Training in Forest Garden design and

installation skills

Rachel Hammond

Edible Oxford

Assessing the need for FG skills

• Monoculture crop systems won’t feed us

• 1 unit of energy of food consumed in the West = 10 units of energy to produce

Michael Pollan

• Worldwide a billion obese, a billion starving

• 80% of global food trade controlled by 5 multinational companies

• Food imports increasing

• Food prices increasing

• Soil health declining

• Most Farmers over 60

• Garden industry blooming at £1billion/year

• Cut flowers mostly imported

• 1% of Oxford’s food comes from within Oxfordshire

Farming GCSE

• “A GCSE in agriculture should be introduced in schools across England and Wales” Conservative York Outer MP Julian Sturdy

• Food & drink manufacturing industries worth more than £10bn to the economy

• Concern over price of food

• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/09/14/need-agriculture-gcse/

Existing Qualifications

Permaculture

EdiblesRHS Levels 1-3 ,

Diplomas & Master of Horticulture

DesignLandscape

Architecture Diplomas & Degrees

Garden Design

courses e.g. RHS

£

PDC£

PDC£

?

Bangor University

Agroforestry MSc

£

Permaculture Association’s work - OCNYHR

• Open College Network – units in Permaculture Design, Intro and Ethics

• Permaculture Association was a delivery learning centre

Basic Edible HorticultureLevel 1 – “Advanced Edible Horticulture” Level 2 – “Agroforestry” Level 3 – “Permaculture Design & People care”Potential for Levels 4 – 7 to account for Degree level

100 learners per year

per course

Accreditation process

• Apply through Ofqual for qualifications to enter the national register of qualifications

• The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England

• Decided by Ofqual

• No guarantees

• Demonstrate demand needed

Oxfordshire learning opportunities

Introduction to Forest Gardens

• 20th October – Lotus

• 18th November – Oxford

Agroforestry 5 day Laser accredited course

• February 2019

Permaculture Design Course with a strong Agroforestry focus

• March – Sep 2019

Practical experience

• Florence Park & other projects

EducationDesign & Install

Nursery