Camp at Zaytuna Farm
Camping is available on-site in a self-provided tent or camper. 10 camp shelters, hot showers and composting toilets. There is access to basic kitchen facilities and wifi.
Book CampingSam Parker Davies
PERMACULTUREDesign Course
At Zaytuna Farm
4 - 15 January 2027
In person - with Sam Parker Davies - at Zaytuna Farm
About the course
Get Certified in
Permaculture Design
Learn how to design regenerative systems that can provide all our human needs, whilst benefiting our environment.
Permaculture can be applied almost anywhere — from an urban balcony or backyard to a home, farm, community or large-scale restoration project. The principles stay the same, but the way we apply them changes with the landscape, climate, resources and people.
This course teaches you how to work with those differences rather than against them. You’ll learn to read landscapes, understand how systems connect, and use permaculture principles to make informed design decisions.
More than a collection of techniques, permaculture offers a way of seeing the world. It helps you recognise patterns, understand relationships and think beyond individual problems to the wider systems they are part of.
- Duration
- 10Days
- Lecture time
- 72Hours
- Daily study
- 8h8.30am - 5.30pm
What is included
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72 Hours of Course Lectures
With Sam Parker-Davies as your main teacher and supported by his skilful teacher assistants.
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Hands on Practical Morning Sessions
With Sam Parker-Davies as your main teacher and supported by his skilful teacher assistants.
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Final Design Exercise
You will get the chance to put your new skills to the test and produce a permaculture design.
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PDC Permaculture Design Certificate
Upon successful course completion, you will receive your PDC, approved and signed by Sam Parker-Davies.
What you will learn
Everything you need, to
start designing a better futureEverything you need,
to design a better future
Design Food Security
Grow more of your own food, build healthy soil and design productive systems that make the most of what you have.
Create Resilience
Learn to design systems that are diverse, adaptable and less dependent on outside resources.
Explore New Careers
Apply permaculture to land, business, community and future work to create new possibilities.
Build Health
Learn to design systems that are diverse, adaptable and less dependent on outside resources.
Thrive in any climate
Learn to work with the conditions around you and create resilient systems that adapt to a changing climate.
Find your people
Grow more of your own food, build healthy soil and design productive systems that make the most of what you have.
Start seeing patterns
and connections
everywhere...
A PDC is more than learning about permaculture. It changes the way you see the world around you. Learn to read the landscape, notice connections, recognise opportunities and understand how nature creates abundance from what’s already there. Take that perspective home with practical skills you can apply to your food, land, work, health and the way you live.
The course outline
A 10 Day Curriculum Packed
With Permaculture Learning
First week
Download course schedule
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Day 1
Introduction to Permaculture
Challenge what you think you know. Explore permaculture's philosophy, its ethics and its place in landscape and society, and see why designing differently matters now more than ever. You'll also see permaculture at work in case studies from around the world.
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Day 2
Concepts & Themes in Design
+ Methods of DesignLearn the principles nature uses to create yield, from cycles to diversity and stability. Then turn them into a design process using observation, zones, sectors and maps. By the end of the day, you'll be ready to start your own design project.
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Day 3
Pattern Understanding
+ Climatic FactorsDiscover the patterns behind everything: spirals, branches, flows and edges. Then learn how global climate works, how to shape microclimates and how to design for natural disasters. Once you see these patterns, you'll start spotting them everywhere.
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Day 4
Trees and Their Energy Transactions
+ WaterSee how trees drive wind, temperature and rainfall, and how food forests are built. Then learn how water moves through landscapes, with a tour of Zaytuna Farm's 25-year-old water system. See firsthand how swales, dams and trees work together to hold water in the landscape.
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Day 5
Water + Soil
Go deeper into swales, dams, spillways and landscape rehydration, with case studies from Somalia to Jordan. Then dig into the biggest environmental problem of all: soil loss. Learn why it has brought down civilisations, and how to reverse it.
Two day break
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Day 6
Soils + Earthworking and Earth Resources
Build living soil through chemistry, biology and hands-on composting. Then learn to plan, survey and direct earthworks that capture water and work with the land. Plus how to choose the right machinery and plant out once the earth is moved.
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Day 7
Humid Tropics + Cold Climates
Design houses, gardens, food forests and animal systems for the tropics, then for cool and cold climates. Two climates, two very different toolkits. Including how to plan homes and villages that stand up to storms, floods and fire.
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Day 8
Drylands + Aquaculture
Bust the myths about deserts and learn the strategies that green them. Then explore ponds, reed beds and natural swimming pools, and how water systems feed whole landscapes. You'll also learn how to halt desertification and bring salted soils back to life.
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Day 9
Alternative Global Nation + Design Exercise
Zoom out to the systems that shape society: land access, money and finance, village development, bioregions and ethical investment. Then bring it all together in your own design. This is where permaculture moves beyond the garden and into how we live and work together.
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Day 10
Presentations + Integration + What's Next
Present your design, learn from your classmates' work and map out where you'll take it next. We close with an evening of story sharing and a talent show. You'll leave with a finished design, your certificate and a community to keep growing with.
The location
Zaytuna Farm
About the Venue
This PDC is taught at Zaytuna Farm Eco-Hamlet, one of the world's leading permaculture demonstration sites. With 25 years of established earthworks, water harvesting systems, food forests and productive animal systems, the farm is a living classroom where you'll see permaculture working at scale.
Zaytuna Farm is 1km from the village of The Channon and 20km from Lismore in Northern New South Wales, Australia.
A Living Community
In recent years, Zaytuna Farm has become an eco-hamlet, home to a number of residents and their families. Common areas are open for you to explore, while residents' homes and private areas are off limits. We ask that you respect that privacy throughout your stay.
Zaytuna is also a richly diverse community. Many residents have come from different parts of the world, travel regularly, and speak English as a second language. Our students are often just as diverse, so come with an open mind and a curiosity about the people you'll meet.
MOU
Community
Guidelines
The community has agreed guidelines that reflect the values and faith traditions of the people who live here. Some may be unfamiliar to you, but they exist to help everyone feel comfortable and included. We hope you'll see them as a chance to experience a different way of living rather than a restriction.
- Modest dress for everyone, covering shoulders and knees
- No alcohol or illicit drugs on site
- No preparing or eating pork products in common areas
(your private campsite and own cookware are up to you)
Before You Book
All students must read, agree to and sign the Zaytuna Farm MOU before enrolling.
Read the MOU
Secure Your Spot
SAVE $200 when you book before 15 Dec 2026 and save even more if you book with your friends.
Accommodation options
Places to Stay
There are various accommodation options both at the Zaytuna Farm Eco-Hamlet and surrounding areas.
Please note accommodation is not included in the course fee and will need to be booked separately.
Permaculture Rainforest Farm Stay
Wildura is our recommended local permaculture farmstay. Just 10km from Zaytuna Farm, near Nightcap National Park, its cosy private guest room sleeps up to 4 people.
Contact Wildura
Private Resident Arrangements
Limited private arrangements with Eco Hamlet residents may be possible. Please email to enquire.
Email UsFood options
Where to eat during the course
Breakfast is self catered. Lunch and dinner can be purchased at the Zaytuna Farm Cafe or the local Channon Tavern & General Store
Self Catering
If you're staying at the Zaytuna Farm campsite, you're welcome to use the camp kitchen to prepare your own meals. Facilities are basic and shared, with limited fridge space, cookware and utensils, so we recommend bringing your own plate, cutlery, cup and an esky if you can.
Book Camping
Zaytuna Farm Cafe
Fresh lunches and dinners are available Monday to Friday during the course for $30 per meal. During breaks, you can grab a tea or coffee from the café.
Add Meals to Your Booking
The Channon Tavern
The village tavern is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday, and the general store serves hot meals and drinks 7 days a week.
The Channon TavernDirections
Getting here
Zaytuna Farm is located 1 kilometre from the village of The Channon, 20km outside of Lismore in New South Wales, Australia.
Nearest airport
Regional: Coolangatta, Byron/Ballina
International: Brisbane
Train station
Casino (with bus service on to Lismore)
Bus stop
The Channon
NB: A limited service that runs Mon-Fri
View on Google Maps
FAQ
Lectures are broken up with activities, farm tours, guest speakers and hands-on sessions, so you're never just sitting and listening.
- 6am to 8am
- Optional gardening, food forest and animal work
- 9am to 12.45pm
- Recap, then the morning topic
- 1.15pm to 5pm
- Afternoon topic, ending with time to decompress
- 6pm to 7pm
- Guest lectures, design examples and design exercise check-ins
The course is mainly theory, because you need the knowledge before you can act. To build your hands-on skills, Sam runs practical courses after every PDC, discounted for returning students.
This PDC is taught at Zaytuna Farm, 1 kilometre from the village of The Channon and 20km outside of Lismore in New South Wales, Australia.
Regional airports: Lismore, Coolangatta and Ballina. International airport: Brisbane. The nearest train station is Casino, with a bus service on to Lismore. The bus stop is The Channon, on a limited service that runs Mon-Fri.
The course follows the curriculum set out by Bill Mollison, the founder of permaculture, in Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, the foundation text of the field. The curriculum has been taught for over 40 years, and here it's delivered by a designer who has applied it on six continents.
Sam Parker-Davies is a regenerative designer, educator and project manager with more than 10 years' experience. He has completed over 100 projects across six continents, covering more than 50,000 hectares of land. He teaches regularly at Zaytuna Farm.
The two weeks are separated by a two-day break. During it there's an optional regional tour of historic permaculture sites and current projects ($500).
You can camp onsite (booked separately), stay in a room at Wildura Farm Stay, 10km away, or choose from the alternative private rooms onsite.
You'll leave with a finished design, your certificate and a community to keep growing with.
