Permaculture Design Course
in Aljezur
27th March - 29th May 2026
@Fazenda Compadres, Aljezur, Portugal
Fridays only!
With Eduardo Terzidis
Includes theory once a week
and an optional full week of practice on our farm!!
To book, call +393333893567
72 hours Permaculture Design Certificate
Read full schedule below!
Course Overview
Building soil – Building community – Building resilience
No previous experience is required! Just openness and willingness to become part of the regeneration movement!
This unique course gives you the opportunity of spending several days learning by doing!
What will you learn?
In the study of Permaculture, we challenge the current paradigm of where our food and water come from, the way we are constructing our villages and towns, and how we live our day-to-day and interact with each other.
What can you do after?
Our Permaculture Design Course graduates have gone on to become change-makers all over the world, designing their own land projects, founding eco-communities, redesigning their businesses, becoming consultants, teachers, writers, content creators, spearheading policy change, and continuing to spread the permaculture principles and ethics.
Tuition
Theory only: 350 euros
Week of practice only: 400 euros
Theory + week of practice: 700 euros
Can't afford this? Reach out and let's see if we can help you!
Program
We will meet every Friday on our farm - Fazenda Compadres - from 9 am to 5 pm for the theory classes. The course will also include the option of coming from the 20th to the 26th of April for a full week of practice. The practical week is an essential part of the learning process, and we highly encourage you to join it!
What you will learn:
Friday 27th March
• Permaculture: Evidence that we need to act - Ethics & Principles
• Concepts and themes in design: Natural ecosystems - Web of life - Yield and Resource -
• Design Methods: Observation - Analysis of elements - Flow analysis - Maps & data overlay - Zones & sectors - Slope & aspect - Guilds - Scale of permanence
Friday 3rd April
• Patterns: Understanding natural patterns and how to use them in design
Friday 10th April
• Climatic factors: Main climatic zones and their characteristics - Climatic factors - Climatic effects - Landscape profiles
• Trees: Trees and their role in the ecosystem
Friday 17th April
• Agroforestry & Food Forests: Natural forests and natural succession - Food forests - Layers - Greening the Desert
Week of 20th to 26th April
PRACTICAL WEEK - Optional but highly recommended
Here is a list of the topics covered during the practical week:
• Design and implementation of a new agroforestry system
• Market gardening
• Agroforestry for herbal medicine
• Maintenance of an existing agroforestry system
• Water management and earthworks
• Social Permaculture
Note that the exact topics will depend on weather conditions and machine availability
Friday 1st May
• Water: Water cycle - Water in the landscape - Strategies for water management
• Earthworks: Design - Tools - Types of earthworks (swales, dams etc..)
Friday 8th May
• Soils: Soil composition - Soil management - Compost - Nutrient management and closed loops - Animals in the landscape
Friday 15th May
• Social Permaculture: Project management - Group dynamics - Non-violent communication
Friday 22nd May
• Q&A and design session
Friday 29th of May
To be able to provide an international 72 hours Permaculture Design Certificate, the course will include a final design project. All students will develop a project simulating the design for a client. This will be developed at your own pace, in groups. The project will be presented at the end of the permaculture design course and will be a great opportunity for the students to metabolise the newly-acquired knowledge and receive feedback from the teacher.
The hand over of the final designs will be organised with the teacher, who will provide feedback before delivering the certificate.
To book, call +393333893567
This Permaculture Design Course Includes:
– 72+ hour Permaculture Design Certificate upon completion
– Course content and materials, all lectures, forums, and activities
We ask for a €200 NON-REFUNDABLE and NON-TRANSFERABLE deposit to be sent to hold your space.
What is included?
The Venue
Fazenda Compadres is a market gardening and agroforestry farm that Eduardo Terzidis has been managing for the last year. It is a great example of the early stages of regenerative agriculture, and it already presents many interesting elements showing the benefits of this practice. The farm is a sister project of Mushroom Compadres, and the two businesses operate with a circular model. The waste products from the mushroom factory are brought to the farm and turned into fertiliser - which is the only input the soil receives.
The goal of the farm is to produce food to run the local food truck and to supply a CSA initiative - delivering vege boxes to local families. Some herbal agroforestry systems have also been implemented to supply the herbal apothecary that will soon be opened on the site.
The Facilitator
Eduardo Terzidis is a storyteller with an ecological heart. As an engineer, he wanted to help the world, yet he felt the need to “be out there”, learning and sharing with the very people who seek the same change he envisioned. At the core of his work is the understanding that global change needs to be carried from the inside out, recognising the intricate web of which we are part and being able to play our role in support of all life. Today he focuses on teaching and managing consulting projects as well as producing films and books.