18th Sept. 2021 um 18:00
Sadernas, Cataluna, Spain
PERMACULTURE IN PRACTICE (PIP)
4-week Internship
Can Lliure, La Garrotxa, Catalunya Spain
18th Sept. to 17th Oct. 2021
1,000 euros
This is a special opportunity to gain hands on experience implementing Permaculture systems under the guidance of experienced and internationally active Permaculture Designer Rico Zook. For one month we will live as a community designing, implementing and learning about the many different regenerative systems that are part of a functioning and productive holistic farm ecosystem. This is an in depth experience of living and working on a developing permaculture farm in the beautiful Pyrenees north of Barcelona Spain.
The Can Lliure Project is shifting from the pioneering stage to a secondary successional development phase that gives you the incredible opportunity of real life hands-on practical Permaculture applications in the field, in real life, while being mentored and guided by professionals.
This internship is strongly focused on practical hands-on learning from tools, their care, safe use, and maintenance, to providing, scheduling, guiding and encouraging their use in as many different and useful projects as possible.
Our work will be divided into several ‘types’ of work that is outlined below. We will have a very structured time to maximize our learning experiences, while also being open to adjustments and making sure there is plenty of play and fun time. We strongly believe in doing good work and having fun while doing it. We view life as a celebration, with work and play just being different types of engagement in this celebration.
OVERVIEW OF OUR WORK AND PLAY
Our projects and work can be placed into several categories,
Ongoing Food Production
New Projects
Ongoing Projects
Independent Projects
Embedded Short Courses
Field Trips
ONGOING FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
ANNUAL AND PERENNIAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
Providing for Can Lliure’s food needs from onsite systems is a high priority for us. As such the intern may be involved in establishing and designing of regenerative Agro-ecosystems, Market Garden Design and Layout, Intro to Syntropic Agroforestry and Forest Garden Systems, Edible Landscaping, Ecological Beekeeping, and Mushroom Production. There will time each week for the interns to work in the annual vegetable gardens learning from a farmer with extensive experience.
NEW PROJECTS
As this is the growth phase of Can Lliure, we are frequently starting new projects. The rate at which we do this varies depending on work schedule, people on site, time of year and budgets. For this internship we will start at least the following projects.
DESIGNING AND INSTALLING LANDSCAPE AROUND THE NEW HOUSE
This is really exciting and we have all been waiting for this opportunity. Can Lliure’s rebuilt traditional stone house structure is about completed. (The exterior is finished; the interior will partially be done) With this it is time to design and install all of the exterior human landscape around the home. This will be a full on professional level design and build experience. (though highly unlikely we will complete installation within our one month time onsite) With our limited time this install will focus on the hardscape of the design, terrace building, pathways, raised beds, etc. As possible, there will also be preparation of perennial beds for the planting of guilds. This design opportunity is exceptional for the chance to learn and apply concepts and techniques relating to highly managed and interactive regenerative landscapes focused on the human experience and outdoor activity.
COLD FRAME CONSTRUCTION
Part of the food growing strategy is season extending techniques and structures. Cold frames will be a great help. With these we can start seedlings and vegetables earlier, grow later into the winter, and perhaps year-round if we are tricky, and have protected beds during the growing season. This project will involve design, reused materials as much as possible, and build/install.
ONGOING PROJECTS
These are projects that are important to Can Lliure’s vision and have previously been started. They provide an excellent modeling for our work and their completion is important to Can Lliure’s long-term productivity and the eco-system’s health. The intern’s contributions to creating these systems and structures are highly valued and appreciated.
OLIVE REHABILITATION
Can Lliure has some old Olives that had become overgrown and smothered by surrounding vegetation. Over the last couple of years we have been slowly liberating them and installing broadscale water harvest structures for their benefit. There are still some Olives in need of clearing, as well as more catchment structures to design and install. There is also the likelihood that we will start to prune these Olives to assist in fruit production and plant health. Additionally, there is the opportunity to design plant guilds based upon these Olives, with a possibility, dependent upon funds availability, of starting to plant these out.
FIREBREAK CREATION
As part of Can Lliure’s resilient design a multi-layered firebreak is being created. Early in the internship we will continue this process allowing for the intern to practice tool use and skill building prior to the more delicate and precision necessary for pruning a production tree. This project allows for learning about the importance of fire in a healthy landscape, as well as preparation for catastrophic fire.
During this work we will also discuss overall forest health and sustainable management practices.
BEE SANCTUARY
A Bee Sanctuary was designed by our interns in our first program and installed as part of our second internship program. As a regenerative design this project’s first plantings are slowly growing, with need for care and attention. Additionally, the Sanctuary still has components to install, including an irrigation system, a central arbor over the mandala’s central water feature, more planting, and soil develop via green manuring.
FENCE WORK
Fencing is a primary component of almost all farms and homesteads. In the first week we will learn the basics of fencing and do some fence repair. If time allows, and/or an intern has interest to do more fence work, there is plenty of fence needing repair, as well as fence building itself.
INDEPENDENT PROJECT WORK
While not a requirement of this program we encourage interns to do an independent project. We will introduce these projects during the first week and hope interns choose one early in their time with us so they have as much time as possible for this project. An independent project can be done by an individual, or as a collaboration of interns. Depending on project and funds, some projects may have money for installation costs.
As many of the scheduled projects we work on in this program are ongoing, continued work on these projects, perhaps even more responsibility in them, is welcomed as part of doing independent work.
POSSIBLE PROJECTS INCLUDE
Number of participants and the interests of the group will influence projects done. There is room for multiple concurrent projects, allowing for layered and expansive learning opportunities.
Siting and Hand building small swales, boomerangs, and other small water harvesting structures
Installing greywater system for an outdoor shower
Planting Guilds
Working to establish a Forest Garden
Annual and Perennial Garden Design and Implementation
Designing and Creating a Nursery
Drip irrigation design and installation
Chicken and Duck coops and system
IMO’s, Vermicompost, and Compost tea
Forest Management
Can Lliure Permaculture Farm Infrastructure development
Reishi and Shitake Mushroom log inoculation
Truffle Plantation area preparation
Broadscale Bee forage areas design and implementation
EMBEDDED SHORT COURSES
These courses are more classroom focused as all our other work, and the vast majority of the interns time, is hands-on outdoors learning experience.
WATER AND EARTHWORKS, a 3-day course.
These will be 3 half-day classes, though may go a bit longer as interest and opportunities warrant. All physical land systems are literally grounded in the earth. In this course we explore the macro scales of understanding about water and landscape for designing, working and shaping the earth as the foundation for regenerative systems; concurrently learning and understanding about how water interacts and affects the land, supports productive landscapes with human habitation, and its central role in resilience and regenerative system design. We will also learn about practical earth structures for water harvesting and management.
This will be an in class course at the beginning of our internship that prepares the intern for project work, both scheduled and independent.
TOPICS INCLUDE
Water: The strangest molecule, as resource, living water, precious and political
The watershed perspective
Patterning in water and earthworks
Keypoint and keylines: conceptual understandings and practical applications
Earth structures: hand-built and working with machines
Ponds: siting, construction, creating an ecosystem, full site perspective
Water in the built landscape, urban and suburban situations
Water and Infrastructure
Forest Garden design and implementation
Advanced Design strategies and techniques
INTRODUCTION TO REGENERATIVE AGROFORESTRY, a 2-day course
This course will be taught by Roman. He has been focusing a majority of his work these past few years on agroforestry.
FIELD TRIPS
We love field trips for a few reasons. First, and very importantly, they are fun. Additionally, we meet new and amazing people, learn about the fun and practical things that they are doing, and get out and about in the local area.
Currently we have two field trips planned. There is the possibility for more, especially if done during our days off.
CEMENT FACTORY
This is an old cement production site that has been the home of a small community that is doing many cool and regenerative practices. We will have a visit and tour of this place, and hopefully a wonderful evening of brick oven baked pizza and conversation.
ADVENTURE TRIP
There is an old ruin farther into the mountains that can be seen from Can Lliure. On a day off we will take a long walk to this ruin for a bit of adventure and exploration of local history and to see an old traditional homestead and how it was laid out.
COMMUNITY WORK
As part of all our work, we will have community work as there will not be a support staff cooking and cleaning for us. (this may change during the 1 week retreat) Everyone that is part of the internship will have a small number of hours each week for this community work. These hours will be considered part of the total internship hours listed below. Work will include; cooking or assisting with, dishwashing, and toilet maintenance.
OUR SCHEDULE
While there will be an existing schedule, daily, weekly, and for the month, these are open for adjustments based upon the interests and needs of those involved in the internship.
DAILY SCHEDULE
While there is not a set schedule in this regard the basic pattern will be
Breakfast
Morning work 4 hours
Lunch + rest
Afternoon work 3.5
Dinner
Open time
The amount of time for rest after lunch can be determined by the group, and changeable on a daily basis. After dinnertime is open, though there is an extensive video library and showings can be done on a personal, or community scheduled basis.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
We will work 5 days a week, with our group deciding which days these are. Rico will be working a 6th day, which people are welcome to join in.
The foundational schedule for each week will include; project work (new and ongoing), garden work with Martin, independent project work (or continued work on other projects), and community work. Each week will have additionally scheduled activities, which are outlined in the following.
MONTHLY SCHEDULE
The following outlines additionally schedule activities by the week in which they are to happen. Included are some of the topics that will occur that week, and all of this is open to change.
First Week
Orientation, Tools; names, uses, care, and safety, Introduction to Independent projects, Start design of Home’s Landscaping, Work on Firebreak and Fences, Walk down to Creek (on a day off)
Second Week
Water and Earthworks short course, Field Trip to Cement Factory (maybe on a day off), Work on the Olives, Continued Landscape Design
Third Week
Start install of hardscape around House, Agroforestry short course (maybe forth week), Field Trip to Old Ruins (this will be on a day off), Drip Irrigation in the Bee Sanctuary
Forth Week
Continued work on Landscape install, Cold Frame build (?)
FEE
The fee of 1,000 euros is all-inclusive. We will meet you in Olot, and drop you back there for your departure. All food is included. A tent site is provided, or there is a large communal tent available. A few mattresses are available, though you need to bring all your bedding.
Upon Registration a What to Bring list will be provided. It can get cold in the evening and night, so bring warm clothing and bedding.
CONCLUSION
There are more and more PDCs’ being offered, and as long as they are quality ones, this is a good thing. This internship is the next step in building upon what you learned in the PDC. It is a response to our global need to skill up as many people as possible to do the work, and to help share the critical understandings for and responses to climate change and our rapidly changing world. Having this month with us not only helps you become part of the solution, it prepares you to become agents of the change from an outdated degenerative culture to one of nurturing natural and human landscapes in a regenerative holistic approach. And to have a lot of fun while learning this.
TO ASK QUESTIONS, OR TO REGISTER
Rico Zook rico@i-permaculture.org
Roman and Can Lliure
https://soilsunsoul.net/ and https://www.facebook.com/soil-sun-soul/
