About.
Finca Tierra is a permaculture education and demonstration center. We offer educational courses and internships that promote self-reliance through the instruction, demonstration and practice of Permaculture (permanent agriculture) principles in Central America. Throughout the year we host various sustainable living learning experiences.
We welcome individuals interested in gaining knowledge in sustainability through exposure to our working farm, which we’ve strived to develop as a carefully designed regenerative environment.
Program.
THE PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE IN DETAIL
Permaculture provides a framework for creating landscapes that mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature. It delivers diversity, stability, and resilience. Permaculture systems yield an abundance of shelter, water, energy and food; all to address local needs.
Our course offers the standard 72-hour permaculture curriculum for certification, with a special emphasis on food forest and intensive vegetable gardening in the tropics. Although we're in a tropical setting, many of the methods and techniques will transfer directly to any climate.
The schedule for week one is shown in the photos above! Arrive on Sunday after 2pm, and start class on Monday morning. Our breakfasts are at 7 am, lunches at Noon, and dinners at 6 pm. The course will cover 12 chapters in depth. Mornings are usually devoted to practical applications and afternoons are dedicated to course lectures. The second week includes an off-site trip to see local highlights. We will visit Don Joni to learn about the cosmovision of the indigenous Cabecar people, and see traditional land-use management in practice as he interacts with the land to produce his building materials, food and medicines. Also, prepare for a swim at the beautiful river! After don Joni's experience, we will visit SEED Ecovillage Agricommunity to learn about designing community scale and the incorporation of animal management. By the end of the course, each student will make a permaculture design exercise of 1.5 acres, applying natural building techniques, water and waste management, renewable energy systems, food forestry, organic gardening learned during the course.
Highlights.
- Experience a sustainable lifestyle, immerse in the jungle of the Costarican Caribbean Coast, while learning the how to's of Ecological Design!
- 100% Off Grid. Natural buildings, solar power, rain and spring water catchment, biological flush toilets, waste management, biodegester and compost hot water.
- Learn how to grow your own organic food, natural building resources, medicine and fuel through permaculture design.
- Practical training in Agroforestry and biointensive gardening.
- Learn how to produce profitable perennial abundance.
- How to create a resilient home.
- Eat super healthy! Our recipes are based in a deep research on the nutritional values and medicinal properties of our food. Meals are plant -based, organic, farm-to-table . We make onsite our own gluten free flours, nut milks, fermented foods, chocolate bean-to-bar, coffee bean-to-drink, medicinal herbal drinks, marmalades, mead or honey wine, cold press coconut oil, vinegars and more.
Living Conditions.
Sleeping
- private room
- shared rooms
Vegetarian Food
- over 80% locally sourced
- restaurant on site
Internet
- medium: voice calls (no video)
Getting here.
Public bus service to Puerto Viejo from San Jose costs about $10. It departs from Terminal MEPE Atlantico Norte, located in San Jose. Buses from San Jose to Puerto Viejo: 6 am - 10 am - 12 md - 2 pm - 4 pm.
The bus station in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is ~6 km (~3 miles) from Finca TIerra.
Finca Tierra is 2.8 km (~1.75 miles) on Ole Caribe road, near its end. Follow the signs. From the coastal road it’s about a 30-minute walk or a 15 to 20 minute bike ride.
A taxi from Puerto Viejo bus station to the farm costs $10 with Frank, or $15 other taxis.
A taxi from San Jose costs $250 approximately.
Whether coming by van, car, or taxi, in order to make it the last 300 meters (~.2 mile) you must have a 4-wheel drive vehicle. 4x4 taxis which we recommended are Frank 8546 7655.
Contact
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