17 days intensive permaculture Design certificate course (PDC) in Thailand!
Next PDC Course Dates:
15 June- 3 July, 2026
12 - 30 October, 2026
8 - 26 March, 2027
Join Us As an Early Bird!
Register at least 3 months in advance for our Permaculture Design Course (PDC) at Gaia Ashram in Thailand and get the 10% off early bird fee.
- Regular fee: 35,500 Thai baht
- Early bird discount :31,950 Thai baht
This fee covers the intensive 17-day program, handbooks and other resources, exposure trips, vegetarian/vegan food home-cooked by our local chef, evening and afternoon social and enrichment activities, yoga, tai chi, and meditation classes, and comfortable accommodation. Register here.
What will be covered during the 17-day PDC in thailand?
This permaculture training at Gaia Ashram in Thailand will provide you with the knowledge, practical skills, and experience to start or enhance your own permaculture project.
The PDC is staffed by a team of experienced facilitators who cover the PDC 72 hours curriculum.
Usually, a PDC takes 12-14 days to complete, but at Gaia Ashram we believe in the importance of experiencing the knowledge. This is why we made the course 17 days to allow for time to incorporate hands-on activities to make sure you experience learning through doing.
Here are just a few things you’ll learn:
- Philosophies, ethics, and principles of permaculture
- Patterns in nature
- Methods of design; how to apply permaculture design tools and methodology
- Climatic factors and strategies for all major climates and how to work with them
- Trees, forests, and forest gardening
- Agroforestry and propagation
- Gardening techniques for self-sufficiency, plant guilds
- Water management
- Animal systems
- Aqauculture
- Properties of soil
- Natural building techniques
- Urban permaculture strategies and approaches
- Community living and alternative lifestyles that harmonize people and the planet
Temtative program schedule
This is tentative program schedule. There may be some changes in cases when we alter the order of sessions according to the weather and the needs of the group. However, all these topics will be covered as key learning objectives.
Day 0 (Please arrive no later than 12:00):
- 12:30: Lunch and getting settled
- 14:30: Opening circle, introduction to Gaia, community building
- 16:00 Permaculture tour of Gaia
Day 1 :
- Opening, Introduction, Community Building (continued from day 1)
- Introduction to Ecovillage Design/invisible structures
- Introduction to Permaculture Design
- Compost Making(Practical
Day 2 :
- Design Process
- Energy Efficient Planning
- Climate
- Compost (Practical)
Day 3 :
- Mapping & Contour
- Water
- Earth Work & Key Line
Day 4 :
- Water Management Compost/Humanure/Vermicompost System/Earth Worm Compost
- Gray Water ( Practical)
- Soil
Day 5 :
- Gardening (Theory & Practice)
- Propagation (Theory & Practice)
Day 6 :
- Day off
Day 7 :
- Urban Permaculture
- Appropriate Technology(Theory & Practical)
Day 8 :
- Animal System
- Aquaculture
- Bee Keeping
- Practical learning
Day 9 :
- Deep Ecology
- Forest Ecology
- Food Forest Theory
Day 10 :
- Agroforestry
- Mushroom
- Farm visit
Day 11 :
- Natural Building
- Ecological House Design
Day 12 :
- 8 forms of Capital
- Natural Products
Day 13 :
- Day off
Day 14 :
- Introduction to Design Project
- Catch up sessions
Day 15 :
- Design Time
Day 16 :
- Design Time
Day 17 :
- Presentation
- Wrap up
- Certification Ceremony
- Celebration Evening
Day 18 :
- Departure
The PDC starts on a Monday; if you’d like to come earlier to settle in, you can arrive during the week before the course (Monday-Friday). If you’d like to come early, please arrange this with us by email at gaiaschoolasia@gmail.com
Daily Structure
6.15 – 7.15 : Meditation & Yoga (Optional)
7.30 – 8.30 : Breakfast
8.45 – 10.00 : Session 1
10.00 – 10.20 : Tea Break
10. 20 – 12.00 : Session 2
12.30 – 14.30 : Lunch Break
14.30 – 16.00 : Session 3
16.00 – 16.20 : Tea Break
16.20 – 17.30 : Session 4
18.00 – 19.00 : Yoga/Dance/Tai Chi
19.00 – 20.00 : Dinner
20.15 – 21.30 : Evening Session(Not every evening)
Course Location: Gaia Ashram - a Permaculture Ecovillage in Thailand
Gaia Ashram is an Ecovillage and Permaculture Education Center established in 2012 on 13 hectares of land in Isan region, in the northeast of Thailand. 13 years later, we have gained lots of hands-on experience practicing permaculture and applying permaculture principles to the design and development of our land.
Gaia Ashram aims to keep progressing towards thriving and abundance for all the plants and animals who call this place home, including humans. We are constantly in the process of increasing biodiversity and inviting in more and more life throughout the land. In parallel to this mission, we also aim to increase our resilience and adaptability in the face of upcoming challenges, such as climate change.
We are strongly rooted in the local community, as one of our founders is from the local area. We work with the local community on different projects promoting ecological resilience. For example, we’ve just finished building an eco-kindergarten from natural materials for the kids in the village, and we’ve begun working with the school to implement an environmental studies curriculum that gets local kids connecting with and curious about nature.
We strongly believe that there has never been more of a need than now for spreading knowledge of Permaculture and related sustainable living practices–especially as we are beginning to see some of the major effects of climate change and other ecological crises we are facing together as a planet.
We feel that in these times, empowerment of people and community living are constructive, resilient responses to these changes, so we try our best to embody these principles.
Real Learning. Real Impact. Real Change.
If you’d like to sign up for the PDC, please fill out this registration form + follow the downpayment instructions at the bottom of the form. Or, keep reading for more info.
Why Learn Permaculture in thailand at Gaia Ashram?
When taking a PDC at Gaia Ashram, apart from learning about permaculture, you will also learn:
- Ecovillage Lifestyle and Ecovillage Design. We will provide introductory sessions on Ecovillage Design Principles with experienced teachers in Ecovillage Design Education. More importantly, Gaia Ashram itself is an eco-community made up of people who are living together in pursuit of common goals surrounding sustainability education, living in connection with nature, and regeneration of land. So, you’ll get firsthand experience living in and being a part of a functioning Ecovillage while taking the PDC with us.
- Deep Ecology and The Work That Reconnects : Gaia Ashram was inspired by deep ecology philosophy, the Ecovillage Movement, and Permaculture. These three movements have been our guides in developing the project. This PDC will also offer sessions on Deep Ecology and The Work That Reconnects. Becoming familiar with these disciplines will help participants to cultivate deeper connections with the earth and life as the whole. Deep Ecology, Ecovillage Design Principles and Permaculture greatly complement each others.
- Join our Permaculture Internship: Taking the PDC will also prepare you to become a regenerative farm intern at Gaia, should you wish to join. Internships allow you to put your skills into practice by taking responsibility for a project or area on the land here. If there is an Ecovillage Lifestyle Experience Week during your internship, you will also be able to join it free of charge. Interns
- It’s also possible to become a resident of Gaia Ashram after an extended internship period of 1 year.
- Working with local community: We are keenly aware of the importance of local communities, and we are actively working with our local community, as we believe that having a good connection with local communities leads to great collaboration and more skillfully-planned solutions for everyone. Therefore, Gaia Ashram has knowledge, skills and experience to share with you in this area.
- As part of our current outreach, Gaia Ashram is collaborating with the village and the local Khonkaen University to building a kindergarten from mud materials in the local village down the street from Gaia.
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture was created in the 70s by the Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren as a response to the myriad of environmental crises. Permaculture is a holistic design system that reconciles human communities with the ecological imperatives of a living planet.
Permaculture, the word coined by the Australian Bill Mollison, aims to create permanent culture that can go indefinately and is in harmony with mother earth. Permaculture seeks to consciously design and maintenain agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.
Permaculture is not restricted to land management though as it is a way of organizing knowledge, a connecting system that integrates science, art, politics, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and the diverse experiences and resources available in any community. In essence it is also a tool to transform culture and consciousness to align ourselves with Mother Earth.
WHAT Is a permaculture Design Course (PDC)?
A Permaculture Design Certificate Course, or ‘PDC’, is an internationally known and accepted 72-hour theory course resulting in a Permaculture Design Certificate. The PDC provides an introduction to permaculture design according to the movement’s founder Bill Mollison and it is designed based on his international course curriculum.
The Permaculture Design Course equips you with the knowledge and an understanding of how to design sustainable living systems for a wide variety of landscapes and climates.
To date, thousands of permaculture designers worldwide have been certified through this course. Now they make up a global network of educators, ecological activists, consultants, and practitioners who are influencing the decisions of major corporations, small businesses, and people from all walks of life in changing the way we view and design our landscapes, our surroundings, our relationships, and our daily lives so we can grow the revolution that our planet needs.
Gaia’s permaculture course in Thailand serves as a strong foundation for further permaculture work and studies.
Facilitators:
Ben Murray is an Ecological designer, consultant, and teacher with a background in organic and biodynamic gardening/agriculture, natural building, horticulture & andscape architecture.
Ben is the founder of Holistic Regeneration, has 25 years of experience in the realm of Horticulture and has been consulting, practicing and teaching permaculture, organic gardening and natural building for almost 10 years in England, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Kenya and India and is currently working as an itinerant trainer of transformational and empowering workshops and courses.
Sunisa Jamwiset Deiters (Om) lived and worked as a facilitator at Wongsanit Ashram, a socially engaged spiritual community for about 9 years, and later at Panya Permaculture project in Thailand. She helped create the Next Generation of Global Ecovillage Network of Asia & Oceania (NextGENOA). She has facilitated courses in many countries for NGO workers, young Buddhist activists, international students, and children. She founded Gaia Ashram with her partner in 2012. Now she divides her time teaching, managing Gaia Ashram project, and taking care of her kids.
Gaia Ashram Team : Gaia Ashram Team will also be your program facilitators.
Permaculture Design Course fees:
- The PDC fee is 35,500 THB fee includes
– 3 vegetarian/vegan meals,
– accommodation in our recently renovated dormitory or your own tent,
– course materials and equipment
– Gaia’s digital PDC hand book, Gaia Digital Practical Permaculture Handbook, Gaia’s Digital book on Examples of Applying Peramculture at Gaia Ashram.
– Exposure trip to visit a local farm/project related to Permaculture Topic
– extracurricular activities, access to Gaia’s grounds (gardens, swimming ponds, and lots of beautiful green space) and teacher fees.
- The early bird fee offers a 10% discount which is 31,950 THB. We offer 5 early bird tickets on a first come first served basis.
- Separate single rooms or double rooms are available for an extra cost. See below for more information.
- Join our 3-month Permaculture Internship program after the course for a 10% discount Please check out the website here and mention this in the email:
Internship at Gaia Ashram
Registration Process
If you would lik to join the Permaculture Design Course at Gaia Ashram, please take the following steps in order to register:
Step 1: sent us an email:
Step 2:
- Fill in PDC registration form:
Step 3:
Make a deposit of 5,000 THB to secure your spot, and pay the remaining fee in cash on arrival, in Thai baht cash on arrival at Gaia Ashram. There are ATMs available locally.
IMPORTANT: We very strongly prefer Wise as a payment method. If it’s impossible for you to use Wise, we will find another solution, but please email us to arrange (please don’t make a transfer using another method without arranging with us first). Thanks!
After you have paid the deposit, please send us a screenshot of the proof of payment via email.
If you followed the steps above, then you are booked and we will send you a PDC information package with logistic information before the course. Looking forward to seeing you at Gaia!
CANCELLATION POLICY
The organizers reserve the right to cancel the course, even at short notice, if there is a danger to the well-being of the visitors and organizers, such as viral infections (COVID-19 pandemic), storms, or natural disasters (fire, hurricanes, floods). In this case, the organizer cannot be held liable for personal losses. In these cases deposits will be refunded at 100%. To prevent further personal loss, we recommend taking travel cancellation insurance.
- Don’t have enough time for our 17-day PDC? Check out our 6-day Practical Permaculture Course for a crash course!
- If you want to dive deep into living a holistic sustainable lifestyle, check out our legacy 32-day Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) Course and 6-day Ecovillage Lifestyle Experience Week (ELEW) Course both of which include an introduction to Permaculture under the Ecology Dimension
- See also our life-changing program facilitated by our very own Om Sunisa Deiters in Deep Ecology Course
Facilities
• Accommodation: Our recently renovated and upgraded Dormitory, shared rooms, and single rooms available. Mosquito nets, cushions, bedding, and blankets are provided.
Private rooms are available in the Fairy House for an extra fee. Please choose your preferred accommodation during the registration process.
Extra fee for private Room Rates:
Single Rooms: 3,600 Thai Baht (17 nights)
Double Rooms: 8,500 Thai Baht (17 nights)
• Common space for sessions: Classroom sessions will be held in our natural built sala, in our pool sala, our recently build nursery and outdoors. Practical sessions will be happening on different locations on the land.
• Toilets and showers: We provide compost toilets and showers for men and women. We have dry composting toilets at Gaia Ashram and water based vermicomposting toilets (like a regular flush toilet). All toilets & showers are seperate from sleeping areas.
Gaia Cafe
As part of our mission to regenerate the land and our bioregion we created Gaia Ashram Cafe and our natural products called Gaia Essence. Here we sell drinks coffee & natural products from the land. This is a nice space to take a break and hang out. At the Cafe we have good wifi connection.
General
• Internet: We have highspeed Wifi available at and around the Sala, Fairy House (guesthouse), and Gaia Cafe areas.
We would recommend getting a sim card upon arrival in Thailand. You can get one from the airport, and we would recommend AIS as a provider, as they offer good reception and have English call center representatives. There is also an internet shop in a near village that is usually open every day.
https://www.ais.th/travellersim/
- Visa for most nationalities you can get a Tourist visa on arrival of 60 days which is extendable for another 30 days at local immigration office (for us in Udonthani) for a fee. If you want to stay for a long time, we recommend getting a DTV visa. For detailed information, make sure you contact your local Thai embassy or consulate.
Please be aware that the important date in your passport is the valid till date on the stamp that you receive at immigration/passport check at the port of arrival (Bangkok airport) and not on the visa sticker that you receive from the embassy. if you overstay from that date it will cost 500 Thai Baht per day overstay fee.
- Food: Healthy local vegetarian food will be served by local cooks. Participants will team up to cook breakfast in turns.
***Please be aware of our policy on drugs & alcohol***
We don’t allow alcohol or drugs on our property. We ask people to smoke at the smoking corner only to provide a healthy environment for learning and living together. We encourage people to take this course as an opportunity to have a break from smoking or drinking.
Where to find us?
We are located in the Northeast of Thailand, in between Nong Khai and Udon Thani. Where exactly we are and how you can get to us can be found here:
We hope you will join us to spread the seeds of permaculture around the world. Let’s work together to design a more sustainable & regenerative future for generations to come and for all of life.
"MAY THIS COURSE BE OF BENEFIT TO MOTHER EARTH AND ALL HER BEINGS!"
