A research station located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Composed of natural buildings, food forest, and organic gardens. Here, students can learn about sustainable living, regenerative agriculture, ecological aquaculture, agroforestry, and ecological design through hands-on experience so that they can share with the world the new techniques for a sustainable global future.
Permaculture Design Course
Learn to design a sustainable lifestyle + eat healthy + immerse yourself with hands-on experience in a tropical food forest.
Finca Tierra offers the international standard curriculum of 72-hour permaculture certificate course. The course covers the fundamentals of ecological design with a particular emphasis on perennial woody polyculture food systems or food forests.
This course goes beyond the theoretical and focuses of real-world situations in this food forest and has a strong emphasis on hands-on application and practical skills. It offers the experience of learning in an immersive setting from mature systems with which students have daily interactions. The methods and techniques will transfer directly to any climate.
The accommodation is in natural buildings, and the food is from our farm and other local organic farmers. With the completion of the course, Finca Tierra will issue a Permaculture Design Certificate. While the information serves as a general education in permaculture, this course offers an in-depth examination of the function of the homestead and farm and is designed to inform students who will gain the skills and design thinking to implement and manage a system.
This is a very hands-on course. Mornings are usually devoted to practical applications and afternoons are dedicated to course lectures.
The Location
Located near a small river and within walking distance of amazing pristine beaches. Situated in our regenerative homestead and jungle forest farm. The education center is solar powered, 100% off the grid, and harvest both rainwater and natural spring water, with gravity-fed water supply. The shared infrastructure consists of a beautiful bamboo and leaf thatch kitchen, a dining area with a mud oven, class area, and lounge space.
Accommodations
Finca Tierra's exotic accommodations are both private bamboo cabinas and a bunkhouse with great views. We have biological flush toilets where the black waters go to a biodigester, and the waste is processed to be sent back into the food forest system, making it a perfect closed loop nutrient cycle. Our showers hot water works with a thermo-composting system, providing hot water for students as well as providing high-quality compost for the organic vegetable gardens.
