Help us on a permacultural organic productive farm school run by an Andean community, Ecuador (close

Location: La Esperanza, Ecuador

We are an agroecological farm teaching center, located next to Cayambe Volcano located in small indigenous village and runned by the community. On the farm land of an 1,5 hectare land (3,6 acres) we do natural building (to create the all farm sustainably) and already produce our own veggetables and biofertilizers to produce enough to sustain our farm and trainings. The main objective is to be self sustainable by the veggie sales to finance the farm and the classes (prod, management, agroecology...). We use permaculture technics and other agroecologicals technics from Japan and Costa-Rica. One of our goal is also to restore biodiversity in the all area by experimenting and showing to the nearby producers good practices (low plowing, k-line systems, agroforestery, polycuture farming, biodiversity reserves (in forest and lake).

To resume, the primary objective of our organization is: to study and teach modern and ancestral agroecological practices and its impacts at an environmental, economical, social and cultural level. Is is a very interesting and serious project and we also looking for people really interested by the subjects.

As we said, we need to be self-sustaining to run our farm, meaning that our incomes come from our products and services. It is operated off of a variety of income streams to promote sustainability , including:

• Agroecological product sales (CSA boxes, markets and restaurants)
• Open-pollinated seeds and seedling sales.
• Fertilizers and other agroecological inputs sales.
• Agroecological and sales training sessions.
• Natural building teaching program.

As much as possible the center needs to show and teach agroecological (permaculture) way of life, including natural building (barrique, tapial, barro) , seed sovereignty... All this aspects using local knowledge and other techniques too.

The facilities on the farm are 6 natural built tiny houses for the workers and volunteers, a big shed, a greenhouse... We are currently building a class room and library (300m2), and a small laboratory.

From our place, you are close from Cayambe, Otavalo and Quito (1 hour for both), but in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by corn, quinoa and more traditional crops.From the farm, you´ll have a beautiful view and a lot to learn and teach with our community.

If you want to help us and learn a lot about farming, agroecology, seeds, and Ecuadorian culture, you are more than welcome here!

TWO MONTHS MINIMUM commitment asked, to make more comfortable and interesting for everyone in this exchange.

The farm is getting bigger and work more complex, we teach everything we know but in exchange we need accurate, dedicated and organized person to come and help here, independent, responsible.

Hope to see you soon on the farm.
Cheers,