Our services
Consultancy
Whether you are starting a new enterprise, considering different approaches to sustainable land use or planning a lifestyle change, good advice at the right moment can make all the difference. We can help you to explore ideas, analyse your context and make the most of the resources available to you. This can include the following:
- Preliminary client questionnaire
- Site walk & talk
- Soil assessment
- Site survey (microclimates, topography, vegetation, biodiversity, water)
- Discussion and enquiry
- Consultancy report
Consultations usually begin with a preliminary questionnaire to get a sense of the project, followed by a day or half-day site visit and a Consultation Report. The report will summarise what was discussed and observed on site, make recommendations and list useful links and resources. These are included in the day rate, while travel costs will be added accordingly. Being based in the South West we prefer to work locally for day consultations, but we can recommend consultants in other parts of the country if you’re not local.
Online Consultations
Alternatively, we can offer online consultations via video conference. As this does not involve a site visit, it is more of an informal discussion about your project, be it a domestic garden or a new enterprise.
Design Service
We offer a design service for people running or setting up domestic or commercial land systems. We use the permaculture design process to work alongside clients to co-design a system which will provide the desired outputs within their specific context. The usual steps are:
- Client Interview
- Site Survey
- Evaluation phase
- Design Proposals & Implementation plan
We specialise in small whole-farm systems and forest gardens, but have worked on a diverse range of projects from smallholdings to eco housing developments and country estates.
Our aim is to create systems which are productive and regenerative, integrated and in harmony with the natural environment which provide positive personal and social outcomes for the individuals and communities involved.
Soils
Healthy soils form the foundation of all land systems and should be central to all design and management. We offer the following services to assess your soils and make Soil Care Plans to help you build and maintain healthy soils.
Assessment:
We use a combination of soil profiling and aggregate stability tests to analyse the structure of your soils on different parts of the site. This can help to identify any areas of compaction as well as giving an overall picture of the general health and fertility of the soil across the site. We also carry out tests to establish the following:
- Soil texture type (ie. ratio of clay, silt and sand)
- Biology and Soil Organic Matter content (SOM)
- pH
Management:
Ongoing monitoring – bespoke instructions for simple DIY tests you can do to check progress.
Bespoke advice on management approaches that suit your needs and context.
Information and resources:
We can provide information and resource links to help you consider management options
- Min till management approaches
- Cover crops and leys
- Mulching
- Composts and bio-fertilisers
- Remediation – ie. Levels of intervention for seriously damaged soils.
Agroforestry
Forest garden design is a key part of our work, and we have an extensive portfolio of forest garden designs on different scales, in different contexts and for different outcomes. Forest gardens offer a carbon positive food production space which is low maintenance once established and offers long term yields, while increasing biodiversity and creating beautiful spaces for people.
Other agroforestry systems include:
Silvo-pasture: growing tree crops with pasture for grazing, hay and /or biodiversity.
Alley Cropping: growing tree and/or shrub crops in rows with ‘alleys’ for cereals, grains, oil seed or vegetable crops in between.
Education
We run courses, provide teaching and develop learning programmes based on a holistic and inclusive pedagogy. Our namesake, permaculture legend Patrick Whitefield, began running adult learning courses in the early 1990s and we continue to build upon his legacy with a range of permaculture courses, including:
- Permaculture Design Course (PAB certified)
- Ecology
- Organic Horticulture
- Soil
- Kitchen Gardening
- Introduction to Permaculture
We also develop learning programmes for higher education providers, including undergraduate and post graduate programmes and content.
We can help you with:
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- Course development
- Syllabus design
- Session content
- Teaching
- Staff training
- Interactive workshops
Fees
Fees vary according to the nature of the job, please contact us for a quote.