Where Are the Best Examples of Profitable Permaculture Operations?

In the humid tropics...What would you recommend as a good business strategy?

We planted 11,000 trees on 10 hectares of pasture, 3.2m triangular spacing, and I just feel like we're alone in the universe trying to figure out how to make this work now. Maintenance bill, transportation costs to get to town, the never-ending labor and relatively inaccessible terrain, always a million things on the to-do list. We're two years into this. Does it ever get easier? I think it would be good to use animals as maintenance, but have yet to see examples with this density. I haven't really seen any examples of the economics of tropical food forestry for selling into rather poor third world market conditions. I actually want to be economically successful (be able to save money).

Spoke with another individual in Ecuador who started a somewhat similar project, they're giving up on it.

Ever thing I see online is mostly geared towards temperate climates and first world cultures. Some decent content from Africa, but usually pretty narrow in focus. Speaking of narrow in focus, I thought about raising guinea pigs since we're in Peru. We can grow a lot of their own food, and use an old 30 square meter warehouse on site to keep them dry. Still, last year I was so excited to get started on pastured poultry, and then after a few months realized that it only makes sense for our personal consumption when reality struck home about feed costs and how much people are willing to pay for chicken locally. I'm very cautious now as a result, and just wonder about what ever I try what the "problem" will be. It's kind of costly to get into something and then later find out why it won't work.

I doubt you will find one that does not have free labour, through WWoofers etc.
Some operations have enough credibility to charge a fair price, otherwise its bedlam.

John C Daley wrote:I doubt you will find one that does not have free labour, through WWoofers etc.
Some operations have enough credibility to charge a fair price, otherwise its bedlam.

Free labor is a disqualifier in my eyes. You were right to assume that. When you say they have enough credibility to charge a fair price, are you saying people pay money to be able to work there?!

I am not suggesting people should pay to work, I have seen it though through classes etc.
No I mean that the landowner / farmer charges a fair price that ensures they are covering wages.
Too many customers expect everybody to live poorly, so they can live well!