LOCATION
Nosara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
ENROLLMENT
To register for this course or for more information please write directly to Fabian Corrales at operations@tierramor.cr
DESCRIPTION
Permaculture is a set of design principles centered around whole systems thinking using the patterns found in Nature. By implementing permaculture we're creating new systems for the way we grow our food and steward the land that are in harmony with Nature. This course is applicable to anyone with an interest in designing resilient and regenerative futures as well as professionals in the fields of architecture, planning, ecology, education, farming and community development.
Join our diverse team of permaculture instructors led by Hugo Soto and Scott Gallant of Porvenir Design, for this life-changing 2-week experience. Additional teachers will be announced soon. The course covers the core Permaculture Design curriculum and emphasizes creating diverse multi-functional human landscapes based on ecological patterns.
This two week course will include a specific focus on the topic of Syntropic Farming, an agroforestry methodology developed in Brazil by Ernst Gotsch. You can read more on Syntropic Farming here. We will have the chance to design a new syntropic farming area, give maintenance to existing systems and in general see this methodology in action.
Utilizing Tierramor as a living classroom, the class will mix lectures and hands-on work, exploring design solutions for both temperate and tropical regions. Putting Permaculture into practice, the course concludes with students working in teams to create their own permaculture site design.
The whole-systems design thinking outlined in the course will give participants the tools to re-design and improve their surroundings; from gardens, farms and homes, to livelihoods, relationships and communities.
Topics covered include:
History of Permaculture
Principles and Ethics of Permaculture Design
Design Methodologies and Site Analysis & Assessment
Pattern Languages in Culture and the Landscape
Reading the Landscape and Pattern Recognition
Simple Mapping and Surveying Techniques
Client Interviews and Goal Setting
Map Reading
Master Planning and Design Presentations
Climate and Microclimate Design
Water: Cycles, Catchment, Ecology, Conservation, Treatment
Greywater and Blackwater Systems
Earthworks, Pond Construction, & Water Storage
Soils: Biology, Ecology, Fertility Strategies
Biochar, Biofertilizers, Mulching, Biomass Production, Microorganisms Cultivation, Compost Making
Introduction to Holistic Management
Gardening from the Tropics to the Temperate Regions
Orchards Management and Agroforestry
Plant Propagation, Grafting, Nursery Management
Silvopasture and Aquaculture Systems
Fermentation, Post Harvest Handling, and Harvest Strategies
Shelter and Siting
Natural Building Techniques
Urban and Suburban Permaculture Applications and Case Studies
Regenerative Economic Models
Social Structures, Decision Making, and Community Organizing
Professional Designer Project Case Studies
Or please write directly to Fabian Corrales at operations@tierramor.cr
LANGUAGE
The course will be taught in English. All instructors speak Spanish.
LEAD INSTRUCTORS
Scott Gallant
Scott Gallant is an agroforestor and food system designer with nearly a decade of experience working in Central America. He is the co-founder of Porvenir Design, a landscape design firm specializing in productive landscapes. He graduated from Wabash College in 2008 with a degree in Economics. He was the farm manager at Rancho Mastatal for nine years, and has worked with diverse projects such as VersaLand, Open Source Ecology, Project Bonafide and many more as he has developed his skill-set in permaculture design.
Passionate about regenerative agriculture, holistic thinking, ethnobotany, community development, and re-skilling, he still makes time to hike and bike, read exhaustively, and work on his basketball jump shot and frisbee throw. He has traveled extensively in Latin America, leading to a love of the culture, food, and language, which he attempts to speak. Scott writes for the Permaculture Research Institute and has been featured on the Permaculture Voices , Abundant Edge, and Making Permaculture Stronger podcasts.
You can find him on instagram here.
Hugo Soto
Hugo started down the permaculture path in 2012; Hugo’s study of organic agriculture led him to continue to deepen his ways of relating to people and the place. A native of San Jose, Costa Rica, Hugo began by promoting urban permaculture through projects such as community gardens and creating edible spaces featuring native plants. While developing communal gardening projects Hugo also focuses on leading workshops and courses within communities to shift to better soil management and production strategies.
Hugo compliments his passion for design by tying communal design for living well into his approach to planning; he has been trained in working with several forms of design for invisible social structures. Hugo is a member of the Red Permanezca, which seeks to creatively promote permaculture in Costa Rica with the end goal of inspiring deep societal change. Hugo’s goals include promoting permaculture through education and site visits, having time to swim and hike in the mountains while living in a collaborative eco-community.
Vero Flores
Vero discovered permaculture through her interest in the connection between human health and the health of the Earth. After obtaining a degree in Environmental Health at UCR in 2009, she worked in tourism sustainability, collaborating to improve practices in hotels and agrotourism farms on the Osa Peninsula.
In 2018, Vero developed her own regenerative land project where she was able to share more about permaculture, health, fermentation and yoga. Most recently she worked as the Farm to Table Manager at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge; developing the hotels’ post harvest processing facilities and capacity, while training their kitchen and staff on fermentation, herbalism and local sourcing.
Currently, she is part of the Hierba Buena Community collective, a social permaculture experiment of more than 6 years, where 6 families co-own and are currently co-designing their farm and community.
Her passion for social permaculture and ancestral wisdom has led her to deepen her studies with CASA Latina and Gaia University in courses on Sociocracy, Nonviolent Communication, Social Design and Ecoladeas. In addition to having taken various courses in herbal medicine, ancestral nutrition, fermentation, syntropic agriculture, among others.
Additional Instructors
The farm team from Tierramor: Javier Abdelnour, Angie Jimenez, and other members of Tierramor’s organization, will be joining to facilitate specific sessions and hands on activities.
Hosting Organization
The farm at Tierramor exists primarily to trial and document the most innovative agricultural designs and practices for dry tropical forests. It seeks to do so by blending human and ecological needs and land use, creating an environment that integrates the many functions and needs of the project. The farm is the first phase, approximately 5 hectares, of a larger 200 hectare project.
Tierramor offers a number of lodging options which are reflected in the course price options below. The course cost includes three vegetarian meals per day. For more information on lodging, food, how to arrive, and course enrollment, please visit:
Tierramor’s Webpage Here
COURSE START AND ARRIVAL DATES
Arrival day is April 14th, 2024. Students are encouraged to arrive between 2-5pm. The course will start at 8a.m. on April 15th, 2024. Lodging/meals the night of April 14th is included in the cost of the course.
Parking is available on site. A 4 x 4 vehicles is required to reach the site.
COURSE END AND DEPARTURE DATES
The course will end at around 6 p.m. on April 27th. There will be a post dinner celebration. Students will depart on the morning of April 28th (10 am checkout). Lodging/meals the night of April 27th is included in the cost of the class.
COST
Early Bird:
20% discount of listed price for Bunk House and Shared Rooms only. This offer is valid through January 1st, 2024
Bunk House
Single bed in a bunk bed with shared toilet and shower facilities.
$1,800 pp
Shared Room
Single bed in a shared double room. Shared toilet and shower facilities.
$2200 pp
Private Cabin
Private cabin with private shower and shared toilet facilities.
$3000
Each option above includes linen and towels, night lamps, mosquito nets, fans, clothing shelves, bedside table, and a stargazing balcony net.
Day Pass
$1200. This price includes food, instruction and materials, but not lodging.
Costa Rican Discount
We offer an additional 25% discount rate for Costa Ricans. As well, there are a number of partial scholarships available, see below for more information.
Couples
Please inquire about cost structure if you are a couple and would share a bed.
Costs include instruction, 14 nights accommodations and 3 fresh, organic,
locally-sourced meals per day. Transport to and from the center or airfare is not included.
Cancelation Policy:
If you cancel 45 days before the start of the course, you will receive a 100% refund. If you cancel between 44 and 30 days of the start of the course, you will receive a 50% refund and a 50% credit toward a future event, workshop or stay at Tierramor. If you cancel within 30 days of the start of the course, you will not receive any refund or credit. The course start date is April 14th.
Scholarships
There are four full scholarships available for this course. The cost of the course upon receiving a partial scholarship is $250.
These are reserved for Costa Ricans and are need based. To apply for these scholarships, please write to Fabian Corrales at operations@tierramor.cr.
ENROLLMENT
To register for this course or for more information please write directly to Fabian Corrales at operations@tierramor.cr