What I appreciated most about this course was how carefully it balanced theory and practice. Over six days, we moved slowly — first getting to know a wide range of local plants, discussing and categorising them, before we started work on a planting row. Only once that understanding had settled did we prepare the rows ourselves: digging, prepping soil and amendments, and finally planting densely together.

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Bunya was warm and generous throughout, and what stayed with me was how much the course cultivated our observation and our relationship with the land we were working on — not just techniques, but a way of paying attention.

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The group itself made the experience richer. People came from such different backgrounds and projects, and the exchanges between us — comparing notes, swapping ideas — added another layer of learning alongside the curriculum.

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What moved me most, though, was witnessing everyone’s shared passion for stewarding the land around them, whatever form that took — from larger commercial ventures to quiet guerilla farming in kampung areas. It was a reminder of how many ways there are to care for a place.

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Bunya brings both heart and the practical sharpness of a market gardener, and never lets either eclipse the other — always circling back to relationships, community, and joy as essential parts of the work, not afterthoughts. Highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn agroforestry in a way that’s grounded, generous, and deeply human.

-Miao Shan, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail​

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Taking Bunya’s Permaculture Design Course was one of the most valuable learning experiences I’ve had. The depth of knowledge shared throughout the course was extraordinary, from permaculture design principles and agroforestry to planning, establishing, and managing productive food forests. This is definitely not a beginner’s course; it is an intermediate-level program packed with practical knowledge, real-world experience, and decades of wisdom. Bunya doesn’t just teach permaculture, he lives it. As someone who has built his career around practicing permaculture, he brings an incredible depth of practical insight that goes far beyond what you can learn from books. Every session left me with pages of notes, new ideas, and a much deeper understanding of how to work with nature rather than against it.

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What makes this course even more special is the community it brings together. It attracts passionate permaculture practitioners from across Malaysia, each working on their own farms, gardens, nurseries, or community projects. The networking and peer-to-peer learning are just as valuable as the formal lessons. The amount of knowledge sharing, experience, and inspiration exchanged throughout the course is truly remarkable. In a time when climate change, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation are becoming increasingly urgent challenges, courses like this are more important than ever. They provide a practical pathway towards regenerative farming that restores ecosystems instead of depleting them. I genuinely believe this course should be essential learning for anyone interested in farming, food production, or environmental restoration. If you’re serious about creating resilient, productive landscapes that benefit both people and the planet, I cannot recommend this course highly enough.

- Lydia Lubon, Free Tree Society​​

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Bunya has this incredible gift. He makes Syntropic Agroforestry feel alive. His sessions are refreshing, hands-on and so engaging that you lose track of time"

- Engsah Han
A Farmer, Sarawak, Malaysia

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Testimonial on the course 'Permaculture and Syntropic Agroforestry' organised by Sabina Arokiam and taught by Bunya.

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I attended this 5-day course towards the end of 2025. It was intensive but enjoyable and invigorating. Bunya impressed me as an excellent and very experienced teacher as he shared his knowledge and experiences with us. I am able to apply what I learnt from the course and I cannot wait to attend the next course scheduled towards the end of this year.

-Professor Chan Eng Heng, Petaling Jaya

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Feeling so lucky and thankful to be partially sponsored by Habitat for this 5-day immersive learning experience.  

It was a meaningful week filled with hands-on practice, deep observation, and powerful knowledge exchange with passionate people from near and far.

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What stood out most for me:  
-Learning to observe plants and soil — understanding soil quality through nature’s signs.  
-Understanding which trees to chop or trim to balance shade and sunlight.  
-Preparing the land and planning multi-species planting to maximise diversity and productivity.  
-Hearing real-life sharing from practitioners — opening my view to different approaches to building Syntropic food forests.  
-Most of all, the spirit of community work — raising awareness and working together to regenerate our land and future.

-Back on our farm, we’ve already started applying what we learned — one section at a time, using the diverse methods shared in the course.

Excited for what’s ahead, and deeply grateful for the opportunity ​

-Catherina Lau, Wild Bamboo Hill - Ulu Yam

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I had the pleasure of doing my PDC organised and hosted Sabina in 2010 and it was such an enriching and nourishing experience! 15 years later I was excited to do a three-day syntropics course with her, Bunya and Nova in Singapore. There's something special about learning as a village, and with not one but several experienced teachers and practitioners of all levels. Sabina has a gift of creating a great learning space and atmosphere with the best teachers. It was also invaluable to experience the instructors'  process. and having them lead us through the logic of making choices as well as the application of principles in real time through hands-on sessions. Rather than teaching us piecemeal solutions or isolated techniques, I really appreciated their 'ecosystem' approach of management across time and a physical space."
-Mel Ong, Singapore

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I loved Bunya's class as he is an engaging teacher and incorporates a lot of hands-on sessions. After attending his course, I can apply what I have learned to daily farming and planning.

-Akata Yang, Petaling Jaya

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We had a joyful, intensive and info-packed workshop that combined theory with hands-on practicals in syntropic agriculture.

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Learnt so much about interplanting what we commonly have with other beneficial plant species for the short, medium and long term. We now look at plant clusters, overgrowth and ecological design with fresh eyes.

Bunya is a kind, generous teacher full of deep insight into balancing order and chaos when working with nature.

-Ng, Singapore

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We are grateful to host the Syntropic Agroforestry course at Earth School together with Rimba Asli. Guided by Bunya and Shanker, we learned the principles of syntropic design before putting them into practice on the land, transforming a bare patch of ground into the beginnings of a young agroforest. Over a hundred trees, including fruit trees, herbs, spices, and support species, were planted across multiple canopy layers.

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A heartfelt thank you to Rimba Asli, whose thoughtful planning, coordination, and preparation made the entire course possible.I wholeheartedly recommend this course to anyone interested in regenerative agriculture, ecological restoration, or learning to work with nature. You will leave with practical skills, a fresh perspective, and the inspiration to create abundance wherever you are.

-Grace Soh, host of Bunya's 2025 course in Malaysia, Earth School, KL​

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