Introduction to Permaculture

This Introduction to Permaculture Course was produced by the late Graham Bell. Graham passed away in March, 2023, after a short illness. Graham was educated at Oxford University and was Chair of Permaculture Scotland, Chair of Permaculture Association Britain (PAB) Education Working Group, and the longest-serving Permaculture Teacher in the UK with thirty-one years’ experience teaching on six continents. Graham authored The Permaculture Way and The Permaculture Garden. He was a registered Certified Teacher with PAB and Permaculture Institute of Australia, and he was the first holder of the Elders Award in the UK and was an Honorary Elder in Australia.

Graham was an internationally respected teacher, author, and lecturer in Permaculture and other allied disciplines. He was the first person in Britain to be awarded the Diploma in Permaculture by Bill Mollison (inventor of Permaculture) in 1990. In the 1990’s, as the lead instructor on the Countryside Premium Scheme (for farmers) for Scotland, he taught on six continents. He was a “trainer of trainers” (originally with the Agricultural Training Board now called Lantra) for twenty-five years.

Graham made his home in the Scottish Borders with his wife Nancy, and maintained the longest-standing intentional food forest garden in Britain. In the past, over a thousand people visited his home and food forest, a testament to the amazing productivity of this space.
Graham liked to say that his main career was ”as a storyteller. We learn and teach understanding for all the creatures in the living environment, how they interact, and how we can make them available and sustainable for all with the least amount of work. We never cease believing a better future is possible, and we keep sharing the skills to make it happen. This is only possible because we respect the prior knowledge of everyone who joins us in this progression.”