Update – How Have the Permaculture Educational Structures Changed in Germany in the Years 2012 – 2014?

Jan Fischer, Permakultur Akademie Deutschland interviewed by Monika Frank 28th – 30th of June 2014.

The interest into permaculture has largely increased in Germany over the last two years, the Akademie has responded to this by organising more PDCs (in 2014 8 instead of 4-5 in the previous years) and has lifted the restricition on the number of PDCs, established in the past to avoid competition. Also the number of students enrolled in the Akademie has doubled which led to more persons working as tutors and on the online-structures with these students.

The idea of regionalisation takes place with more regionally based introduction courses. This development would have been taken place maybe also without the european partnership, but the regular contacts with collegues from other countries has helped the awareness to be part of a bigger network which supports each member of it. The sessions about pedagogy and teaching methods have inspired some german permaculture teachers to organise the first teacher trainings in their country which have taken place only in other european countries so far.

Due to more students doing their diploma and to the higher demand on courses, there are more active PC teachers in Germany now and also more foreign teachers delivering PDCs and other courses (in english) which are well booked.

The contacts and presentations during the EPT inspired a discussion on a teaching policy to team up young teachers with less experience with established teachers.
Also the possibility of getting PC education accredited by the state is discussed now in the Akademie.

The number of persons involved running the Akademie or with specific tasks has increased, the budget to pay these services has increased as well. But there have been no major changes on the pathway to diploma because is had been redesigned in 2012.

The empty centered organisation of the Akademie has inspired other well established organisations like in Britain to think about their structuring and hierarchies.