Permaculture Association of Bulgaria

PDC stands for Permaculture Design Course with Certificate. It is a minimum of 72-hours long course which provides the basics of Permaculture Design and a certificate at the end, issued by an internationally recognized Association/Institute or Academy. In Bulgaria this educational institution is the Green School Village Association which initiated the Permaculture Association of Bulgaria after an intensive international collaboration in the period 2011-2015. The GSV Association is the legal representative of the quality standards developed by the European Permaculture Teachers Network in the period 2012-2014.

In 2014 the Green School Village provided the first PDC certificates after a 9-months long course for free to all the Bulgarian volunteers who helped with the design and organization of the 12th European Permaculture Convergence in Bulgaria (hosted by GSV). Green School Village was invited by the European Permaculture Council to host the event for the first time in the Balkans and in Eastern Europe. This event was supporting the expressed need during an EPT event by GSVs chairperson - Mihaela Tsarchinska, for building international connections between Western and Eastern Europe, and it was the first edition when a PDC was not required from the participants in order to encourage the development of Permaculture in Bulgaria and the region. The participation fee was also very symbolic in order to be more inclusive.

Throughout the years GSV had supported many more individuals and their projects to build capacity in the field of Permaculture, project management, fundraising, working with international volunteers, building course curriculums, sessions, teaching materials, etc.

As part of the organization’s development strategy is the creation of professional Permaculture guilds of teachers, consultants, designers, coordinators, tutors, assessors, advisors, etc. The PDC is a minimum requirement for its members. You can check its website (still tested and under construction) - www.pab.greenschoolvillage.org

The organization provides Permaculture courses like PDCs and TPTs (Training Permaculture Teachers), LAND centre accreditations (for Permaculture demonstration), and sometimes stipends for those candidates with fewer opportunities and its key staff members. Its diploma process is also in development in collaboration with its international colleagues and supporters.

Green School Village and its Permaculture Association of Bulgaria branch played a key role in the co-creation process of this European Permaculture Network, a direct results of the long-lasting international collaboration within the European Permaculture Teachers Network and with the European Permaculture Council.

For the moment the organization is providing the opportunity for young teachers to build their capacity without a diploma in order again to build the capacity of Permaculture in Bulgaria until it starts its own diploma system by 2024-2025 (according to its strategic development plan) in cooperation with its international colleagues. By then GSV’s PAB can provide support to its members to do a diploma with a partner organization.