Established permaculture farm in Europe
Permaculture Design Certificate Portugal
Welcome to the Permaculture Design Course in Portugal, offered by Keela Permaculture Farm! Our course is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of permaculture principles and practices, and empower you to create sustainable, regenerative systems in your own life and community.
Permaculture Design Course Portugal
You will see a working permaculture farm with food forests, agroforests, various Natural Buildings, many working examples of permaculture systems, and animal husbandry and enjoy yoga and meditation classes.
Permaculture Design Course Portugal
What is included in this Permaculture Design Course?
The standard 72-hour PDC syllabus and certified PDC certificate
Two theory classes every day
Two practical sessions every day
Homesteading workshops
Offgrid living workshops
An event with the local community, eco markets or a workday on a local farm
3 healthy meals per day – a chef cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner for you.
Farm to table vegetables
At least three yoga classes per week, plus meditation classes
Permaculture Design Course Dates
All our PDCs are followed by a one week specialist course. Either Advanced Permaculture Design, food forest course or a natural building course. Join the PDC, Food Forest or Natural Building course alone or stay for both.
The PDC courses are €950. And the specalçist courses are €500. Join both and get €150 discount. Further discounts available for part volunteering and Portuguese residence or for those with low income. You will also enjoy three days of relaxing on the farm between courses if you join both. For full pricing info please select your dates on the booking form page.
January 2025 PDC
- 19th Jan – 1st Feb 2025 : 2 week PDC (€950)
- 4th Feb – 10th Feb : Permaculture in Practice Post PDC Course (€500)
- Join both together for €1300 (€150 discount)
April 2025 PDC
- 6th -19th April 2025 – 2 week PDC (€950)
- 22nd-28th April – Natural Building Course (€500)
- 30th April – 6th May – Permaculture in Practice Course (€500)
- Join the full 1 month for €1500 (€450 Discount)
May 2025 PDC
- 25th May – 7th June 2025 – 2 week PDC (€950)
- 10th -16th June – 1 week Natural Building Course (€500)
- 18th – 24th June – Permaculture in Practice Course (€500)
- Join the full 1 month for €1500 (€450 Discount)
July 2025 PDC
- 19th July – 1st August 2025 – 2 week PDC (€950)
- 3rd-9th August 2025 – Permaculture in Practice Course (€500)
- 12th-18th August 2025 – 1 week Natural Building Course (€500)
- Join the full 1 month for €1500 (€450 Discount)
September 2025 PDC
- 25th Sept – 8th October 2025 – 2 week PDC (€950)
- 10th -16th October 2025 – Permaculture in Practice Course (€500)
- 19th – 25th October 2025 – 1 week Natural Building Course (€500)
- Join the full 1 month for €1500 (€450 Discount)
November 2025 PDC
- 5th – 18th November 2025 – 2 week PDC (€950)
- 20th-26th November 2025 – Permaculture in Practice & Food Forest Course (€500)
- Join the full 3 weeks for €1250 (€150 Discount)
Video from our Summer 2023 PDC
Permaculture Design Course Portugal
Your Permaculture Design Course hosts and Teachers
Laurence Manchee
PDC Lead Teacher
Co-founder of Keela Permaculture Farm. Laurence is certified by the Permaculture Association to teach certified PDCs. An author in Permaculture Magazine and teacher of Agroforestry, Permaculture Design and Natural Building Courses. Laurence will be the lead teacher on all courses. Laurence has lived a permaculture life at Keela since 2016. He is a farmer, sheppard, gardener, builder and homesteader.
Tom Henfrey
Certified PDC Tutor
Tom is a co-teacher at Keela Yoga Farm’s Permaculture Design Courses. He is the only certified Permaculture Diploma tutor in Portugal. He is an author of various permaculture and ecology books and has 20 years of experience in Permaculture and Ecology. Tom co-leads the Diploma course at Keela Yoga Farm and guest teaches at some of our PDC courses. If you want to continue a diploma at Keela you will have Tom as your diploma tutor. Visit his profile
Henri Hoffren
Co-Teacher
Henri from Finland, has had his homestead in Portugal for four years and joined the Keela Apprenticeship program in 2023. He has assisted in multiple PDCs, assisted with all aspects of the course, and led some practical and theory classes.
Co Host and Teacher
Xana from Portugal joined Keela apprenticeship program in 2024 and since then has been assisting with all aspects of the courses and the farm. She co-teaches on some courses and leads both practical and theory classes.
After many years living communally in England, she is now back in Portugal, where she is from, living her dream in her homestead.
Soap Making
Eric from Germany has been a professional soap maker for since 2012 and has a shop in our local town where he both makes and sells many products including hand made soap, lip balm, moisturiser, shampoo and many other products. Visit his website
Jonathan Ives
Forester
Jonathan has lived in Portugal for nearly 5 years. He has worked in the forest industry at all levels for 30 years. Jonathan is especially interested in sustainable forest management and rewilding projects.
Food Fermentation
Kimberly will teach you how to preserve food via fermentation for a healthy gut biome. Visit her profile here
Raquel Perdigão Williams
Foraging wild greens and natural medicine
Raquel from Portugal lives on her own homestead and is a co-creator of the Awakened Life Project (ALP) and founder of the brand ‘Awakened Body’. Raquel has also published a book on wild greens. Raquel has taught this workshop many times at Keela since 2017,. For more information on Raquel and her products please check out her web page: https://www.awakenedbodyshop.com/en/
Assisting the teachers
We will usually have a new teaching apprentice on the farm who is learning how to become a permaculture teacher. Usually these are graduates of Keela´s Permaculture courses. Apprentices will assist the teachers with their classes and help manage the farm while Laurence is busy teaching.
Keela Volunteers
Helping run the farm and course
We will have a team of volunteers who want to experience living on a permaculture farm for a longer period. They help the chefs with cooking, help with harvesting food, cleaning and garden work.
Prices & travel information
Traveling to Keela Permaculture Farm
Keela is Based in the Village Mata Da Rainha near Fundao in Central Portugal
- Fly to either Lisbon or Porto Airport.
- Take a coach or Train to Fundao Station
- Arrive by group taxi from Fundao station to the farm
Breakdown of PDC costs
- Full PDC Course (including food): €950
- Extra nights (including food): €50 per night
- Accommodation (more info)
- Your tent or Caravan (free)
- Caravan €150 (2 people)
- Tent or tipi €100
- Discounts available:
- €250 for Portuguese residents
- €250 for volunteering during the course (must arrive and volunteer 1 week before)
- €150 if joining the following specialist course
What to expect?
- Check out the photos from the September 2023 Permaculture Design Course – click here
- Watch various videos about Keela Yoga Farm on our youtube channel. Including a Natural Building Course, a tour of the farm, volunteering on the farm and many others
- This permaculture design course will teach you about permaculture philosophy, ecological foundations, design methodologies, and real-world applications.
- You will get your hands dirty during practical classes on vegetable gardens, composting systems, worm farming, propagation of plants, natural building, fermenting, soap making, food forests, silvopasture, appropriate technology systems, and managed woodlands on an established 18-hectare site.
- This course will suit you if you are thinking of applying permaculture in your own life by setting up or joining your own land-based project.
- It also works well for people seeking ideas, skills and inspiration to embark on a more fulfilling path in life and make positive contributions to the state of the world.
- The course is certified by the Permaculture Association (Britain), it offers a foundation to further your permaculture journey via the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design or other advanced training.
