Programmes and short courses in Sustainable Horticulture
Letter from Jane At Schumacher college the kitchen is central to community living, which itself is at the heart of education. The way we grow our food is a vital part of all students learning. Nature and ecological cycles teach us how to do this sustainably; we would love you to come and join us and share in this marvellous journey. Please read on to discover more An ounce of practice is generally worth more than a ton of theory. Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered E. F. Schumacher About the College Our Gardens Schumacher Practical Residency in Sustainable Horticulture Forest Gardens Short Course Forest Gardens and Edible Ecosystems 2019 Food, Farms and Metaphysics: The Great Re-think Jane Gleeson Lead Gardener
About the College Schumacher College courses offers the practical skills and strategic thinking required to face the ecological, economic and social challenges of the 21st Century. Over the last 25 years we have developed an international reputation for our holistic and systemic approach to learning; we have been teaching sustainable horticulture here for eight years. Schumacher College is set on the historic 1,200-acre Dartington Hall Estate with its beautiful Grade II listed gardens, just two miles from Totnes, the World s first Transition town. The college believes that how we grow our food is central to who we are as humans; that the dominant model of large-scale, mechanised, monoculture in food growing is in need of deep repair. We have developed a six month immersive hands on programme of ecological and regenerative food growing using principles of agroecology and permaculture.
Our Gardens The College gardens are nine acres of rich biodiversity serving as a living classroom. The 5 and half acre agroforestry field is given over to alley cropping; a developing forest garden; a sweet chestnut plantation alongside pasture fed chickens; a stunning craft and pollinator flower garden; and a hazel and willow coppice. We also have four polytunnels; two herb gardens and a perennial vegetable no-dig garden. All integrated with wildlife areas and spaces for complementation. All this is the foundation for the food grown and used by the college kitchens and serves as a profound hands in the soil learning experience for the whole community. Our students find their time truly transformative. The gardens are as much about nurturing people as plants.
Schumacher Practical Residency in Sustainable Horticulture Explore how to protect and restore the soil, foster and sustain a healthy ecosystem, and limit the consumption of finite resources whilst growing an edible harvest. The Practical Residency in Sustainable Horticulture runs from April to September 2019 and incorporates the Certificate in Permaculture Design (awarded by the Permaculture Association) - if you want to smell sweet soil and get your hands dirty whilst stretching your mind and nourishing your spirit - then do join us. Skills you will aquire Gardening techniques (composting, mulching, seed sowing planting propagation, seed saving etc.) Cultivation of annual and perennial food plants, including forest gardening Understanding soil and plant science Observation and experimentation skills Site design (using permaculture principles) Chicken care Integrated pest management Use of green manures Post harvest processing and kitchen liaison To learn more www.schumachercollege.org.uk/sustainable-horticulture-2019
Forest Gardens and Edible Ecosystems 2019 13-17 May, 2019 With Caroline Aitken, Martin Crawford Ella Sparks and Jane Gleeson Learn how to design, implement, and maintain forest gardens and other sustainable agroecological systems. Participants will experience both recently planted and well established 25-year old forest gardens, as well as other agroforestry in and around Dartington.Includes sessions on harvesting, preserving and cooking with forest garden produce. www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses
Food, Farms and Metaphysics: The Great Re-think 20-24 May, 2019 With Colin Tudge, Justine Huxley Jyoti Fernandes and Ruth West A joint meeting of Schumacher College with the College for Real Farming and Food Culture. If we are to achieve the goal of ensuring everyone in the world can live well and in harmony we must re-think everything from first principles. Join us to re-assess all the big ideas we take for granted. We will be rethinking everything from the practicalities of cooking and farming, to the buildings in which we live, medicine, education, the mechanisms and ideologies of politics and economies and even the underlying notions of science and moral philosophy. www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses
Schumacher College The Old Postern, Dartington Devon TQ9 6EA, United Kingdom Email info@schumachercollege.org.uk Telephone +44 (0)1803 865 934 www.schumachercollege.org.uk facebook.com/schumachercollege @SchumacherColl youtube.com/schumachercoll linkedin.com/school/schumacher-college Schumacher College is part of The Dartington Hall Trust registered in England as a company limited by guarantee and a charity. The Dartington Hall Trust, Company No 1485560, Charity No 279756, VAT No 402196875. Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6EL