The Danish LAND logoLAND Centres are steadily emerging across Europe, as well as seeds being sown for their later emergence. IPEN, which is acting as an EuPN Education Work Group, is keen to assist this as one of our six priorities is:
- Supporting the development of permaculture demonstration and education projects and the iLAND Network to connect them and share lessons, education resources and good practice;
LAND centre "Træstubben" in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo: Felix BeckerWe also want to help national associations establish their own national LAND Centres systems. We see LAND Centres as important for building the educational infrastructure within countries, including having a potential role in teacher training and development, development of education resources in the relevant language and as hubs for local, regional and national networking and collaboration.
IPEN has recently launched its new website, and within that there are a set of iLAND pages which we really encourage you to look at. These set out the criteria for LAND centres, provide useful resources on good practice from established learning and demonstration projects, and an initial application system. We already have a number of initial applications in from Europe and around the world, and will shortly start to engage with them to form an iLAND pilot network of 10-12 centres which we will work with more closely, whilst the wider iLAND network grows and learns from the pilot network.
If the EUPN Erasmus+ ReLeaP application to establish a ‘regenerative leadership programme’ is successful there will be resources and outputs from that programme to support the development of LAND Centres in Europe, although even without it, it is clear that LAND Centres are here to stay, are growing steadily, and will play an important part in the development of the permaculture movement in EuPN member countries, and across Europe as a whole, which will help inspire a wider spread around the world.
We encourage national associations and academies to sign up to IPEN’s newsletter so that we can keep you informed of iLAND Network developments and related permaculture education issues.
"Koroinen" LAND centre in Turku/Åbo, Finland. Participants of a Nordplus funded LAND training and assessment tour in 2017 are striving through the rain amongst lush vegetables. Photo: Cathrine Dolleris