Rak Tamachat Permaculture

Project Type

Project Summary

A 50 acre conventional rice and corn farm in rural Thailand. The owners wanted to transition to a permaculture education site featuring food forests, aquaculture, gardening, natural building, Animals, and other permaculture demonstration systems.

Project Description

Rak Tamachat (Love Nature)

Rak Tamachat Permaculture Education Center operated by Panya Yamo ltd. The center is located on a 50 acre commercial corn/rice farm, strategically placed in the Korat Plateau of central, rural Thailand. We are a young site that still has ample opportunities to learn about developing all the major elements of an integrated permaculture system.

The Center shares the site with a Thai family practicing traditional subsistence level farming focusing on rice and corn production but also managing a variety of livestock including pigs, chickens, ducks, and fish. As permaculture systems are established and proven to work in this environment the goal is to then assist the Thai family with transitioning to use the new systems. This will create a viable proven plan of transition for local farmers that we can then train at the Education Center.

Rak the Interns

Our internships provide a range of opportunity to those interested in furthering their permaculture knowledge and experience. You can learn the details and practical everyday implementation of any or our systems, or design your own system and build it. We also want to train people to teach permaculture courses and offer an internship geared towards that as well. 

Practitioners: A 3 month internship. Practitioners will delve into the nitty gritty details of a wide range of established systems here and learn them inside and out. Developing the necessary skills to implement them elsewhere with confidence, sure of their success. Optionally, if you have a desire to focus strongly on a particular system (aquaculture, food forest, vermiculture, etc….) You may study your chosen system and become an expert in its implementation and design. Rak Tamachat is your playground for practical success.

• 3 month commitment.
• Fee is 6500THB per month.
• Opportunity to attend a PDC at half price. (requires payment of Internship in full prior to course)
• Opportunity to learn any aspect of permaculture.
• Ability to share in the profit of implemented farm systems.
• Ability to share in the profit of courses as a facilitator.

Designers: A 6 month internship. Designers will learn not only the practical implementation of systems but also the philosophy and thought processes of how, why, when, and where to implement these systems. As you gain the physical skills of implementation you will also be instructed in the mental skills of design philosophy for each system. Designers will be given a portfolio page on our website where you can document your designs and their implementation and apply them towards your permaculture design diploma. Giving you the knowledge and skills to begin a career of permaculture design or to design and build systems on your own land, where ever you may go from here.

• 6 month commitment.
• Fee is 6500THB per month.
• Opportunity to attend a PDC at no charge. (requires payment of Internship in full prior to course)
• Opportunity to learn any aspect of permaculture.
• Ability to create and maintain an online portfolio of your work.
• Ability to share in the profit of implemented farm systems.
• Ability to share in the profit of courses as a facilitator.

Educators: A 6 month internship. Educators are persons who have completed our 6 month designer internship and have elected to stay on another 6 months to learn how to teach classes and operate an International Education Center. Thus becoming a 12 month internship. However, this time does not need to be contiguous. Anyone who has completed our designer internship previously can return to Rak Tamachat and join the educator internship. Anyone who has completed a PDC and has practical experience implementing permaculture systems can apply for the educator internship even if their PDC and experience were gained independantly from Rak Tamachat. Educator interns will learn how to teach classes and be given practical classroom room experience. They will also learn how to operate an International Education Center. Setting up classes, Creating syllabuses, Advertising the class, Managing the students and the details of providing for the students while they are on site. You will leave here capable of independently running your own courses. This internship could open up every continent to you as a teacher of permaculture.

• 6 month commitment.
• Requires completion of 6 month Designers Internship or equivalent experience.
• Fee is 6500THB per month.
• Opportunity to attend a PDC or other course at no charge. (requires payment of Internship in full prior to course)
• Opportunity to learn any aspect of permaculture.
• Opportunity to learn how to operate an International Education Center.
• Ability to create and maintain an online portfolio of your work.
• Ability to share in the profit of implemented farm systems.
• Ability to share in the profit of courses as a facilitator.
• Ability to share in the profit of courses as a teacher.

Rak the Benefits

In addition to the listed benefits for each Internship type there are many general benefits that all interns will enjoy while here:

• Room and board covered by intern fee.
• Stay in a private bungalow. Or a bamboo shelter if no bungalows are available.
• Opportunity to Learn the operation of typical farm machinery, like pumps, solar panels, welding, power tools.
• Opportunity to learn how to operate farm vehicles, like tractors, the Tuk Tuk and the Tak Tak.
• Opportunity to learn how to drive a motorscooter and sidecar safely.
• Opportunity to learn Thai.
• Opportunity to learn how to document your work.
• Opportunity to learn how to blog or publish your work on the web.

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