Johanes Wibowo, PDC Teacher

Jiwa Damaiis a learning space. We bring knowledge from all the corners of the world and share it with people who in turn will spread it to all the corners of the world. During our Permaculture Design Course Through the Heart in February, we have an international team of experts: Neil Willmann, Daruma eco farm founder in Thailand; Margret Rueffler, founder of Jiwa Damai permaculture center Bali and Lagu Damai foundation and Johanes Wibowo, head of Green School Bali gardens.

In this article we will tell you more about Johanes Wibowo. You can read more about our facilitators here. And you can find more information about the course here.

It wouldn’t have been right to do a permaculture design course in Indonesia without accessing the local knowledge. Johanes Wibowo is a certified Permaculture Designer with years of experience teaching locals on the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan and East Java (Indonesia) in the transition from conventional to organic farming. He received his training in traditional Javanese farming methods at KPTT Salatiga in central Java as a designer and planer.

We asked him why people should study permaculture and who should attend this kind of course. His answers came from the heart showing how much he loves nature.

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Why permaculture?

Permaculture reminds me of the time when I was a kid. In my village we were growing so many trees, there was a huge variety. Permaculture talks about the diversity of plants or animals. In my village they were following the traditional calendar: the wind season, the rain season, the dry season, the breeding season and so on. They were following the rhythm of nature so they were using in a sense Permaculture principles.

Permaculture means learning from the nature. And there are so many new things to discover every day. This is how permaculture design works. Therefore, it is a life long learning process and no matter how many permaculture courses one had before, each course brings something new. One can read a book on Permaculture design but the reality is always different because every experience is different.

Jiwa Damai is following the permaculture standard so it is a great place to learn about the permaculture principles here. The garden is very generous and one can experience a lot and explore different possibilities.

Who should attend the course?

I think everybody should attend this course. People have to learn what nature needs. It isn’t only farmers or permaculture designers, or only for students or trainers. Everybody could come and should come. Because nature is not a place out there somewhere. It is everything that surrounds us: sun, energy, plants, animals. And everyday we should get closer to nature.

When I give trainings I am really happy if people tell me afterwards that they applied what they learned from me in their own gardens, in their own offices, in their own schools or in their own beautiful spaces.

Neil Willmann, PDC Teacher

Less than one month to go until the February Permaculture Through the Heart Design Course begins! Here, at Jiwa Damai we are getting very excited. Our international team of specialists is waiting for you!

Although we are very eager to know you, let’s first introduce our facilitators: Neil Willmann, Daruma ecofarm founder in Thailand; Margret Rueffler, founder of Jiwa Damai permaculture center Bali and Lagu Damai foundation and Johanes Wibowo, head of Green School Bali gardens. Find more about the structure of the course here.

In this blog post we will talk about Neil Willmann but follow us. Soon we will come back with information about our other facilitators.

Permaculture Design Course

Neil Willmann is originally from Chicago. Neil’s academic studies include a degree in oceanography from the university of Hawaii where he worked on recirculating, marine aquaculture systems.  Later, he returned to his hometown to complete another degree in physics.  Physics, particularly thermodynamics, serves as much of the foundation for ecology in general and even specifically the origins of much of permaculture design theory.

Neil has traveled, lived and worked in many parts of the world and recently (2007) settled down in Thailand, about an hour outside of Bangkok. He currently teaches physics, energy studies, and engineering design methodology at Asian University of Science and Technology where he also conducts research in ecological system engineering using engineering mathematics to validate eco-agrology methods (such as organic farming).

Additionally, Neil is the executive manager of Daruma Eco-Farm and co-founder of the Mosaic School, the first full-time primary school based on permaculture principles offering an alternative, holistic ecological conscious education. Daruma, under Neil’s direction, has hosted numerous permaculture courses, natural and earth building courses, Thai massage courses, and more.  Neil has led and instructed many students in permaculture including many credited undergraduate and graduate study programs with universities in the USA, Canada, France, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.

Neil is passionate about life-long learning.  “The only true ‘expert' in ecological engineering design is Nature.  Because of this, permaculture design promises a creative, lifelong learning capacity that will always be rewarding.”  As for teaching permaculture, Neil says, “When it comes to teaching subjects like permaculture, ‘rewarding’ doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling of giving the gift of a more complete understanding of a complex subject such as ecology, and a foundation of design methodology that allows others to confidently go forward and effect meaningful change in the world.”