Last September, something quietly remarkable happened in the heart of Klang.
A group of busy professionals, curious urbanites, and committed earth-stewards gathered — in person and later online — and over five weeks, they transformed the way they see the world around them. They learned to read a landscape. To design with nature rather than against it. To look at a city rooftop, a community garden, or a neglected patch of earth and ask: what could this become?
That was our first Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course in collaboration with The Circle for Humanity and Sustainability, SEEDS and Urban Hijau. And it exceeded every expectation we had.
Now, we’re doing it again — and we’re taking it somewhere new.
What we learned from year one
Teaching permaculture to urban dwellers is a different kind of challenge. Most of our students weren’t coming from farms or rural land. They were coming from apartments, offices, and high-density living blocks. They cared deeply about sustainability, but many had never composted, grown food, or thought about water harvesting.
What we discovered is that this is precisely why permaculture matters most in cities like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
The principles of observation, diversity, edge effect, and closing loops aren’t just applicable to rural homesteads — they are urgently needed in dense, resource-intensive urban environments where food security, community resilience, and ecological connection are all at stake. Our students didn’t just learn a design system. They found a framework for how to live.
Introducing the 2026 PDC — now at Tirtha Quddus
This year, our immersive in-person sessions will be held at Tirtha Quddus, a family-run permaculture farm stay and regenerative living retreat nestled on three acres of lush land in Janda Baik, Pahang, Malaysia.
Founded in 2015 by Abas and Safia — a couple who left city life to grow food, nurture the earth, and build something real — Tirtha Quddus is exactly the kind of place that makes permaculture tangible. It is not a demonstration garden behind glass. It is a living system: organic food cultivation, water harvesting, low-impact construction, bokashi composting, naturally ventilated earth and bamboo accommodations. Every corner of the farm is a design lesson.
For our students, this means stepping out of the classroom and into the thing itself. You don’t just learn about closed-loop waste systems — you use one. You don’t just study food forests in a textbook — you walk through one, tending it as you go.
This is learning that stays with you.
A course built for real life
We know that most of the people drawn to this course have full lives. Jobs, families, commitments. That’s why the PDC is structured as a hybrid programme — combining immersive residential sessions at Tirtha Quddus and permaculture sites across Singapore with interactive virtual workshops you can join from anywhere.
The course runs from 22 June to 26 July 2026, taught by a team of international and local experts with deep roots in permaculture design, regenerative agriculture, and urban ecology.
On completion, you’ll receive the internationally recognised PDC Certificate from the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) of Australia, joining a global network of certified permaculture practitioners and regenerative changemakers.
More than a certificate
Perhaps the most lasting thing our first cohort told us was this: the course changed how they see.
They started noticing where rainwater runs when it rains. They looked at food waste differently. They began conversations with neighbours about shared growing spaces. One student started redesigning her balcony. Another brought what she learned into her work as an architect.
The PDC is not a destination. It is a beginning.
Who is this for?
This course is for you if:
- You’ve been curious about permaculture but haven’t known where to start
- You’re already working in sustainability, design, food, or community development and want a deeper foundation
- You believe cities like Singapore can be transformed — and you want the skills to help make it happen
- You’re ready to learn alongside a community of people who share that belief
You don’t need land. You don’t need a farming background. You need curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to get your hands in the soil — at least once.
Come and learn with us
Singapore faces real and pressing questions about food security, ecological resilience, and what kind of city it wants to be. Permaculture doesn’t offer easy answers — but it offers something better: a way of thinking and designing that works with natural systems rather than exhausting them.
We’ve seen what happens when people in this city discover those tools. It’s quietly extraordinary.
We hope you’ll join us this June.
The 2026 PDC Course runs 22 June – 26 July 2026. Places are limited. For more information and to register, get in touch with the team at Urban Hijau or The Circle.
Yalla Permaculture 