Permaculture Research Institute

What Permaculture Research Institute does

Permaculture Institute, Inc. is a US-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization founded in July 1997 by Bill Mollison, Scott Pittman, Vint Lawrence, and Francis Huxley to deliver permaculture education across the Western Hemisphere, originally headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Its core offerings comprised the foundational 72-hour Permaculture Design Course (PDC), the advanced Diploma of Permaculture Design, and Permaculture Teacher Training, supplemented by archived publication of the Permaculture Drylands Journal (32 issues, 1988–1999). Programs were delivered as in-person courses at farms in Colorado, intentional communities in New Mexico, and agricultural institutes in Costa Rica, with curricula built around the three permaculture ethics (Care of the Earth, Care of people, Set limits to consumption and reproduction, and reinvest surplus for the benefit of Earth and people).

The revenue model combined per-course tuition for PDCs and Diploma programs with tax-deductible donations, marketed via a content-driven blog ("The Permaculture Signal") and a low-frequency monthly email newsletter. Customer segments were horizontal: individual PDC seekers, advanced practitioners pursuing the Diploma, and PDC graduates transitioning to professional work — the latter being the focus of a 2026 research partnership with Utah State University (the Global Professional Permaculture Pathways Survey, May–July 2026).

The organization announced in February 2026 that it will cease operations at the end of 2026, concluding 30 years of activity during which it educated 7,597 PDC graduates and awarded 60 Diplomas. Leadership currently rests with Co-Directors Jason Gerhardt (USA) and Natalia Vega Araya (Costa Rica); foundational leadership departed with Arina Pittman's 2019 exit and Scott Pittman's death in July 2022. No AI, venture funding, or subsidiary operations are present, and the organization has no parent company.

Name

Permaculture Research Institute

Legal name

Permaculture Institute, Inc.

Website

https://permaculture.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Permaculture Institute, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that delivers foundational Permaculture Design Courses, advanced Diplomas, and teacher training across the Americas. It has educated 7,597 PDC graduates over 30 years and is winding down at the end of 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

The Channon

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Course and Program Fees: Revenue generated from Permaculture Design Course (PDC) fees, Diploma of Permaculture Design program fees, and teacher training course fees. Deposits due upon acceptance, full payment due 30 days prior to course start.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Website includes a donate option.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Permaculture Institute delivers in-person permaculture education through its foundational 72-hour Permaculture Design Course (PDC), an advanced Diploma of Permaculture Design program, and Permaculture Teacher Training, taught at farms, intentional communities, and agricultural institutes across the Americas. The organization also publishes the archived Permaculture Drylands Journal (32 issues from 1988-1999) and runs the Global Professional Permaculture Pathways Survey with Utah State University. Programs have been discontinued in 2026 as the institute winds down operations ahead of planned closure at year-end.

Product overview

The Permaculture Institute, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit education organization founded in 1997 to promote permaculture education in the Western Hemisphere. The organization operates primarily through five offerings: the Permaculture Design Course (PDC) as its core educational product, the Diploma of Permaculture Design for advanced practitioners, Permaculture Teacher Training for instructor certification, the Permaculture Drylands Journal as an archival digital publication spanning 1988-1999, and the Global Professional Permaculture Pathways Survey as a research initiative with Utah State University. The institute, which will close at the end of 2026, is currently transitioning its blog/news section called 'The Permaculture Signal' to focus on growing ecological culture within home communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permaculture Design Course (PDC) The foundational 72-hour course in permaculture design principles, ethics, and practices, taught in-person at farms, intentional communities, and agricultural institutes across the Americas. The Permaculture Institute has educated 7,597 PDC graduates through this course over 30 years of operation.
• Diploma of Permaculture Design An advanced practitioner program for PDC graduates seeking deeper permaculture expertise, mentorship, and formal recognition, with requirements crafted by Jason Gerhardt and Delvin Solkinson. The institute has awarded 60 advanced practitioners with this diploma.
• Permaculture Teacher Training Training program for qualified permaculture practitioners to become certified instructors, with curriculum developed under Scott Pittman's direct mentorship.
• Permaculture Drylands Journal (Archive) A historic permaculture print publication originally circulated from 1988-1999, now digitally archived and published for online viewing by the Permaculture Institute. The institute has archived and published issues #3 through #32, covering water harvesting, drylands agriculture, ecological design, and indigenous perspectives.
• Global Professional Permaculture Pathways Survey A research project conducted in partnership with Utah State University to understand pathways for PDC graduates to build viable permaculture livelihoods. The survey runs May 6 - July 6, 2026, with results to be shared globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,597 PDC graduates educated over 30 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Utah State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Utah State University is sponsoring the Global Professional Permaculture Pathways Survey research project. The survey is led by Jason Gerhardt along with Roslynn Brain McCann and Javan K. Bernakevitch. Research aims to understand what helps PDC graduates build viable permaculture livelihoods.
• Bill Mollison and Lisa Mollison's Institute in TasmaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal intention was two institutes to cover permaculture worldwide - Permaculture Institute, Inc. for the Western Hemisphere and Mollison's institute in Tasmania for the Eastern Hemisphere.
• Regenesis GroupminorOthersMentioned as a group of Mollison's students in the Southwest US who departed the permaculture ranks early to start the Regenesis Group. The Permaculture Drylands Institute was built up by this group before being absorbed into Permaculture Institute, Inc.
• Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA)minorOthersSandy Cruz, who held an honorary Permaculture Diploma from Permaculture Institute, Inc., helped found PINA along with founding the High Altitude Permaculture Institute.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mollison's Permaculture (Tasmania): Bill Mollison's original Eastern Hemisphere permaculture institute in Tasmania, explicitly referenced as PI's sister organization. Same founder lineage and PDC curriculum framework, serving the opposite hemisphere of PI.
• Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA): A North American permaculture education organization explicitly affiliated with PI through shared diploma-holders and alumni. PINA delivers Permaculture Design Courses and teacher training in the same category and geography as Permaculture Institute, Inc.
• Permaculture Research Institute (PRI Australia): Founded by Geoff Lawton in 2002 and a direct spiritual cousin to PI in the global permaculture education ecosystem. PRI Australia delivers PDCs, Diploma pathways, and online permaculture courses serving a global audience.
• Permaculture Design Magazine: Long-running permaculture publication and education channel producing the Permaculture Design Course curriculum and a quarterly magazine. Directly comparable content and education mission, though delivered through publishing rather than in-person courses.
• Permaculture Association (UK): The UK's national permaculture membership and education body, running the certified Permaculture Design Course framework and Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. Directly comparable mission, course portfolio, and nonprofit structure to PI.
• Holzer Permaculture: Education enterprise run by Sepp Holzer's family offering Permaculture Design Courses and advanced permaculture training on the Austrian farm. Comparable niche education provider with strong founder-brand dependency similar to PI.

Emerging players

• Holistic Management International: Nonprofit teaching Allan Savory's Holistic Management framework for regenerative land management. Comparable practitioner-education mission and nonprofit delivery model, focused on grazing/land planning rather than permaculture design.
• The Land Institute: Kansas-based research nonprofit developing perennial grain polycultures and 'natural systems agriculture.' Adjacent sustainable-land-use research and education organization with overlapping regenerative-agriculture audience but focused on crop R&D rather than design education.
• Ecology Action: California-based nonprofit teaching the Grow Biointensive sustainable agriculture method through workshops, apprenticeships, and publications. Adjacent sustainable-agriculture educator overlapping PI's audience of practitioners seeking livelihood-scale land design skills.

Others

• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE): USDA-funded program that funds and disseminates sustainable agriculture research and education across the US. Adjacent ecosystem participant — not a direct course competitor but a parallel public-good funder of the practitioner education PI's graduates often access.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PRIaustralia
• Facebookfacebook.com/permacultureglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/permaculturenews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Permaculture Research Institute