Farming and Beekeeping Support needed

Farmers in this area are struggling a lot with no human resources to help with the daily task to keep farming alive, farmers are losing their only income due to not being able to sow and harvest their crops or to process them on time, this is causing the farmers to stop farming and abandon their farms instead.

The solution for this big issue is with the helping hand of a volunteer, who will help with all agricultural tasks involved in the  processing of products such as sugar cane (Panela) and coffee.

Beekeepers are needed, some farmers are beekeepers but they still beekeeping in a very artisanal way with very old techniques learned from their ancestors, so there is not real thinking about the bees or the environment but honey.

With the help of volunteers we aim to create consciousness about the bee safe keeping, increasing of beehives and colonies, supervision, new healthy spaces, and to teach about all products they can made from bees. And most important how their environment and crops will benefit from this.

In a sugar cane farm or a Coffee Farm: a volunteer will help with the cleaning of the land, planting and crop growing, fertilization, harvesting, transporting in mules the cropsof sugar cane to the “Trapiche” or grinder to process the product into Panela in the same farm then packaging,  or taking the coffee beans to the “beneficiadero” to be washed, skinned, selected, dry, and packed to send them to the next process of coffee production. Although there is always something to do in the farm all year round the harvesting season are from Apr-May and Oct-Nov.

Volunteers will also help with some research to create new products, increase the production and market them.  To help to educate local people into becoming self-sufficient and use ecological techniques to improve the quality of crops and farming living standards. 

No previous experience is needed and a can do attitude and motivation will be really appreciated. Volunteers will have the opportunity to share experiences with farmers and their families and will play a big role to empower communities into stay together and keep farming alive.

- Walking to the Coffee or Sugar Cane farm

- Some days it will be an early start as it is very hot here. 

- Volunteers in this project will be working 6 hours per day. 

The La Mesa town offer a variety of activities as it is surrounded by Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Waterfalls. Volunteers can visit the : The Orquid Sanctuary at the Tequendama region, The Waterfall La Monja, Hill Walking to the La Cruz Peak, Trekking by the River Apulo, Bird Watching, and small towns around La Mesa like Anapoima, San Antonio del Tequendama, Mesitas del Colegio and The Tequendama Waterfall. The cercanity to the Capital City of Bogota offer the opportunity to visit Museums, restaurants, bars and discos. For the weekends we offer organised tours to go caving or visiting other Colombian Counties like Santander or Boyaca which offer a lot more to do like visiting waterfalls, lakes, caves, extreme sports. Other volunteers have managed to visit the Tayrona Park in Santa Martha, Cartagena, The Caño Cristales in The Macarena, Palm Trees farms in Armenia, Coffee and Sugar Cane farms around. . There is plenty to do in here, also we are blessed with hot climate. So be prepared.