We host courses, workshops, and groups to come and learn with us both in Thai and English on self- reliant living, organic gardening, community living, natural building and natural health throughout the year.
Our 2025 Course schedule as follows:
Dates:
What If…?
June 6-11, 2025
GET GROUNDED
June 12-16, 2025
Get Grounded
October 10-14,2025
What if…?
november 4-9, 2025
Food matters
November 9-13,2025
land design and appropriate technology
December 2-6, 2025
More Info on each course:
“What If…?”
This course will be a collaboration between the Pun Pun Community and our P’gakenyoa friends from Hin Lad Nai. It will be hosted at Pun Pun center in Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai and Hin Lad Nai village in Viang Papago, Chiang Rai.
Course is bilingual, English and Thai
What if we were able to slow down and re-member our lost relations with earth, water, fire and sky? What if our identities were again determined not by what we buy but what we co-create organically with our communities and the lands that tend to us?
This “What If…” Course offers a unique chance to re-cultivate a deeper understanding as to how our external relationships with Earth impact our relationships with our inner self. A safe space will be held for us to explore and process emotions and feelings of which typical modern life seldom offers space for. In addition to learning the foundational hands-on skills such as seed saving, wildcrafting, organic farming, slow cooking, etc. that Pun Pun is known for, we will explore the human relationship with ancestral indigenous seeds, not only examining their role in the food we eat but also in forming human identity, culture, and myth. We will explore how ritual/traditional farming practices such as rotational farming impact community life and the basic human need to feel belonging. We will learn about wild honey bee keeping and consider the major role bees play in our world. This is a rare opportunity, away from the “daily grind” to experience life more slowly, to examine our interconnectedness, with self, soil, and community. We will reflect over the importance of our ancestors. And we will consider the importance of a more land based, indigenous world view in these modern times.
Hin Lad Nai is a special village of the P’gakenyoa indigenous people of the area who have a unique and interconnected relationship with the land, the forest and their community traditions. They have opened up their space for people to learn these essential skills with them.
Content and topics:
At Pun Pun Organic Farm:
- Seed Stories: We will revisit our timeless relationship with seed throughout the course, including those of myth and culture. We do this with storytelling, song, dance, etc.
- Natural Farming: Participants will learn how to grow and harvest food in a mindful way that develops a deeper relationship with soil, water, ancestral memory, seed lineage, the vast unseen underground mycelia kingdom of microorganisms etc.
- Slow Cooking: We will learn how to respectfully harvest from the garden, cook from scratch and eat in mindful ways, looking particularly at root vegetables and their relationship with the land and people..
- Waking the Wild: We will attempt to wake our wilder, ancient self through shared, embodied exercises that aim to push us out from our comfort zones.
At Hin Lad Nai village:
- Ritual/Rotational Farming: We will revisit our ancient relationship with the forest, learning about indigenous techniques of living harmoniously with land in a way that benefits both land and people. Through ceremony, poetry, song, and story, we will look deeply into natural rhythms, our deep relationship with rice, indigenous seeds and cultural roots.
- Returning the Sacred: We will explore the concept of “rematriation”, exploring modernities increasingly severed relation with land and consider how best we might make efforts to restore again a sacred balance with life, taking specific interest in the “P’gakenyoa” tribe’s view.
- Tree hugging: We will connect with the massive grandmother tree “Khun Yai Lumpoo”, the only tree not felled by a logging company years ago that now serves as a powerful reminder of our roots and resilience.
- Wild Honey Keepers and Ancient Teas: We will learn about the unique role bees and tea have with forging a relationship between humans and earth. And yes, we will taste yummy honey and drink delicious teas!
- Calling Our Soul Home: We will participate in the Baisi ritual of “Connectedness Threads” to seal our time together.
12,000 baht/person. This fee includes all food during the course, accommodation, transportation, and instruction.
To register, English speakers please contact punpuncourses@gmail.com and Thai speakers at punpun.farm@gmail.com
Get Grounded
- Organic Gardening including how to prepare garden beds, make seedlings and compost, and focus on the practice of seed saving.
- Harvesting and using produce from the garden in the kitchen including cooking , fermenting, and making products from the garden.
- Introduction to natural building techniques. Will cover selecting soil, making adobe bricks, how to lay bricks, making and applying homemade earthen plaster and making and applying clay paints.
- Some simple appropriate technology will be covered as well that we use at the farm for filtering drinking water and reducing our propane consumption in cooking/hot water, etc.
It is an opportunity to learn through doing where participants will learn the techniques we use while actively applying them to projects at the farm in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. It is also a chance to live with other like-minded Thai and international folks and get a taste of community living on the farm.
9,000 baht/person. This fee includes all food during the course, accommodation and instruction.
Please contact punpuncourses@gmail.com to register.
Food Matters
- Organic Gardening including how to prepare garden beds, make seedlings and compost, and focus on the practice of seed saving.
- Harvesting and using produce from the garden in the kitchen including cooking , fermenting, and making products from the garden.
- Learn local fermenting and product making from local foods.
- Learn to make dishes and cook together with our experienced chefs on the farm.
It is an opportunity to learn through doing where participants will learn the techniques we use while actively applying them to projects at the farm in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. It is also a chance to live with other like-minded Thai and international folks and get a taste of community living on the farm.
9,000 baht/person. This fee includes all food during the course, accommodation and instruction.
Please contact punpuncourses@gmail.com to register
land Design and appropriate technology Course
Pun Pun will be hosting one Land Design and Appropriate Technology Course course at our center in Mae Taeng, Northern Thailand, near Chiang Mai.
- Evaluating how to look for what kind of land to buy for different purposes and what to look for in purchasing land.
- Learn how to understand the characteristics of all types of soil, identify their purpose as well as how to transform soil for increasing fertility.
- Learn how to source water, harvest, store and filter water for various needs.
- Learn to understand the characteristics and habits of plants, where and what we might want to grow, and how to design what we plant with these characteristics in mind for optimal growth.
- Understanding the habits and characteristics of pests and how to design to live together to maintain abundance of our gardens.
- Learn the theory of cooling with earthen building and how to use earth to build a natural and climate appropriate home through good design.
- Learn the basics of low-tech water filtration, low-smoke charcoal making for various purposes.
- Learn how to install simple water systems for your garden, home and farm including pump options, irrigation and filtration.
10,000 baht/person. This fee includes all food during the course, accommodation and instruction.
Please contact punpuncourses@gmail.com to register.
Community living:
Evening activities and exchanges will also be included. A large aspect of the course also includes the experience of living in community with other participants as well as entering the community of members living at Pun Pun including children living in our community. We have found this element to be a major contributor in the experience of the course for participants.
2) Once you have sent your participant survey and have been confirmed, a non-refundable deposit is due to secure your spot. Please understand we cannot hold your spot until we receive your deposit.We ask you transfer this to our Thai account of which we will send you the details. The remainder will be collected on the first day of the course in Thai baht or if you chose you may transfer the whole amount beforehand.