As a permaculture graduate of PDCs by Geoff Lawton and Andrew Faust, I’m always looking for examples of permaculture practices in real life. I’m also a big fan of Nicaragua after visiting Michael Judd’s permaculture Project Bona Fide there in 2007. By chance, while looking for a mountain lodge to escape the heat of the coastal plain in 2016, I stumbled by accident upon Selva Negra. While being touted as an ecolodge, I discovered it to be much much more.

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Based on about 1,000 acres of mountainside, Selva Negra (which means Black Forest in German) was founded by Bavarian immigrants in the 1890s. It has “legs”, that is, it has withstood the test of time in a large part I believe due to its practice of permaculture principles. In fact permaculture is what makes the community possible, given its isolated location. Were it not almost completely self contained, it would never have lasted over the 130 years since its founding.

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Permaculture without being Permaculture

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What is Selva Negra? First and foremost it is a community of over 300 Nicaraguans living in a village on the farm, with its own school, store and medical clinic. They grow all of their own organic food in 20,000 square feet of greenhouse space. They also raise cattle, pigs, goats and a variety of fowl. To generate income, residents manage 300 acres of organic coffee bushes. They also have a large eco-resort with its own wedding chapel Mo and community gathering space. The top 300 acres of the mountainside is a nationally recognized bio-preserve with howler monkeys, giant sloths and many exotic birds and plants. What is permaculture about Selva Negra. Everything! If there were a list of permaculture projects, Selva Negra would have a check in virtually every box. Water capture? Check! The cloud forest on the mountainside is honeycombed with ditches to run the almost continuous rain during the rainy season down into holding ponds. These three large ponds provide water for the gardens and the livestock during the dry season. Solar hot water? Check! As far as I know, all of the hot water for the village and the eco-lodge are generated by flat plate solar collectors.  Local food? Check! The 20,000 square foot greenhouse can grow a wide range of crops given their high altitude including most brassicas that need the cool nights of the mountainside.

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What is permaculture about Selva Negra. Everything! If there were a list of permaculture projects, Selva Negra would have a check in virtually every box. Water capture? Check! The cloud forest on the mountainside is honeycombed with ditches to run the almost continuous rain during the rainy season down into holding ponds. These three large ponds provide water for the gardens and the livestock during the dry season. Solar hot water? Check! As far as I know, all of the hot water for the village and the eco-lodge are generated by flat plate solar collectors.  Local food? Check! The 20,000 square foot greenhouse can grow a wide range of crops given their high altitude including most brassicas that need the cool nights of the 

mountainside. 

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Jobs for the community? Check!

Virtually all of the workers on the farm, the coffee plantation, the eco-lodge and the coffee mill live on the farm. 

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Community connections? Check!

I had the pleasure of spending New Year’s Eve in the large community hall. It was the place to be for the entire nearby Matagalpan community. Hundreds of locals partying until the break of day. SN even has a hydro power generator and a settling pond that turns the “honey water” from the coffee mill into biogas to feed the workers! What a great place to have a permaculture design course! During the morning we talk theory and in the afternoon we see it in practice! All in a self-sustaining and long-lived community of Nicaraguans. Want to make this dream come true?

 

Set aside the weeks of February 3rd to February 18th. That’s when that magic happens, all under the tutelage of premier permaculture instructors Andrew Faust and Adriana Magana. After two weeks of instruction, all class graduates will be offered the chance to work on a 2 day project at SN supervised by members of the community. Don’t wait!l

 

Let us know if you’re interested. The all inclusive cost (except airfare) is just $1,700 including lodging at SN, three organic meals a day (other options available) and complete access to the entire 1,000 acre farm. Interested? To reserve your slot, complete this form at your earliest convenience. The first five signers will be given a 5% early signing discount. Questions?

Call or text me at 718-496-5139 or email wastenotgreg@gmail.com.

 

Here’s some biographical information about our teachers at the PDC.