Land Design

I enrolled in this course one week late, making the decision hastily just hours before the enrollment deadline. I knew that if I considered the time commitment and the potential impact on my family and myself, I would find numerous reasons not to proceed. Yet, I chose to quiet my rational mind and listen to a deeper, non-rational awareness. I had an inner “knowledge” that this course was exactly what I needed at that precise moment. I obeyed this voiceless wisdom, often ridiculed or belittled as irrational or irresponsible by our Western mindset.

I am utterly happy I took this class. From the moment I decided to enroll, to this juncture of completing the course, I have been excitedly and humbly accepting the fascinating glimpse this course has given me into the permaculture world. I approached all the materials with childlike curiosity, diving into research and rabbit holes that sometimes took me away from the assignments. However, I allowed myself this freedom, understanding it as part of a beautiful web of interconnected information.

I commend you, Javan, and the rest of the OSU and permaculture community for building and sustaining a top-notch course with knowledgeable, meaningful, and comprehensive materials.

In my humble opinion, permaculture principles are applicable to our sites, our jobs, our interpersonal relationships, and especially in our relationship with ourselves. Thank you for gifting me a new set of tools!

The gratitude I feel now is bigger than any word! I am happy that I took this course (even though English really troubled me)! I love all the insights I have had and knowledge I have gain during this year I have spent with this course. I am happy that I had a second chance to complete this with full focus!

I am pretty satisfied with my first design. I know that it is a first attempt and with this little knowledge and experience, I probably already would do things differently. You gave a good tip in last office hour: ask for help! This is a learning journey and by doing, observing nature, talking with the trees and people and asking help we get better.

Thank you Javan for your patience. kindness, helpful feedback and your wisdom! Thank you! I have loved this Journey so much and it has taught me in so many areas of life!

I’m an agriculture consultant with a passion for sustainable and organic farming, I’ve had the privilege of learning from various platforms and experts. However, taking the Permaculture Pro course at Oregon State University under the guidance of Javan Bernakevitch was nothing short of a transformative experience.

Javan’s teaching style is both comprehensive and engaging, bridging theory and practice seamlessly. He doesn’t just teach permaculture; he lives it, and that authenticity shines through every lesson. His depth of understanding is unparalleled, and he has an innate ability to make even complex topics accessible. Whether it was soil health, water systems, or designing a regenerative landscape, Javan offered practical insights I could immediately implement in my consultancy work and toward my goal of making Nepal an organic nation.

The course material is meticulously curated, keeping in mind not just the ecological but also the economic aspects of farming—something that resonates well with real-world applications. I came into the course with a solid background and high expectations, and I can confidently say that this course exceeded them all. The lessons I’ve learned and the skills I’ve acquired are directly contributing to my efforts to develop a model farm and are indispensable in my consultancy.

If you’re serious about permaculture, sustainable agriculture, or even if you’re a beginner eager to learn, this course is worth every minute and every penny.

Thank you, Javan and Oregon State University, for an unparalleled learning journey. I am excited to apply these permaculture principles in my pursuit of a more sustainable future for all.

Implementing a holistic framework with my wife (newly wed) over the last years has been both instrumental and revolutionary, but also difficult, slow going, and iterative in our attempts – in so many ways. From the basic ability to communicate a vision and how to achieve it, to the more intricate reality of the day to day process of managing who are we? where are we? and where are we going? and how are we getting there?

For me, I like to be explicit about all of this and examine my life, and so Holistic Management and Javan Kerby Bernakevitch have given me invaluable tools to create my life’s journey, I really only regret not having learned this in kindergarten.

We knew Holistic Management would be an important improvement for managing our lives and family and started using what we learned from books but we didn’t have the positive effects from it until we committed to working with an objective outside professional. We could not have the same results by ourselves. We learned to get to the cause of problems more effectively. We learned to communicate better as a family and will continue on this path. 

We have been able to use the principles of Holistic Management much more effectively through working with Javan and his refined system of using the Holistic Context and decision making.

The addition of spot checks was really helpful in using and working with our Context more proactively instead of just using it when a decision needs to be made. This alone fast tracks the process so much.

The decision forms, especially the longform, are helpful in fleshing out and fine tuning the proposed actions.

I loved seeing the already holistic process made even more holistic.

Thanks you.

Javan Bernakovitch has presented several times in our Earth Activist Trainings, and I’m always so happy to have him!  His work combines personal empowerment with a hard-headed business sense and a deep understanding of the permaculture principles and their practical applications.  Our students find his work helps them determine their own niche in the permaculture world, and is especially useful when they have some basic knowledge and are looking at what direction to take next.  He has my highest recommendation!

My wife and I knew we wanted to build a more rural context. However, we felt overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite possibilities — and we never got anywhere. For starters, we didn’t know anything about land, agriculture, natural resource management — not to mention other things we didn’t even realize we should have been thinking about.

Javan knew it all. Like anything else: if you want to learn quickly (and minimize costly mistakes), the best way is to work with someone who already has the experience and the expertise. A few phone calls with Javan saved us time and money — and finally got us into measurable progress. If you’re not sure where to start, this is the right place!