Learn it by doing...
Permaculture is the application of patterns observed in nature toward harmonizing people within their living and agricultural environment. Join fellow permaculture enthusiasts on a 10-day trip that combines knowledge, culture, and practice in one of the least traveled countries in Latin America: Nicaragua.
Audit a day of a Permaculture Design Course on a rainforest-covered volcano in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. Then visit several farms in the area applying permaculture principles and techniques. Learn to build with sand. Taste some of the best coffee in the world while appreciating sustainable design on one of Nicaragua’s oldest private coffee farms, and much much more.
“Sitting at our back doorsteps, all we need to live a good life lies about us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds and plants surround us. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos.”
Dates
February 2 - 9, 2018
What you will learn
What is permaculture, how to become certified in it, and why
A variety of sustainable agriculture, design, and construction techniques
How to observe nature and what to look for
The difference between exotic and invasive plants
How to grow organic coffee the right way, and what makes it taste so good
Amenities
Stay in eco-lodges and economical hotels for a rustic, culturally-immersive and communal experience. Most accommodation will be in shared rooms.
Cost
$1580/person
20% deposit due Nov 2, 2017, balance due Dec 15, 2017.
What's included
Includes: all meals, lodging in shared accommodations, transportation, activities, and guide/translator.
Excludes: airfare, health insurance, $10 tourist visa, and personal spending.
This tour is being co-hosted by Greg Todd, a permaculture enthusiast based in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to having a special relationship with Nicaragua, Greg also sponsors a community garden in the Weeksville section of Brooklyn and monthly permaculture meet-ups in New York City. Greg will soon offer Urban Permaculture Design Courses in Brooklyn.
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1, 2-Feb: Arrive in the afternoon and spend the evening in Granada enjoying dinner and site seeing in one of the oldest colonial cities in the West.
Day 2, 3-Feb: Transport to Ometepe Island, tour the cooperatively-owned Finca Magdalena, learning about organic coffee, plantain, and honey production as well as bio-gas digestion.
Day 3, 4-Feb: Tour nearby Project Bonafide and drop in on the annual Permaculture Design Course for the day. Bonafide is a diversified permaculture farm demonstrating how innovative concepts in agro-foresty and horticulture can reinforce the local economy.
Day 4, 5-Feb: Tour El Zopilote Permaculture Farm and InanItah Retreat, featuring, plant guilds, agro-forestry, mulching, composting, renewable energy systems, edible landscaping, interplanting, and zone design.
Day 5, 6-Feb: Travel to San Juan del Sur, stopping at a natural spring swimming hole and arriving in time for a sunset overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Day 6, 7-Feb: Join local sustainable construction company, Casa de Tierra for a workshop on building with sand and adobe. Enjoy the beach in the afternoon before heading to Granada for dinner.
Day 7, 8-Feb: Travel to the northern highland coffee farm of Selva Negra, and join farm staff for a tour
Day 8, 9-Feb: Spend the day learning sustainable farming from Selva Negra staff
Day 9, 10-Feb: Enjoy free time in the morning and in the afternoon travel back to Managua for farewell dinner.
Day 10, 11-Feb: Fly Home
