Location: Costa Rica

Duration: There is no minimum or maximum stay, however 1 month is recommended.

Cost: $22 USD per day, including 3 meals and accommodation.

Travel: You will be given easy to follow instructions to get to the project site, which is approximately 3.5 hours by bus from San Jose International airport.

Work: Soil conservation techniques, reforestation, terrace construction, Biogas Production, Fish pool, and many more.

Introduction

Project aim -  "To create a self sufficient model farm, which can demonstrate the kindness of sustainable ecological agriculture."

Soil erosion is a serious problem for farmers in tropical regions. Farming practices that are inappropriate to the local climate and ecology result in a loss of soil fertility, to the extent that the land can no longer support agricultural use. When this occurs, the farmer typically clears an adjacent area of rainforest to grow his crops. Once the forest canopy has been cleared, the bare topsoil is vulnerable to being washed away by the wet season’s heavy rains, and the cycle of soil loss is repeated. In addition to degrading the terrestrial habitat, ecologically inappropriate farming practices also contribute to the destruction of coral reefs, since the eroded topsoil is eventually carried by rivers to the sea. The silt settles on the reefs and literally smothers them.

The main aim of this project is to provide a working example of a farm that operates in a sustainable manner, eliminating the need to clear new areas of forest. Each project goal has been specially chosen to help ingrain the values of the farm and the ethos it engenders – that is, maximizing farm production in a highly sustainable, ecological way.

Daily Life

The work will include construction, feeding the animals, planting seeds, soil conservation, maintenance of medical plants, using and producing organic fertilizer, maintaining the spring-water wells, and harvesting crops. Each morning you will find a whiteboard with the day’s tasks, which will be assigned by the Project Leader The work is at times challenging, but volunteers have invariably found it stimulating and rewarding.

There are several projects on which you can be working on, including:

* Soil remediation. The pasture area on the farm is heavily degraded, with little natural vegetation and substantial areas of bare soil. Unwanted grass species currently there will need to be removed, the soil prepared for grass plugs (lots of digging), and then the plugs will need to be planted by hand. In addition, We have installed an electric fence, which you will need to help trim down any weeds tangled in the wires and to restore a safe distance between the wires, to prevent them from intertwining. Moreover, each year, volunteers sow seeds in patches of soil where plants don’t already grow.

 * Medicinal herb plot. There is currently a medicinal herb plot with approximately 75 plants, for the production of natural shampoos, insect repellents, and herbal remedies. This is a labour-intensive job requiring grass removal from the new lot, soil preparation, and transplanting the herbs by hand. In the future. We plan to harvest, prune, fertilise and process the plants for local consumption. You can also help process plants for the production of tea leaves, using a wood mill constructed on the farm.

 * Solar dryer. Future volunteers will help with the construction of a solar dryer, a structure covered with a special type of plastic to gauge the ideal temperature to dry medicinal plants.

 * Terrace construction and maintenance. The farm maintains a terrace system on the land in order to slow erosion and prevent soil loss. There is a need for more terraces to be built, as well as some renovation of the older terraces, particularly in the orchard area. In addition, you will help by planting Vetiver grass (a species with soil-binding properties) above the terraces; another activity in which the volunteers can participate is the preservation of the terraces, from raking leaves to moving loose soil.

 * Vegetable plot. Volunteers will learn how to plant and cultivate a variety of vegetables organically, including tomatoes, beans, lettuce, radishes, chilis, and cilantro. This part of the project will also tie in with compost production, for which the farm uses California Red Worms.

 * Biogas production. The farm currently cooks using propane and wood as fuels. The energy source we favour the most, however, and the one that the farm is building towards, is natural biogas (methane). Since the volunteer-assisted construction of a specially excavated site that produces it, we hope that, in the near future, biogas will act as the farm’s sole source of energy. As you undertake this project, you will have a chance to learn about an alternative energy source and how it works.

 * Frog pond. There is a worldwide decline in amphibians, one of the major causes of which is the decimation of wetland areas. As such, a frog pond, stocked with natural plants and native frog species, has recently been dug.

 * Fish Pond. To get some protein on the menu, we are growing " Tilapia fish". The fish are also sold at the local market, adding extra income to the farm. Not to mention that the pond adds greatly to the beauty of the farm.

 * Bio-intensive production. We are increasingly using an agricultural method called "Bio-intensive" production, in which you are likely to take part in. Through this method, holes are dug and filled with decomposing organic materials, in which crops (mainly fruit trees) are planted. The decomposing organic matter serves as a powerful fertilizer and is more easily penetrable by plant and tree roots, leading to maximized output.

 * Cabins for volunteers and visitors. To accommodate for the growing number of visitors to the farm, plans are afoot to construct more wood cabins close to the neighboring forest, providing an ideal spot for volunteers and nature enthusiasts alike. You will therefore be involved in its construction, cutting wood, painting, mixing cement, digging and decorating.

 * Butterfly Museum. We are currently in the early developmental stages of creating a butterfly museum. The butterfly house will educate visitors on the life cycle of butterflies while raising and nurturing these magnificent specimens on sight. This is an amazing educational tool for kids as well as adults not only to be lectured on butterflies but actually see them in various stages of their existence.

 * Other tasks. Although the above projects take priority, there are other tasks on which the volunteers can lend a hand, including cutting and chopping wood for the kitchen stove. If you are interested, you can help to make natural shampoo and/or insect repellent from herbs one evening. In addition, there will be several other duties essential to the farm. For instance, the chickens and ducks require food and water every morning, and their eggs need to be collected. Another possibility could be feeding the animals (chickens, horses, cows), milking the cow and making cheese or yoghurt.

A typical daily schedule will be as follows:

* 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.         Work
* 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.         Break
* 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.     Work
* 11.30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.       Lunch
* 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.         Work

This schedule is very flexible; dependant upon the tasks being performed and weather conditions.

Accommodation

You will stay with the host family in a rustic cabin. There are four rooms set aside for the students, with two bunk beds in each, also there are a open place to set Camping Tents with room for six peoples or more.

Another set of cabins is soon to be constructed at the edge of the forest, two hundred meters from the main farm building. The farm is generally well-equipped, with hot showers and electric power sources in bedrooms. You are expected to keep your rooms clean, including the bathroom and kitchen. We will provide cleaning materials. Guests are welcome to use the washing machine, as long as they are careful not to overload it. We can provide the soap, but please use it sparingly. All waste can be recycled (apart from sanitary waste- please use the bin provided in the bathroom for this). Toilet paper must go into the bins marked “papel” in the bathroom, not down the toilet.

The host family will cook all the meals except on the days off. The meals will consist of simple Costa Rican food, and will include a lot of cooked rice and beans. Volunteers can even learn how to process, and help drink our very own house wine, a sweet concoction that always goes down smooth. With the large number of guests staying, We will need a little help in the kitchen, and so you  will help with food preparation for a day. This will give you a chance to practice their Spanish, learn a bit about typical Tico cuisine, make frescos, and possibly cook with biogas

Public phones and e-mail access are available in the nearby town (twenty minutes away), as are banks (Banex exchanges American Express traveler’s cheques for free) and 24-hour electronic cash points or ATM

Requirements

* Min age 18 - Max age 30 (flexible depending on physical ability)
* Able to work in hot jungle climate
* Good physical fitness
* Motivation to work with animals and plants
* Basic English or Spanish (Lessons available)
* Full travel & medical insurance
* Necessary Vaccinations
 * Necessary flights and visas
* All illicit drugs are strictly forbidden

NO commission is added to the cost of this project by Global Nomadic. We ask instead for a flat placement fee of £195 per project (paid securely via Paypal). We offer full pre-departure support, ongoing email assistance and a full range of discounts with our selected partners.

Send us an email enquiry to find out more, or click the 'Join this Project' button below if you are ready to get involved.