As usual our calendar is filling up! We have been running around the country with work, making mistakes, getting some things right, and learning and learning and learning. We have been in Pavones, Parrita, Nosara, Santa Teresa, Turrialba, La Fortuna, Mastatal, Monteverde, Upala, and more for all sorts of projects big and small.
Below is a peak at our main work over the last few months.
Projects
Tero Kuraga
This is our primary anchor project for the years ahead. Tero Kuraga is a 17 hectare farm commons, spread over four properties, including Finca Luna Nueva and the Brave Earth community. We are responsible for all farm operations. The primary project goals are to grow food for the onsite restaurant and retreat center, develop cash crops for export around biodynamic certified cacao and vanilla, and document the carbon sequestration practices and techniques so that other farmers can adopt the best practices.
The gardens at Brave Earth as they are beginning to get planted out.
Pura Vista EcoVillas
One of our first long term clients, Pura Vista EcoVillas is a small but growing hospitality offering nestled in the hills of Punta Banco. We’ve been working with Pura Vista to develop an edible landscaping plan to increase guest interaction with the property. We’ve spent the last rainy season getting hundreds of fruit trees into the ground with the vision of creating one of the southern zone’s best farm to table experiences. Working with Pura Vista has allowed us to focus not only on the productive side of the land management planning, but also on the educational piece for guests. An important goal for the future is to have guests seek out Pura Vista because of the production throughout the site, and also be able to take lessons from the land management practices home with them.
The recently clear site at Pura Vista with dozens of young fruit trees place din the ground.
MacRae Family Homestead
The MacRae homestead is an example of a classic tropical homestead project; in this case primarily focused on habitat creation for animals and food production for the owners. Grey water, rain collection, food production, and site circulation have all been points of design focus. Dozens of productive tree and shrub species and a few unique water filtration patterns now fill a landscape that was previously degraded cattle pasture and secondary forest re-growth. The MacRaes have shifted their lives full time to Costa Rica and are committed to growing as many of their own calories as possible. We’ve been working with this project since the first soil sample were taken nearly two years ago, so we are excited to watch this site develop through planning, construction, and eventually full production phases.
Cover crops and drainage swales at the MacRae Family Homestead.
Finca Ejemplo
A 30 hectare property outside of Turrialba, Finca Ejemplo is a start up commercial abaca (Musa textilis) farm. To diversify their production the owners are creating a holistic volunteer program that will include agroforestry systems, gardens, animals, and education programs. In addition the farm seeks to leverage its existing focus on a textile crop, abaca, to create a Fibershed model with gardens planted with prominent fiber and dye crops. Porvenir Design is helping to realize this vision through the creation of a concept master plan.
The concept master plan of Finca Ejemplo guiding the larger planting patterns. Map by Alejandro Arturo.
Podcasts
Scott recently recorded a podcast with Oliver Goshley of Abundant Edge. The conversation focuses on the successes and challenges of starting and running a design firm.
At the end of the month another podcast will be coming out with the Roots of Impact Podcast. This is a new podcast and project by Dave Grillot, the founder of Karma Tribe, it seeks to “empower listeners to become the leaders, teachers and healers of tomorrow.”
Permaculture Design Course Certifications
Porvenir will be running two PDC certification courses in the months ahead. Our classes are heavily focused on design work and practice. They reflect our belief in design as a solution to the many crisis’ facing our planet.
Our team takes pride in our curriculum design; we constantly take student feedback into account in order to create the most impactful courses possible. We make a deliberate effort to visit local sites, incorporate useful skill building and have diverse teaching teams. These are life changing courses that will empower you to grow food, build community, store water, and take better care of this planet and all its inhabitants.
PDC @ Brave Earth/Finca Luna Nueva
October 2019 near La Fortuna, Costa Rica
April 2020 in Mastatal, Costa Rica
Other Happenings
Finca Luna Nueva is hosting an incredible medicinal plant workshop with the renown Costa Rican ethnobotanist Rafael Ocampo and Luis Poveda on the weekend of September 28 and 29th. This will be a great chance to check in on our work and connect with some of the premier plant people in the country!
