Portfolio del diploma in permacultura applicata di Andrea Minchio

Questo e’ il portfolio del diploma in permacultura applicata messo gentilmente a disposizione da Andrea Minchio. Il portfolio in permacultura applicata ottenuto con il corso di studi con l’associazione britannica di permacultura che si sintetizza con la dicitura Dip.perm.des. consiste in 10 design di permacultura con un minimo di 5 design realizzati.

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MY LEARNING PATHWAY
“What is important is that you can reflect on those designs and clearly show your
learning outcomes and how they fit in with your learning journey, what worked,
what didn’t, what you’d do differently the next time, did those designs embody
permaculture ethics, principles, design frameworks, what would you do differently
(or the same!) next time, etc…”
Graham Burnett

REFLECTION
The mindmap of myself highlighted some particular events and patters of my life:
Problems with the authority of my mother. The solution for me as a child has been to
fight to feel freedom and I can see this in the activities of boy scout where I came in
contact with the world outside the home environment and started to build up skills in
doing things, in building, in cooking, in relating with the community. For me as a teenager
skateboarding represent another way to escape from family and from a lot of “society
models”. I used to move from the city where I lived with friends using buses, trains and
after some years also cars to look for new places to skate, to meet friends, to make new
experiences and to feel free.
Love for Nature: as a child I remember myself and my family in front of the television after
dinner watching a lot of Nature documentaries, I still remember the voice of David
Attemborough telling the stories of animals and nature of places far away from Italy and
from Treviso where I lived. My love and respect for nature came out exactly from these
documentaries. The love for nature has been canalized into the university studies. After a
not always simple and fluent education periods, I decide to move form Treviso and to go to
Ravenna to study Environmental studies. This has been a turning point for me. I started to
live away from home, with new friends and also with a girlfriend. In 2002 I joind
Greenpeace as a volunteer and in 2007 I became a member of the greenpeace climbers. I
spent years in formations and in actions and later in 2010 I was able to teach volunteers
how to became a climber.
In 2008 during a Greenpeace climbing camp in the North of Italy I came in contact with
Permaculture from a friend of mine who had a PDC in Spain.
PERMACULTURE ACTIVITIES
My journey in Permaculture started in 2013 with the PDC in Scagnello (CN) with Pietro
Zucchetti. It has been a very rich and important experience full of visions, games, activities
and also friendship. After the PDC I realized that Permaculture could became my future. I
remember that during the first activities for knowing each other I said I would like to
became a Permaculture teacher.
In 2014 I started the Diploma Journey with all the designs and related activities.

I have run 10 workshops, 1 introduction course, 1 course in food forest.
I have run thematic sessions within PDC:
2014: PDC assistance in Scagnello (CN) with Pietro Zucchetti
Survey and map module within the September 2014 PDC in Bologna (BO) with Pietro
Zucchetti
Permaculture Introduction course assistance within the December 2014 in Borgo Val
di Taro (PR) with Pietro Zucchetti.
2015: Survey and map module within the May 2015 PDC in Scagnello (CN) with Pietro
Zucchetti
Design, survey and map module within the July 2015 PDC in Borgo Val di Taro (PR)
with Pietro Zucchetti
2015: Design module and Survey and map module within the September PDC in Scagnello
(CN) with Pietro Zucchetti
I have attended the following courses:
2010 Synergistic gardening in Vicenza (VI) with Alessio Mancin
2012 Food Forest in Ravenna (RA) with Stefano Soldati
2013 PDC in Scagnello (CN) with Pietro Zucchetti
2014 ABC of Organic and Regenerative Agriculture in Bagnoregio (VT) with Jairo Restrepo
Advance Food Forest in Adro (BS) with Pietro Zucchetti and Onorio Belussi
2015 Cob oven construction in Ravenna (RA) – Italy with Andrea Magnolini
construction of a Russian stove in Ravenna (RA) – with Andrea Magnolini
2016: 10 days course in water management in Bagnacavallo (RA) – Italy with Luciano
Furcas
Two days course in water management in Bagnacavallo (RA) – Italy with Luciano
Furcas

I have started a job as a permaculture designer in 2014 which gave me the possibility to
bring my learnings into actions. These are the projects which I have made a design for:

A terrace for a bed&breackfast called “Al Teatro” in Ravenna for Daniela Mingozzi
A 1,5 hectares homestead in Bagnacavallo (RA) for Marco Casanova
A 30 hectares farm in the hills of Dovadola (FC) for Maura Nannini
A 2,5 hectares farm in the hills of Meldola (FC) for Pietro Venezia (on going)
A 1,5 hectares homestead in the hills of Meldola (FC) for Claudia Romanini (on
going)
A 2000 square meters recreation center in Lido di Classe (RA) for Cinzia Cimatti (on
going)
APPRECIATION
Following this reflection it is now the time for me to appreciate myself and the things I was
able to create, develop and realized.
What I like with myself is the creativity I look for and apply in the things I do, I also like the
ability of foreseeing things before they happen.
I appreciate the skills in making maps, it’s a great way to put information and data in a
more readable way, it’s a different form of expression.
I have to thanks my spiritual guru because he is helping me in understanding who am I and
in finding solutions for emotional blocks and in all the erosive spiral I have build during my
life.
I thanks also my two sons Pietro and Luca and my wife Paola for all the support they give
me as a family and also as life gurus.
And thanks to my tutors: Pietro, Chris and Looby during this Diploma journey, they helped
me a lot in understanding my resources and to put into actions my ideas.

APPRECIATION
Following this reflection it is now the time for me to appreciate myself and the things I was
able to create, develop and realized.
What I like with myself is the creativity I look for and apply in the things I do, I also like the
ability of foreseeing things before they happen.
I appreciate the skills in making maps, it’s a great way to put information and data in a
more readable way, it’s a different form of expression.
I have to thanks my spiritual guru because he is helping me in understanding who am I and
in finding solutions for emotional blocks and in all the erosive spiral I have build during my
life.
I thanks also my two sons Pietro and Luca and my wife Paola for all the support they give
me as a family and also as life gurus.
And thanks to my tutors: Pietro, Chris and Looby during this Diploma journey, they helped
me a lot in understanding my resources and to put into actions my ideas.

VISION
After the PDC in Scagnello I was still working as a cartographer and a G.I.S. expert for a
company in Ravenna but the desk work in front of a pc started to became a limit to the
sense of freedom that needed so much. When in 2014 the Company I was working for
went bankrupt and close, I find myself without a work but full of new opportunities and
options. In this period I started to know more about my life vision:

Increase design skills;
I wanted to start a serious process to became a permaculture teacher;
I want obtain a yield from being a permaculture designer;
I want to have my place to run permaculture courses;
I want to became expert in soil regeneration;
I want to create a model system for showing permaculture in action in farming;
Create a startup.
HELPS
After I left my job in Ravenna I realized I could have time
to invest in my new formation
– I have a family that could support me in realizing
my dreams and projects
– I have friends that could support me during the
Diploma journey
– I have resources I can spend to achieve my
dreams.
– I am in the process of buying a piece of land with a
house and 5 hectares of wood and farm lands.
– I am part of a GAS (a Group of people that buy Sustainable food and stuff).
– I can collaborate with organic farmers IDEAS WORK IN A FARM for a while?
– In 2013 I started a spiritual path with a spiritual guru.
– Practical experiences (buy a microscope, make compost and compost tea, analyse
compost and compost tea)

Others source of help could be:

Read books related to permaculture
Participate to courses and workshops
Start to realize some projects related to the earth (gardening, composting, food
foresting, etc…)
Create a network of people interested in permaculture
On-line formation (Soil Food Web)
LIMITS
– Lack of determination and Lack of organization. To
deal with these I plan and carried on a daily schedule
recording what I was doing every 30 minutes for a
week. This tool proved to be useful in letting me see
that I use to interrupt an activity to start a new one or
more than one loosing time often in unimportant
activities. This make me feel frustrated because I feel
overwhelm by too many things or activities started at
the same time and unable to finish one.
– Worries about what I will do and how I will do things in the future
HELPS make courses ACTION course in identifying and finding solutions for emotional blocks
Worries about changing PRINCIPLE Creatively use and respond to change.
Over committing
Waste time on unimportant activities

PATTERNS
I use to put myself in situation at limit, if I succeed I will
be able to demonstrate to myself that I’m cool and my
low level of self-esteem will increase making me feel
good and appropriate. During the years, in particular
during the time at the University or during working times
this particular pattern in my behavior create me a lot of
stress and related physical problems. After the starting of
the spiritual path I was able to observe myself and
identify this pattern.
I identify this pattern in my behavior:

The spiral of erosion:
I take a job, start it and then slow down in completing it, in the
meantime another job or activity starts. Accumulating things to
do I feel I have no time for doing them, so I get frustrated and I
am not able to finish any job. But if I don’t finish the job I won’t
obtain a yield and won’t be able to invest in the evolution of my
skills and myself.

I should transform it in the following spiral of abundance:
I take a job be professional concentrate and be determined
complete the job as soon as possible
deliver the job
get
a yield out of it
be proud of myself
invest money and time
in my evolution path.

The spidernet:
The spider do the job very well
finish the job as soon as
possible get a yield out of it redo the net and start again. If
something happen in between the spider respond to changes
and do the net again, also in a different place.

ACTION
In November 2014 I started the Diploma Journey; and I
visualized my journey like a river. At that time my
expectations were:
To complete almost 6 designs during the first year
To complete 4 designs during the second year
To make at least 5 workshops every year
To participate at two PDC courses every year
To participate at two courses every year
My ongoing activities are:
• Preparing courses (introductory courses, food forest, mapping, surveying)
• Community building (HumuSapiens)
• Permaculture consultancy
Next step include
PDC preparation
Bring the Diploma system into Italy
Set up my site for courses, workshops, events, etc…
Permaculture consultancy
With the money earned from permaculture consultancy for clients and employees:
I will start to follow some online courses for obtaining new skills (soil food web for
examples)
I will buy a microscope
I will set up a new and more professional website
I will create a start-up with other permaculture designers and specialists

PRINCIPLES
Observe and interact: When I start to analyze where my
reactions came from, which part of my being was
involved I started to see more clearly some erosion spirals
of my life, some blocks and limitations.
Catch and store energy: the schedule tool teach me to be
more effective in catching time and use it for doing more
productive activities.
Produce no waste: with a more organised life I will waste
more energy in doing things.
Creatively use and respond to changes: been aware of worries about changing and about
managing achievements force me to think positively and find creative solutions.
Apply self-regulation & accept feedback: after receiving IPA I have to accept feedback
from the tutor and make lots of integration in my design. This allow me to feel more
complete in the design process and to understand how to put thinking into action.
REFLECTION
Completing 6 designs during the first year gave me a good
base, I have increased my design skills and I felt that I
have completed the first planned step in the Diploma
journey. After the first 5 I have received the feedbacks
from my tutor which push my expectations and increase
my self-esteem. And let me work on the principle apply
self-regulation & accept feedback; to be able to became a
permaculture designer and therefore to increase my
design skills I needed to be able to put thinking into
action and be able to evaluate and reflect more on my
process of design.
After the first year preparing and running workshop I realized that:
• There were not many people interested in my workshops
• Making workshop did not help me in increasing my self-esteem

The lesson I got from the workshops have been:
Having expectation on the number of students means don’t be focus on the workshop
itself and on the mission of sharing and teaching information and knowledge but it means
using the workshop as a tool for increasing the ego. Therefore I decided to stop making
workshop for earning money and started to work on the creation of a community of
people interested in permaculture and in transition. After this period I started two
projects:
• Skillsharing
• HumuSapiens

INTEGRATION
FUNCTION SYSTEM ELEMENTS
Increase design skills Diploma in applied
permaculture
Designs for friends Writing up 10 designs
Designs for clients
Diploma tutoring
HumuSapiens Associations
I wanted to start a serious
process to became a
permaculture teacher
I want obtain a yield from
being a permaculture
designer
I want to have my place to
run permaculture courses
Advance permaculture
courses
Bring the Diploma system
into Italy
Diploma in applied
permaculture
Diploma tutoring
Design for clients
Buy a house with 5 hectares
land in Collinello (FC)
Helping friends with their
projects or part of their
projects
Build up a job as a
permaculture designer
Associates
Place for projects
Ideas
Visions
Writing up 10 designs
Courses in diploma tutoring
Clients
WebsiteI want to became expert in
soil regeneration
I want to create a model
system for showing
permaculture in action in
farming
Create a startup
Increase technical skills
Increase self-care
Being effective
Increase agricultural skills
Increase teaching skills
Increase inner
consciousness
Make courses
Make experiences
Collaboration with organic
farmers
Find a network of people
interested in working
together
Making courses
Exercise
On line courses with Soil
Food Web
Buy a microscope
Create replicable design
5 Tibetans
Running
gardening
Be more conscious of myself Stop and find myself in the
present
Life planners
Schedule
organizer
List of activities
Poster on the wall near the
desk
Don’t waste time on
unimportant things
Gardening
Working with farmers
Work with children
Run courses
Run PDC
Exercise
Meditation
Night cleaning
Visit the spiritual guru
Spend at least 2-3 days per
month in our Ashram
Mindmaps
This design integrate the first design of My Learning
Pathway with a part of design of my Zone 00. For going
towards my visions and for gaining wants and needs I
focused on different kind of functions:
• There are functions for increasing practical skills,
with courses, with creating communities, with
teaching, with designing and teaching skills with
• There are projects to develop the sense of

community
and
transition:
HumuSapiens,
Skillsharing, Collinello House, Diploma system in Italy.
• There are projects for obtaining a profit: collaboration with organic farmers, make
courses, work with children.
• There are functions for increasing the self-consciousness strictly related with my
zone 00.
To visualize connection between all these functions and systems I have used a NETWORK
OF CONNECTIONS.

MOMENTUM
HOW AM I GOING TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM?
DAILY
From 1⁄2 to 1 hour meditation in the early morning
5 Tibetans exercise in the morning
Day planning
Reading
Studying
Gardening
Cooking
Parenting
Mapping
WEEKLY
Organic farmers collaboration
Designing
Make experience with the microscope
Create order in my home by deciding to select and throw away all the accumulated
and unused stuff
MONTHLY
HumuSapiens
Website updating
Spend at least 2 days in the Ashram
Spend at least one day with my Guru
Do monthly planning mindmap
SEASONAL
Participate to PDCs to increase teaching and designing skills
ANNUAL

Day schedule exercise
Prepare courses
Organise meeting for developing the Diploma system in Italy
– Annual HumuSapiens association meeting

PAUSE
To recharge my batteries I will:
• Find time to spend one or two days in the Ashram will
allow me to come in contact with my inner part and
feeling, to feel the presence of Him and to meet my
Guru.
• Do some gardening will help me in doing things with
nature. During these years I realized how I miss the
earth element and how is important for me to work
with it. Doing gardening I will also free my mind
activity.
• Reading books
• Play with my sons

REFLECTION
I have delivered the 10 designs and I have received the
PRINCIPLE
Apply self-regulation
feedbacks already.
and accept feedback.
I have accepted the feedback and I am working on
solution to improve my skills in evaluating and reflecting
on the carried on processes and on the designs process. If
I will be able to obtain a yield from the diploma process
than I will move on doing several new projects.
I need to deliver the ongoing designs for clients in order
to obtain a yield
PRINCIPLE
Obtain a yield
ACTION
Start to make courses, buy a microscope, set
up a new website, create a start-up
Waiting for the Collinello house and land to be bought PRINCIPLE
solution

EVALUATION
My learning pathway was designed for organizing the work for the Diploma journey. The
foreseen number of design to complete the first year (six) proved to be a SMART objective:

It was Specific, the design numbers was a defined and I know it
Was Measurable, the design were 6.
Was Agreed upon, I agree with the number of design and
Was Realistic, in fact I feel I could finish all of them in a year.
Was Timebound: the number of design was achievable in the foreseen timeline.
If I was able to complete 6 design during the first year I would be able to finish the
remaining four during the second year. And this also proved true, I succeed in finishing the
10 design in less than two years.
I planned to run 5 workshops per year but I change idea about workshop during the first
year. Therefore I decided to stop making workshop for earning money and started to work
on the creation of a community of people interested in permaculture and in transition.
This make me have more occasion for sharing my knowledge, meet people, create
network, start new project and also get the appreciation I realize I was looking for through
the workshops.
At the beginning of the Diploma journey I was focused in increasing skill on the following
area of interest:
Teaching
Gardening
Energy and fire
Regenerative agriculture
Family waste management
People and group management
Cob construction
During these two years I was able to apply myself in teaching (during workshops, events,
courses and PDCs), in gardening by realizing and running my garden in Ravenna. In relation
to energy and fire I attended a course in cob oven construction, this course inspired me so
much (I already said that I realized I need to do things related to the earth and using clay
and sand is a good way) that I decided to build a cob stove in the bathroom of my home by
myself.

REFLECTION ON THE PROCESS
Before applying the design web I was a bit scared of it. Too much different from the
frameworks I used before, the anchor points, his circular shape, all seems to be strange,
different and complicated to follow. After the design I can say I was wrong! The design web
is a great framework, is easy to follow and the anchor points are very clear. I found
intuitive to follow the succession I have chosen and I find also intuitive to go to the
reflection anchor points more than one time during the process.
WHAT IS GOING WELL?
• I enjoyed by adding a small picture with colored arrows to map the process and this
also increase my mapping skills.
• I also discover how connected are the different aspects of our life (the inner part,
the formation part, the working part and so on).
• I was able to reflect a lot on every point of the design this helped me in increasing
the evaluation skills which is my weakest part as a designer.
• I also understand how important is to reflect over the design and is great to be able
to write transform thinking into words.
WHAT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING
• Still some difficulties in the evaluation phase of the process.
WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-TERM VISIONS AND GOALS?
• This design increase my self-esteem, I feel more secure in dealing with designs and
in dealing also with non-land-based designs. I feel I can reflect on my process of
design with competence and knowledge.

My long-term visions is to bring the Diploma system in Italy collaborating with other
permaculture designers that has already completed the Diploma or that are doing
the Diploma journey. At the moment in Italy there is a great need for designs. To be
able to deal with Diploma attendees I would like to became a diploma tutor and I
think I will follow some courses to achieve that.
WHAT IS YOUR NEXT ACHIEVABLE STEP?
• Diploma in Applied Permaculture
• Run a PDC
• Become a Diploma tutor
VISION: during the design I have revisited the vision some times. Now I have some goals
for the next 2 years.
HELPS: good to see that i can access to a lot of friends and network to realise my visions.
LIMITS: the limits highlighted will be subject for a long work for getting better, it is
anyway important to observe them and be able to identify also some spiral of erosion.
PATTERNS: identify at least two important patterns which will commit me a lot for the
next years.
ACTION: good to see how many details may change in two years and still the objectives
remaining the same.
MOMENTUM: good to see and organise the things to do to maintain the existing system in
my life.
PAUSE: I like to see that in my daily routine I have several opportunities to recharge
batteries and to keep understanding my inner part and that some of these are action
necessary to carry on almost daily (gardening).