Scott Gallant
Six months ago Porvenir Design SRL became an official corporation in Costa Rica. Since then our time has been full with a diversity of projects. As we sit in the middle of the Pacific coast dry season, we felt it was an opportune time to reflect on our progress and where we are heading this year.
Helping Others Make Good Choices
We joke that the majority of our work is helping clients make good choices. This thinking certainly helps simplify what can oftentimes be complex projects with many stakeholders, or family dynamics, or cultural barriers at play. To date we’ve worked with over fifteen different clients in the past six months.
Some of our work has been designing sites to enhance educational programming around permaculture such as at Mauser Eco House, ViVerde or the Valle Escondido Preserve. We’ve also found ourselves helping clients get set up for true agricultural enterprises such as a banana textile export project in Turrialba. Sam traveled to the island of St. John after Hurricanes Irma and Maria to assess how to rebuild water, energy, waste and food system to be resilient toward future storms. Mitch and Scott lead up a large scale mastering plan process and implementation plan for the farm at Vera Corazon, a school forming in northern Nicaragua to support young women’s education. As well Scott spent a week near Medellin, Colombia developing a master plan for a coffee farm to better utilize waste products, build soil, and grow food for farm workers as part of a demonstration site supported by the German government.
Needless to say, we are excited how the 2018 year has begun and want to send out gratitude to our clients and friends who have helped us turn our passion into a livelihood.
The Next Six Months
We expect the next half of the year to see us focus more on taking on one or two large implementation oversight projects. In particular we are excited about working with Finca Luna Nueva and the Brave Earth Community near La Fortuna. We hope to be implementing a plan put together by the Tierra Genesis International team.
We are also looking hard at growing the business. We are in conversations with Jorge Salazar of La Iguana Chocolate to be our Cacao Agroforestry expert, and Laura Killingbeck of Rancho Mastatal to create a cuisine derived design plan called a Basic Pantry Analysis.
We are skilling up internally. We’ve purchased a drone, are taking courses to improve our visual communication skills, and are developing a mentorship program with former students and apprentices from Rancho Mastatal.
Client Testimonials
“For more than 23 years I’ve owned 40 hectares on the Pacific Slope of the Nicoya Peninsula. My property managers have been working the land in this region for the last 42 years. Recently Sam and Scott of Porvenir Design visited the property to give us some invaluable instruction on new permaculture techniques and more effective ways to prepare organic fertilizer and compost, and how to care for our many fruit trees.
Sam and Scott know their stuff and more importantly, they know how to teach it! The staff loved working with these knowledgeable teachers who not only speak their native language, but who also know how to inspire and convey a wealth of information. ”
“Collaborating with Porvenir Design was essential to developing the complex large scale project our client has in mind. Without the regional knowledge and expertise they possess, the design would be lacking in fundamental ways. PD has been so communicative and thoughtful throughout the collaborative process, bringing creativity to the design of essential and key food systems that will nurture our project for years to come. ”
“The evaluation and concept document provided by Porvenir Design was crucial in assisting us solidify our plans with Finca EcoVida. Being familiar with permaculture already, we thought we had a leg up over most, but the ideas brought forth were truly worth every penny and more. Scott is and will continue to be our go-to guy for our entire team and we can’t recommend Porvenir Design highly enough! The understanding of our needs, not only in the realm of building and crop integration but in the economic viability of the overall concept, was second to none. In addition, Scott was a true pleasure to work with on a personal level.”
“I met both Scott Gallant and Sam Kenworthy when they were instructors for my Permaculture Design Certification at Rancho Mastatal in Costa Rica. I was very impressed as both are extremely knowledgeable and generous educators (and I ask a lot of questions!). Later we contracted Sam to help us develop our grand rain management plan and with Scott to help us plan our new agro-forestry systems. Having them stay with us on our property for a few days was extremely worthwhile as they had time to digest our setting and existing systems and then think creatively about our best next steps. They are both delightful as guests and the concrete suggestions they shared gave us the confidence we needed to move ahead right away. I would heartily recommend their services to anyone wanting to benefit from the hands-on experience both have had creating permaculture paradises.”
What Are You Planting This Year?
Although the clay soil is cracking this time of year, the rains will be here soon, and we would love to know what you are planning on planting. If there is one thing we believe in at Porvenir Design, it is the value of getting trees that feed us in the ground.
Never stop planting!
Porvenir Design