Tropical Agroforestry & Sustainable Farming

The project

The NGO you will be working with here in southern Belize is host to one of the oldest on-going agroforestry experiments in the country as well as being one of the oldest permaculture projects in all of South America. The maturity level of the canopy has allowed for several sub canopy species to be grown, with an emphasis on cacao.  The cacao tree, whose Latin name means ‘food of the gods’, has been a vital part of Latin American culture for well over 1200 years. Some of the cacao varieties you will work with are relic cultigens from the Maya culture and have been growing in isolation in this area since the collapse of the Maya civilization.

The farm believes in and is run entirely on renewable energy, meaning you will get a rare opportunity to experience living a completely organic lifestyle. The project also works with local communities, installing photovoltaic pumps and solar systems.

Volunteer Work

The farm is an experiential learning centre and a working demonstration farm. You will be a part of the everyday farm work as well as be taught about the different systems and activities used on the farm. You will be expected to work hard, but as a reward you get to live in a beautiful rainforest and learn valuable skills! If you are a student there is also the possibility of getting credit for your time at the farm at your home university and the projects welcomes researchers as well as volunteers.

As part of the sustainable farming project, you will partake in all the processes of cacao production, from planting and mulching to fermenting and drying as well as nursery management. The cacao is sold locally as either raw cacao or as cacao balls. The cacao on the farm is grown in an entirely artificially created agroforestry system, with many species. The system is designed to closely imitate the ecological functions of a completely intact ecosystem in an arboreal architecture that closely resembling the rainforest that originally grew here.

Some of the day-to-day activities you might take part in are

• Planting seeds, mulching, harvesting, and drying cacao beans.
  
• Assisting researchers in their work with various rare strains of cacao.
  
• Maintaining and developing the genetic seed bank.
  
• Learning about applied biodiversity in sustainable agroforestry.
  
• Establishing nurseries on the farm or in local communities.
  

This is a very flexible project, which can cater to your personal project and interests if you wish to arrange for a prolonged stay. As a researcher, you will be largely self-directed, but there are always opportunities to take part in the activities on the farm. The farm forms an excellent base for students of agriculture, agroforestry, botany, biology, tropical ecology, ornithology, herpetology and permaculture.

Hire a kayak  and paddle the Joe Taylor Creek for some good birdwatching, or kayak the coastline around town and north to the Rio Grande or south to Orange Point. 

Snorkel at the Snake Cayes or fish in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, just north of Punta Gorda Town.

Dive at the Sapodilla Cayes at the southern hook of the Belize barrier reef.

Visit PG's market on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday. Many vendors travel into PG from the outlying Toledo villages, selling mainly locally grown fruits and vegetables. Keep an eye out for homemade chocolate, and copal incense.

Cycle south-west to Boom Creek Village and cool off in the Moho River.