Agroecological Farming

About the Program

This farm was constituted on November 14, 1998 as a non-profit association with the purpose to complement Costa Ricas environmental education and to strengthen the relationship between society and the environment.

The near by town 'La Flor' is a typical rural Costa Rican community located in the high lands of the Central Valley, 1250 meters (4000 feet) above sea level. The grounds of the farm include 10 hectares of regenerated forest, botanical and medicinal gardens, domestic animals (goats, chickens, horses) and organic agriculture. The property displays a panoramic view of the Orosi Valley, one of the most beautiful valleys in the country.

You will do planting and watering, working with the ground, and you will harvest fruit and vegetable that will be used for cooking.

There is always a lot of work with animals: clean their stables and feed them.

Sometimes there is construction work to do - and you might learn how to construct a wall out of 'barro' ... (loam).Spanish knowledge is not required - it is to the volunteer´s advantage to study Spanish to communicate with the local people who work at the farm. The farm runs an Alternative Spanish Language Institute where classes are offered.

Our Volunteers

Our volunteers should be enthusiastic about developing new skills and experiencing living with nature. We welcome volunteers of all ages for a shorter or longer period of time. You don't need to speak Spanish although it's an advantage to be able to communicate with the local people. We also offer Spanish language classes to our volunteers. 

Your Program Location

The eco farm is located in a beautiful, natural environment in the town of La Flor - approximately one and a half hours outside of San Jose (two hours by bus), above the Orosi Valley near Paraíso of Cartago, Costa Rica.

Weekly Schedule

You will do guided work from Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m to 12:00 noon.

Your Tasks

Typical tasks during your week can include the following areas: 

• Organic agriculture
  
• Botanical garden and forest
  
• Domestic animals
  
• Medicinal plants
  
• Environmental Education
  
• Discussions of environmental problems and possible solutions
  
• Cooking
  
• Cross-cultural interaction

During your work you will not have the time to make trips to other places as every journey takes about half a day to get there. So, save your free days for an excursion ... there is so much to visit in Costa Rica! We recommend the National Parks (Monteverde, Manuel Antonio), the volcanos (Arenal, Irazú, Poás), go for a trip to the coast in Jacó and Quepos, travel to the caribbean coast to Puerto Viejo, Cahuita, our rainforest lodge or visit us in Sámara and enjoy beach life for some days!