn Francis, Rico Zook, and Kelda Lorax.
Academically, Kavi holds three degrees from UC Berkeley, focusing on the history of agriculture, colonialism, and food systems transformations. Her career spans social entrepreneurship, regenerative agriculture, climate technology innovation, and non-profit management. In her role as Director of Operations at the Soil Food Web School, Kavi builds programs and partnerships that further access to regenerative ecology & soil fertility education around the world. In her personal life, Kavi loves teaching Permaculture & Regenerative Thinking to middle & high school students at her alma mater The Athenian School in the Bay Area, CA.
PDC Video Session Instructors
Participants will have the opportunity to learn from many notable permaculture elders, Soil Food Web experts, and community practitioners doing hands on work around the world!
Questions Are Welcome Here
Look below for the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Teaching Team
Permaculture Association Educators
Graham Bell, Looby Macnamara, Chris Evans, Aranya Austin, Rakesh Rootsman Rak, Delvin Solkinson, Skye Jin, Tomas Remiarz, Charlotte Lou Langdon, James Atherton, Ângela Gonçalves, Jemma Findley, Kathryn Baker, Andy Goldring, Jo Barker, Aimee Fenech, Carole Egner, Katie Shepherd
Permaculture Elders
David Holmgren, Rosemary Morrow, Robin Clayfield, Geoff Lawton, Robyn Francis, Starhawk, Jude Hobbs, Larry Santoyo, Andrew Millison, Mark Lakeman, Christopher Nesbitt, Michael Becker, Mike Kaplin
Soil Food Web Mentors
Dr. Elaine Ingham, Dr. Adam Cobb, Dr. Carla Ribeiro Machado e Portugal, Dr. Caterina Capri, Adriana Rodriguez, Brian Vagg, Daniel Bolanos, Eric Feiler, Fernando Lacayo, Gerald Ramírez, Kavi Reddy, Laura Campos, Loida Vasquez, María José Monge Salazar, Tanja Dekker, Wesley Sander
International Permaculture Teachers
Aimee Fenech, Ampera Alexander, Bridget O'Brien, Câlin Radulescu, Charlie Brennan, Charlie Mgee, Charlies Williams, Cristina Colis, Erin Wiedmer, George Christofis, Gerald Kasiita, Grace Solkinson, JanieB, Jörn Müller, Julie Parrell, Juliet Pennina Zalwango, Kate Everett, Kyle Franks, Lukowe Ketra, Maurice Aliddeki Bayinze, Michael Mugume, Mike Hoag, Mohammed al Kulaib, Mothin Ali, Ruth Akinyi, Sabine Klee, Samantha Lyth, Tess Lehrich, Victor Atujjukire, Colin Andrews, Monica Wilde, Mary Reynolds
It is a 13-week course. Each week will have approximately 6.5 hours of active time between self-paced learning from pre-recorded videos, live virtual meetings, and assigned activities.
Yes! Our two amazing live instructors, Delvin and Kavi, will be leading your cohort. They will be present at the weekly meetups and in the Soil Food Web community that all the students gain access to for the course.
Yes! You will have 30-day from the last day of instruction to submit your final project, finish watching pre-recorded materials, and even attend a few make-up live sessions if needed.
You will also retain access to all learning materials and the community forum after the course ends.
None at all. Come as you are!
You will, however, need internet access and a device that can connect to Zoom for the weekly meet-ups.
Live sessions may be attended by phone with video capabilities. However, it is recommended to join by computer or tablet to get the most interactive learning experience.
Yes, some scholarships are available on a need basis for folks who identify as Black, Indigenous, or under-resourced from the Global South. Folks who are otherwise under-resourced and are able to tie their attendance in the course to community impact back home are also encouraged to apply.
Scholarship form: https://soilfoodweb.com/scholarship-opportunities/
To earn the PDC certificate you must attend at least 80% of the 1 1/2 hr weekly live sessions, do a map & design project for a meaningful place in your life, and complete 4 1/2 hrs of self-paced learning videos per week.
Can't wait to see you in the course!
“Though the problems of the world are becoming increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” - Bill Mollison
