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2008, Living Mandala
creative services by: 360 Degrees

Including

KEYLINE DESIGN APPLICATIONS

EARTHWORKS

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

SITE ANALYSIS AND SURVEY TECHNIQUES

METHODS OF DESIGN AND GIS APPLICATIONS

CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS

AGROFORESTRY

In Association With

Carbon Farming Series

Australia Felix Permaculture

Eco-Village Training Center

Appleseed Permaculture

Facilitators & Instructors

Darren J. Doherty

Context

The Tennessee Carbon Farming Course will be the first in a national campaign to spread this cutting edge curriculum throughout the United States. The Ecovillage Training Center at the Farm offers an amazing opportunity to experience permaculture in action; the Farm's 1,700 acres will undergo a massive keyline design and implementation during and after the course to help drought proof the community and prepare for future growing.

Course Description

Sustainable agriculture benefits the land and soil Ôø‡ and it also materially and financially benefits the farmer. In this course, you'll learn permaculture principles that can be used in both urban and rural environments to conserve water, regenerate degraded soils rapidly, and incorporate the use of grazing animals beneficially. This approach brings communities together, meeting the needs of both farmers and environmentalists Ôø‡ addressing aspects of global climate change as well as protecting wildlife and fish habitat.

Taught by renowned Australian permaculture farmer and designer Darren Doherty, this course will prepare you for changing the way we all look at agricultural production and ranching. Darren Doherty is one of the world's most experienced permaculture design professionals, having designed and developed more than 1,100 properties across four continents. He has taught many permaculture design courses and co-teaches with both Bill Mollison and David Holmgren (the co-originators of permaculture). Darren specializes in broadacre permaculture on ranch and agricultural lands. In this course Darren presents an overview of the design considerations and implements of his Broadacre Permaculture practice. He explains how the intelligent design and management of agricultural landscape, through its ability to rapidly regenerate the topsoil that most effectively sequesters atmospheric carbon, is a prime strategy in repairing humanity's relation to the biosphere.

You'll learn about earth dams and ponds, contour strip forests, and a special cultivation technique using the Keyline plow, to infiltrate water into the soil efficiently and hold it on the land as long as possible. Farms using this kind of permaculture design have deepened the topsoil by 3Ôø‡ Ôø‡ 6Ôø‡ in three years. And, you'll learn water harvesting strategies that can 'drought-proofÔø‡ farms and ranches using low-maintenance, gravity-fed irrigation systems with a huge reduction in water lost to evaporation. In contrast, up to 80% of water is lost to evaporation using conventional overhead sprinklers.

Purpose

Studies have shown that permaculture-inspired soil building techniques lead to significant carbon sequestration, while also increasing soil fertility and water retention. This course will provide participants with an opportunity to learn these techniques in order to create resilient, drought proof, soil-rich, carbon-negative agricultural systems that produce organic food as well as additional income through the international carbon market.

Format

This course is one part of a series of four interrelated modules constituting the nation's first holistic curriculum for carbon negative agriculture. Participants can choose to attend the entire course or individual modules and/or combined selections based on their specific interests.

Modules

Module 1 - 8/25-30: Holistic ManagementÔø‡ with Kirk Gadzia

Module 2 - 9/1-6: Keyline Design Course with Darren Doherty

Module 3 - Sep 8-11: Regenerative Earthworks & Food Forestry with Brad Lancaster & Eric Toensmeier

Module 4 - Sep 13-16: Soil Food Web & Pathways to Relocalisation with Dr. Elaine Ingham & Joel Salatin

Combined Selections

Holistic Keyline Management: Modules 1-2 - Aug 25-Sep 6

Broadacre Permaculture Design: Modules 2-3 - Sept 1-11

Regenerative Local Agriculture: odules 3-4: Sept 8-16

Holistic Carbon Farming for Soil Health and Increased Profits - All Modules: Aug 25-Sept 16

Register Here.

Site Details

Located on The Farm at the eastern edge of Lewis County Tennessee, ETC is a training center in sustainable living. It holds courses and workshops, apprenticeships and special demonstrations in green lifestyles. The facility is located in a permaculture setting with protected woods and meadows, an eco-hostel, organic garden, swales, ponds and learning center. It hosts courses in permaculture, organic certifications, herbology, installation of solar electric systems, solar waterheating, mushroom cultivation, cob, earthbag and strawbale construction biofuels and a host of courses designed by Gaia University. The ETC has trained students from over 50 countries and is pleased to be working locally with the Hohenwald Financial Permaculture project.

Contact

For questions, more information, and to register,

e-mail: carbonfarming@livingmandala.com or

phone: Living Mandala at: 707-634-1461

Eco-Village Training Center: 931-964-4474

What is Keyline Design?

Keyline Design is a complete design system for landscapes. It is applicable to both rural and urban areas. It is a unique combination of water conservation and soil building, with great appeal to both farmers and ranchers, as it has the ability to build and regenerate degraded soils rapidly, and sees the use of grazing animals as beneficial to this process. Keyline Design integrates earth dams & ponds, contour strip forests, and a special cultivation technique using the Keyline plow, to infiltrate water into the soil efficiently and hold it on the land as long as possible.

Water harvesting strategies employed by Keyline Design provide drought-proofing for farms with very low maintenance using gravity fed irrigation systems, with a huge reduction in water lost to evaporation. In contrast, up to 80% of water is lost to evaporation using conventional overhead sprinklers. Farms using Keyline Design have amazing records of deepening the topsoil by 3-6Ôø‡ in 3 years, in contrast to nature's process, which can take hundreds or thousands of years.

The term Keyline comes from the reference to a Ôø‡keypointÔø‡ on the watershed, which is the interface between collection and distribution of water on the landscape, where ridge meets the valley.

Keyline is a philosophy and technique that doesnÔø‡t pit the needs of farmers against environmentalists trying to protect wildlife and fish habitat, and with carbon sequestering techniques used, helps to address aspects of global warming and climate change.

Origins of Keyline Design - Yeomans Plow

Keyline systems were developed in Australia during the 1950's by P.A Yeomans (www.keyline.com.au) as a response to increasing desertification, erosion, fire & climate variability he observed on the Australian landscape as it related to agriculture.

Yeomans book Water For Every Farm, The Keyline Plan is an seminal work describing a set of principles and techniques based on a holistic approach that works with natural patterns to restore and increase the depth and fertility of the soil, while increasing its water holding capabilities.

Yeomans realized that conventional agriculture totally ignored the biological aspects of the soil. He created a 'sustainable agricultureÔø‡ system before the term was coined, and for the first time in human history, methods were developed that could produce rich fertile soils in relatively short periods.

A permanent & lasting agriculture, Yeomans believed, must materially and financially benefit the farmer, and benefit the land and soil.

Tuition & Lodging

This cost of this module is $1,150.

Pricing is $3500 maximum for the entire intensive, August 25 - September 16. Tuition includes over three weeks of instruction, lodging, and 3 delicious meals per day. Participants can register for the entire intensive, individual, or combines sessions. Tuition break-down for individual and combines modules is below. Come for the whole course or pick individual modules & combos.

Module Pricing

Module 1: Aug 25-30 - (6 days) - $1,150

1. Holistic ManagementÔø‡ with Kirk Gadzia
   

2. 
   

Module 2: Sep 1-6 - (6 days) - $1,150

Keyline Design Course with Darren Doherty

Module 3: Sep 8-11 - (4 days) - $800

Regenerative Earthworks & Food Forestry

with Brad Lancaster & Eric Toensmeier

Module 4: Sep 13-16 - (4 days) - $1,400

Soil Food Web & Pathways to Relocalisation

with Dr. Elaine Ingham & Joel Salatin

Combined Selections

All Modules: Ôø‡Holistic Carbon Farming for Soil Health and

Increased Profits" - Aug 25-Sept 16 - $3,500

Modules 1 & 2: "Holistic Keyline Management" - $2,000

Holistic Managment + Keyline Design Course - Aug 25-Sep 6

Modules 2 & 3: "Broadacre Permaculture" - $1,700

Keyline Design Course + Regenerative Earthworks & Food

Forestry - Sept 1-11

Modules 3 & 4: - "Regenerative Local Agriculture" - $2,000

Regenerative Earthworks & Food Forestry +

Soil Food Web & Relocalization - Sept 8-16

Scholarships

Limited scholarships from 25-75% off tuition are now available! To apply e-mail you bio or resume and a short letter why you want a scholarship to: carbonfarming@livingmandala.com

Confirmation

Once we receive your registration information and payment you will receive a confirmation e-mail confirming your registration into the course. We will then send you additional information regarding course details.

Refund Policy

Cancellations are fully refundeable up to two weeks before the course begins on August 11 excluding a $50 processing fee. After August 11 deposits are not refundable and no refunds will be given.

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