In Ecuador
Last Updated:  12/28/2009

Fill out the Course Registry form to have your courses listed here.
Submission deadline is the 26th of each month for listing the following month.

One-month intensive organic farming/permaculture course May-June 2010 Offered By - Río Muchacho Organic Farm Bolívar 902 y Arenas Bahía de Caráquez Ecuador Contact Person - Nicola Mears Phone - 593.5.2691107 email - info@riomuchacho.com Web Address - www.riomuchacho.com Course Fee - $1,200 or $1,000 if booked and paid 3 months before starting date (full-time) Course Format - 140 hour live-in course, half in theory and half in practical application, 4.5 days/week. Course Location - Río Muchacho Organic Farm, Canoa, Manabí, Ecuador Course Instructor(s) - Nicola Mears - Graduated in Horticulture, Non Polluting Agriculture and National Parks and Recreation Management. Fifteen years of experience in Ecuador. Has worked as Inspector of Organic Farms on a National and International Basis. Miguel Ayala - Expert in sustainable farming, trained in Ecuador, USA & Europe. Teacher of ecological plant protection. Javier Carreras - Expert in Permaculture and seed saving ( Coordinator of seed savers network ) Course Description - Full theoretical and practical course in permaculture and organic farming methods. Topics covered include history of conventional farming, principles of organic farming, soil management, mulch gardening, double-dig and no-dig methods, organic standards and certification, medicinal plants, permaculture principles/design/ethics/integration, organic fertilisers, biodynamic farming, worm farming, plant associations and rotations, pest and disease management, non-polluting methods, seed saving, plant propagation, lunar calendar usage, irrigation and bee-keeping. All reading materials, equipment, home-made (mainly vegetarian) meals and cabaña accomodation on farm provided. 4.5 days/week, Wednesday afternoons free for cultural activities e.g. gourd carving, horse riding, forest trips to see waterfall/howler monkeys, river shrimp fishing, coffee anc chocolate-making straight from harvest. Weekends off-timetable, transport to local town available for small fee, where surfing, horse riding, paragliding and day trips are available. Price includes visits to local paper recycling project, tour of Bahía de Caráquez eco-city and environmental school.