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Selva Negra Permaculture Agroforestry Course February 2026

Selva Negra PDC flyer - edit - 25NOV2024.jpg

Saturday February 7 to Saturday February 14th 2026  

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That allows for Saturday Feb. 6 and Sunday Feb. 15th to be travel days.  The cost is $1,750.  Fee includes three organic meals per day and lodging.  Airfare is extra.  

 

A trip to the Pacific resort town of San Juan Del Sur is also available.  Let us know if you're interested.   Price available upon request.

​​​I’d like to invite you to a wonderful adventure.  Imagine a permaculture course taught by one of the premier teachers in the US.  This Agroforestry course is on one of the most outstanding examples of permaculture in the Western Hemisphere.  Selva Negra is a 1,000 acre eco resort and coffee farm in Nicaragua.  Enjoy warm  and sunny Nicaragua in February, when it's cold and rainy in the US.


Selva Negra has survived 130 years in the isolated mountainous north of Nicaragua.   To do that, the farmers have created a self-contained village which provides everything they need to thrive and generates virtually zero waste.  A world class example of permaculture design.

7 Day Course at Selva Negra

 

Permaculture Tropical Agroforestry 

Creating Eco-Resorts & Training Centers

 

Day 1 

  • Orientation to the site and the course

  • Hike the Forest preserve

 

Day 2

  • Water Systems

  • Spring development

  • Gravity fed systems

  • Cisterns, Ponds and distribution

 

Day 3 

  • Biodigestors

  • How they work

  • Wastes Into resources

  • Cooking with Biogas

  • Feedstocks

  • Management

  • Solar Thermal Hot Water Systems

 

Day 4 

  • Organic Vegetables

  • Biodynamics

  • The CSA 

  • Growing for the Eco-resort

  • Compost 

  • Vermiculture

 

Day 5

  • Agroforestry

  • Coffee plantings and over story trees

  • Organic treatments for the coffee

  • Interplanting Coffee with Citrus, Avocado, Macadamia and Cacao

  • Field exercise

  • Laying out plantings on Contour

 

Day 6

  • Animals

  • Chickens, Pigs, Dairy and Beef cattle

  • Rotational Grazing

  • Heritage Breeds

  • Microhydro Systems

 

Day 7

  • Coffee, drying packaging, roasting

  • Cacao and chocolate making

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  • What’s in Selva Negra’s 1,000 acres?

  • 350 acre farm

  • 20,000 square feet of greenhouses

  • Pastures for cows, chickens, geese, ducks, goats, pigs, horses

  • Village with school and health clinic

  • Hydro powered generator

  • 300 feet of worm bins to process food scraps

  • 350 acre shade grown coffee operation

  • Coffee mill and settling ponds for “aqua de miele”

  • Coffee drying houses

  • 6 biodigesters to capture waste from coffee mill and animals

  • Field kitchen powered by biogas

  • 350 acre biopreserve

  • Ridge line to capture water during rainy season

  • Trenches to divert water to catchment ponds

  • Howler monkeys, giant sloths, many tropical birds and amphibians

  • Giant trees and ferns

  • Eco-resort with excellent dining with farm raised produce, pastries, coffee and meat

  • Solar hot water

  • Three ponds to store water for farm

  • Conference center and wedding chapel

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And a beautiful classroom in the middle of the farm with its own dining and lodging areas. Come for the classroom instruction and the on-site demonstration of  permaculture.

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TESTIMONIALS

 

-- Paul Sibbitts  attended the class at Selva Negra: 2024

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"Good morning from northern New York (30 minutes from the St. Lawrence river) . I want you to consider joining the group for this winter’s permaculture event in Central America in February. I know that I not only enjoyed this event last year, but also learned so much as well. Coming from a dairy farm background, I found myself looking at farming and gardening from a whole range of different ways. Learned about techniques and strategies to accomplish sustainable agriculture and hopefully work towards making this world a better and healthier place to live. Oh I forgot to mention just how incredibly beautiful this part of the world is! Just spectacular! I encourage everyone to strongly consider this investment in yourself and your part of the world."  -- Paul Sibbitts, Canton New York 

 

Matthew Menzies who attended the class at Selva Negra: 2024  

 

"The Trip to Selva Negra with The Center For Bioregional Living was an incredible experience for me!  The deep knowledge, and in depth instruction offered by Andrew Faust, coupled with the daily tours of the Selva Negra Farm's living Permaculture systems was a perfect coupling!  We got to see, touch, and interact with numerous traditional and innovative designs implemented by the farmers, ask them questions, and learn from them through their own learning.  Andrew offered a beautiful big picture discourse on the history of Permaculture.  We learned how we can apply these techniques to our personal projects, as well as how they're often used around the world.  

 

My favorite sites were:  Seeing the natural spring water systems that the farm uses to provide water for their hundreds of acres of farmland.  The biodigester that combined the agricultural waste, the coffee pulp, and the humanure, that then linked to a functioning methane stove that the farmers used to cook meals;  amazing!  And all of this, nestled beneath hundreds of acres of incredibly preserved and cared for rainforest in the high elevation sectors.  Between all the quality lectures, Q & As, and group project work, and the daily tours with the farmers and their systems.  I had never experienced Permaculture on this scale.  The multi-generational family that owns/operates the farm were incredible hosts.  Did I mention delicious all locally grown meals provided throughout the trip, with food and produce from the farm, and organic, and the high quality Nicaraguan coffee provided?  Delicious and unforgettable."  -- Matthew Menzies, Brooklyn New York 

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