After unfortunately having to cancel our PDC course here in Australia, we were fortunate that Tom was asked to teach a Permaculture Design Certificate course in Vanuatu. ADRA, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, has several projects in Vanuatu with people who need Permaculture training. Continue reading
On the 18th of March we started our Biogas project. This project involves making a bio-digester which will turn manure into methane gas for cooking and other energy needs. Tom had to re-do some fencing and clear the site for the bio-digester. He calculated that with the amount of manure we are getting (around 30kg per day), we need a 5 cubic metre bio-digester, which will give us around 1 1/2 cubic metres of gas per day. Continue reading
For some years now we have been looking at minimising our energy consumption, and at alternative forms of energy creation in order to produce the energy we need. As we have animal systems in place here at PRI Sunshine Coast, we have a fair bit of manure on the property. As well as animal manure, we also have waterless (composting) toilets, so humanure is another resource on our property waiting to be used more efficiently than we currently are. After a lot of research over the past few years, Tom decided that a Biogas system would be the best way to go for us. Continue reading
Teaching at the nursery site making soil pro-biotic with aeration, and also how to make products at home using low tech systems.
Paul Taylor was raised on an organic farm and has been working with sustainable soil management for more than 30 years. Paul demystifies the complex sciences of soil microbiology and plant nutrition to bring you a cutting edge system of sustainable soil management.
In this workshop, we redefine sustainable agriculture as ‘the ability to improve production while we reduce cost and improve soil fertility’. Learn this 3-part system as the path forward to improving your productive soils.
1. Specialist composting made easy: Trust Nature’s Bio-vital™ system
2. Making soil pro-biotic – soil microbiology made simple
3. Making cost effective Bio-Fertilisers: COAS principles from Eugenio Gras and much more.
1-2-3- Grow!
Learn how to combine these 3 cost effective methodologies, to reduce costs and achieve sustainable soil management.
In this 5-day course we take the mystery out of soil microbiology, plant nutrition and ‘organics’ and learn how to combine methods to improve soil fertility, reduce input costs and improve production. These management principles apply to the backyard garden as well as the broad acre farm.
Sustainable Soil Management means that we depend on natural processes to improve production while we build soil fertility and reduce cost. We believe that the principles of sustainable soil management is the path forward for giving agriculture the tools needed to rebuild degraded soils.
This course is a specialist course and is part of the Permaculture Life Skills Internship but can be attended as a separate course.
Course teacher: Paul Taylor
Course cost: $795, inc. camping (byo tent) and all meals for 5 days, or included in the Permaculture Life Skills Internship fee.
Student Feedback:
Please email us on info (at) permaculturesunshinecoast.org for more information or to book for this course.
Limited cabin and caravan accommodation available at extra cost.
| BOOK ONLINE for Sustainable Soil Management course 12 – 16 August 2013: (bookings are taken by PRI Australia in a new browser tab) Book and pay deposit $100 Book and pay full amount $795 COURSE CAPPED AT 15 STUDENTS! |
