Scott Gallant

We have a new blog post up at Porvenir Design on how to cultivate vanilla for the tropical homestead.



You can read all about it here:  Vanilla Cultivation at Porvenir Design. We believe this crop is the perfect fit in the tropical food forest and properly growing and curing your own vanilla may be intimidating at first, but with this information, you should have the confidence to move forward with planting!

Let me know if you have any questions!
Scott Gallant

Hi Chris, just seeing this response.

I don't have a great answer to your question, which is one of the reason I've organized the course. I keep hearing from folks about the success of the syntropic farming systems in Brazil and find it easier to bring the instructors to me than going to Brazil at the moment. From my understanding syntropic farming is a form of agroforestry that is quite specific in its recommendations/practices to achieve financial viability. Permaculture design for me is quite broad in its recommendations, usually at the pattern/principle layer, and lacks detailed recommendations based on specific outcomes. Other resilient design systems?? Hard to tell at what point we (broadly speaking) are talking about the same thing with just a different name.

But if you ask me after June 2019 and the course, I will likely have a much better and more confident answer.

Hi all, Scott Gallant of Porvenir Design and Rancho Mastatal. We are excited to announce that we are bringing in two Syntropic Farming instructors from Brazil this upcoming June 2019.

For more information check:
http://ranchomastatal.com/syntropicfarming/

Lets bring syntropic farming to Central America!

Hi all,

Scott Gallant here. I'm the lead instructor for the PDC at Rancho Mastatal. We are once again our spreading the word for our annual course and this year we expect the class to be better than ever! Everything you want to know about the class can be found here:

http://ranchomastatal.com/permaculture-design-certification-workshop

The past three years we have averaged just under 30 students per class with over ten countries represented in each class. For me this group size is perfect because we have a large and diverse teaching team. We've dedicated ourselves the last few years to diversifying our team. Not surprisingly it used to be a lot of white men, and this upcoming class will be taught by myself, Rachel Jackson, Laura Killingbeck, Alejandro Arango, and Durga (Natalie Vega). This is a serious course and we seek try and make sure students are the right fit for what we are offering, so below might help you determine if this is the course for you!

You are a good fit for this course if:
•You want to learn from instructors who work as professional designers and live on the sites they have
designed on a daily basis.
•You want to experience an established permaculture farm and education center, largely designed as a
didactic site and living laboratory for experiential learning.
•You are interested in a residential course. This means you will be living, learning, eating, and working
with your instructors, fellow students, and the Ranch community members every moment. It is an
intense and fulfilling experience, that builds quick bonds and lends itself toward networking and
community creation.
•You are able to sit in a classroom for approximately 4 hours/day. As a theory/survey course there is a
significant amount of lecture and discussion daily.
•You are excited to learn a large amount of information over a two week period.

You may want to look for another course if:

•You have other affairs that may routinely distract you from the course. Consider a weekend course
elsewhere.
•You are looking for a retreat, vacation, or spiritual experience.
•You are not prepared to live in a tropical climate for two weeks.
•You are not prepared to disconnect from internet/phone to some degree. Both are available in our rural
community, but often present connection challenges.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:
•Understand existing global patterns of agriculture, economics, development, etc and how permaculture
design creates a paradigm shift toward new patterns.
•Gain an understanding of ecology and its process, specifically focused on soil, water, plants, animals,
and microorganisms.
•Learn and practice how to approach design problems through site analysis, client interviews, mapping,
drafting, etc.
•Learn how to identify broad landscape patterns and details and how they relate (scale, order, etc) and
create a context for design work.
•Learn and practice design methodologies and processes such as observation, pattern recognition and
application, the scale of permanence, etc.
•Be able to analyze landscapes across climates for successful human settlements.
•Have clear next steps and connections into networks and resources provided by the instructors.
•Be inspired about their ability to create change where they live.

Hola todos,

I'd like to introduce our new landscape design business Porvenir Design.

We are based in Costa Rica, working in Nicaragua, and expanding into the global tropics with clients conversations happening in Honduras, Guyana, and the Philippines.

We just finished up our new website and are spreading the word on our work. If you know of anyone who would benefit from professional advice in the field, please send our info their way!

There are a number of blog posts that should be interesting for anyone working in the tropics, but you have to jump to the site to find those.

Thanks for any support!

April 2018 PDC at Rancho Mastatal, Costa Rica

April 24 to May 7 2018
Follow the link for all the info on costs, scholarships, topics, instructors, and more!


Join our diverse team of permaculture instructors Scott Gallant, Chris Shanks, Rachel Jackson, Laura Killingbeck and others for this annual life-changing 2-week experience. The course covers the core Permaculture Design curriculum and emphasizes creating diverse multi-functional human landscapes based on ecological patterns. Utilizing Rancho Mastatal as a living classroom, the class will mix lectures and hands-on work, exploring design solutions for both temperate and tropical regions.  Putting Permaculture into practice, the course concludes with students working in teams to create their own permaculture site design. This course is applicable to anyone with an interest in designing resilient and regenerative futures as well as professionals in the fields of architecture, planning, ecology, education, farming and community development. The whole-systems design thinking outlined in the course will give participants the tools to re-design and improve their surroundings; from gardens, farms and homes, to livelihoods, relationships and communities.

The course is at 25 students. So we have a few more bed spaces that we expect to fill in the next month.

Hi folks!

We have a few spots left in our annual PDC coming up in two months! Spread the word if you know anyone in need of a major life shift!

Saludos
Scott

http://ranchomastatal.com/permaculture-design-certification-workshop

DESCRIPTION

Join our diverse team of permaculture instructors Scott Gallant, Mitch Haddad, Santiago Miranda, Rachel Jackson, Sam Kenworthy, and Laura Killingbeck for this annual life-changing 2-week experience. The course covers the core Permaculture Design curriculum and emphasizes creating diverse multi-functional human landscapes based on ecological patterns. Utilizing Rancho Mastatal as a living classroom, the class will mix lectures and hands-on work, exploring design solutions for both temperate and tropical regions.  Putting Permaculture into practice, the course concludes with students working in teams to create their own permaculture site design. This course is applicable to anyone with an interest in designing resilient and regenerative futures as well as professionals in the fields of architecture, planning, ecology, education, farming and community development. The whole-systems design thinking outlined in the course will give participants the tools to re-design and improve their surroundings; from gardens, farms and homes, to livelihoods, relationships and communities.

To learn about who this course is designed for, learning outcomes, what to bring, and much more, please read our PDC Course Information Book.

Topics covered include:

History of Permaculture
Principles and Ethics of Permaculture Design
Design Methodologies and Site Analysis & Assessment
Pattern Languages in Culture and the Landscape
Reading the Landscape and Pattern Recogintion
Simple Mapping and Surveying Techniques
Client Interviews and Goal Setting
Map Reading
Master Planning and Design Presentations
Climate and Microclimate Design
Water: Cycles, Catchment, Ecology, Conservation, Treatment
Greywater and Blackwater Systems
Earthworks, Pond Construction, & Water Storage
Soils: Biology, Ecology, Fertility Strategies
Biochar, Biofertilizers, Mulching, Biomass Production, Microorganisms Cultivation, Compost Making
Introduction to Keyline Design and Holistic Management
Gardening from the Tropics to the Temperate Regions
Orchards Management and Agroforestry
Plant Propagation, Grafting, Nursery Management
Silvopastural and Aquaculture Systems
Fermentation, Post Harvest Handling, and Harvest Strategies
Shelter and Siting
Natural Building Techniques
Urban and Suburban Permaculture Applications and Case Studies
Energy and Appropriate Technology: Photovoltaics, Biodigestor Design, Alternative Cooking Models
Regenerative Economic Models
Social Structures, Decision Making, and Community Organizing
Professional Designer Project Case Studies

LANGUAGE

The course will be taught in English and simultaneously translated into Spanish.  Este curso será traducido simultáneamente al español . Se requiere un mínimo de dos hispano hablantes para ofrecer servicios de traducción.

INSTRUCTORS

Scott Gallant
Scott Gallant is an agroforester and food system designer from small town Ohio. He graduated from Wabash College in 2008 with a degree in Economics. As the farm manager at Rancho Mastatal he works with an amazing team to cultivate 15 acres of a emerging tropical agroforest. He is the lead permaculture design instructor on site and one of the principle founders of the Rancho Mastatal Design/Build Collective.  Passionate about regenerative agriculture, holistic thinking, ethnobotany, community development, and re-skilling, he still makes time to hike and bike, read exhaustively, and work on his basketball jump shot and frisbee throw.  He and his partner Laura have traveled and volunteered extensively in Latin America, leading to a love of the culture, food, and language, which they speak.  Scott is a certified Wilderness First Responder, writes for the Permaculture Research Institute and has been featured on the Permaculture Voices podcast.

Mitch Haddad
A dedicated community organizer and permaculture aficionado-in-training. He holds joint degrees in Latin American Studies, International Studies and Spanish from Providence College. Since joining the Project Bona Fide team in 2010, Mitch has grown into a key player within the organization. He emphasizes a community-based approach to project management and is a wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of daily life at the farm. In addition to being an amateur builder and carpenter, he is passionate about natural building, food security and appropriate technology. When he’s not running around the farm and interacting with the local community, he gorges himself on guavas and continues to refine his jamming, fermentation, and chocolate-making skills.

Santiago Miranda

Santiago is the director of Molinos Verdes de Moringa, and gives consultation and training on Permaculture. As well, he is the media creator and founder of the Costa Rican Urban Garden Network which connects and supports projects and people developing urban gardens. He co-founded  the national forum for natural construction. He participates in numerous community gardens in the central area of Costa Rica and volunteers in many national initiatives that promote community,  alternative economies. Santiago keeps discovering, learning and sharing paths for a future in harmony with nature and collaboration.

He is convinced that we can create what we believe, that sustainability should be an universal state and not a privilege, that Permaculture is for everyone, no matter their physical, economical,  or geographical situation, nor their gender or age. Taking care of the earth, the people and sharing abundance we can enjoy together this beautiful planet.

Rachel Jackson
Rachel holds a Masters Degree in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design from the Conway School in Conway, Massachusetts. She has been practicing permaculture in the tropics since 2009, working in both the rainforests of Costa Rica and the dry forests of Nicaragua. She is passionate about creating harmonious, healthy relationships between humans and the landscape. From urban renewal projects in New England to food forests in Latin America, Rachel has used her skills to create integrated, whole-system designs in difficult locations. She has also worked as a garden-based youth educator, art handler, photographer and carpenter and harbors a life-goal of trying as many varieties of tropical fruits as possible.  

Laura Killingbeck
Laura Killingbeck has been working with the Ranch since 2009.  She has bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Sociology from the University of Rhode Island, and has taken extensive continuing education courses on sustainable development and agriculture.  In 2014 she also completed a Fermentation Residency with renowned fermentation author Sandor Katz.  Laura is the Ranch’s Director of Food Systems and Fermentation, and has a hand in the production of thousands of gallons of fermented vegetables, soda, herbal beer, yogurt, and vinegar each year.  She oversees the development and management of food education programs at the Ranch, and works to create replicable systems for utilizing whole foods from local foodsheds on both a community and home scale.  When she’s not at the Ranch, Laura works as a Food Systems Consultant for Round the Bend Farm Center for Restorative Community in Massachusetts.  Laura has traveled widely in Latin America, often accompanied by her partner Scott and her live microbial cultures.  She is a current Wilderness First Responder, an avid jungle bug watcher, a closet fiction writer, and a pretty scrappy Frisbee player.

Sam Kenworthy

Sam Kenworthy originally hails from North Carolina, but has been based in the tropics since 2009,  and currently resides on the southern Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. Sam primarily works with CIRENAS (Centro de Investigaciones de Recursos Naturales y Sociales), where he manages all of the permaculture and water systems on campus. Dedicated to learning and improving his skill sets, Sam is passionate about self sufficiency, water management, generating more and better yields, and well executed design for human ecosystems. Sam has experience working in a wide variety of environments and enjoys the process of designing around problematic landscapes. When not thinking about chainsaws or extending edges, Sam can be found riding his bike, surfing, or trying to find the next meal. Sam carries a B.A. in Political Science and Hispanic Studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

COURSE START AND ARRIVAL DATES

The course will start around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25.  Students are encouraged to arrive on April 24.  Lodging the night of April 24 is included in the cost of the class.  

COURSE END AND DEPARTURE DATES

The course will end at around 5 p.m. on May 8.  Most students will depart on the morning of May 9.  Lodging the night of May 8 is included in the cost of the class.  

COST

Central Americans, US$850
Residents and Ex-Pats, US$1350
Foreigners (non-Central American) US$1,500

These prices include 15 nights lodging, all meals (except on Sunday nights when we support a local restaurant), course instruction and full access to Rancho Mastatal and its private wildlife refuge.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Central Americans can apply here for limited scholarships.  

ACCOMMODATIONS

For more information about food and lodging please see our website at accommodations.

COURSE PAYMENT

Please follow the link for payment options.

ENROLLMENT

To enroll in the class, please go to our Online Registration Form.  For more information please contact Tim O’Hara at info@ranchomastatal.com and/or call the Ranch at 2200-0920. We have a  minimum of 8 students to run the course.

It's such a good question. I should write a blog post on this.

And first to be clear I'm just a newbie at this in many regards. I take on a small number of projects each year (3) and I don't do the install work. I don't love this model but it works for me now.

I came into this by spending 7 years building the site at the Ranch, developing the ground expertise of working in one place and learning what works there, why, and what doesn't. So step one was building enough experience to know when I was over my head and when I could offer sound advice. A few years ago I began teaching our PDC and the one at Project Bonafide, eventually becoming the (co-)lead instructor at both sites. That really forced me to dial in my design process to be able to teach to others. I also participated in a USDA Agroforestry Academy that was designed to train the trainers in this field, that gave me more confidence in putting myself out there.

Most of our clients have been contacts of the Ranch, either guests/students/visitors/neighbors we have met over the years or my own students. A few random projects have been through the little landing page website. This was a fun one: https://www.kalonsurf.com/

I really try not to do any work that might push me outside of my knowledge/climate expertise. It is a fine line to walk though because you have to challenge yourself and be confident that you can translate your knowledge throughout the country. I always try to bring in experts in specific fields when I can.

Well that is a bit. Come visit at the Ranch and we can talk more ha!