Découvrer notre plantation agroforestière de cacao en Amazonie

Name: Découvrer notre plantation agroforestière de cacao en Amazonie
Start: 2022-01-01
End: 2028-01-01
Location: Puerto Misahuallí, Ecuador

Code: 0da3106f-fdcd-11ec-8398-fa163ef8d720 Copied

Ecuador Farming Construction Environment Farming Construction +1 Permanent

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

TRÉSOR DE NATURE works to preserve, restore biodiversity and engage populations in the protection of their environment in the PACA region and in Ecuador, specifically in the Amazon, the lungs of the earth. The association carries out actions such as:
Awareness workshops on the protection of our environment, on international solidarity,
Reforestation actions, agroforestry cocoa plantations
The creation of nature reserves, with a care refuge to care for and release wild animals
In Ecuador, we have a 30-hectare plot of land where three main actions are carried out:
- 25 ha in a nature reserve
- 2 ha for the wild animal refuge in order to care for and rehabilitate them. Awareness-raising actions are carried out in parallel.
- 3 ha, in agroforestry plantation with 700 cocoa trees in order to make chocolate and 500 other varieties of trees (fruit, medicinal, timber) in order to feed the animals in the refuge. There are two species of bees, Apis and Meliponas (with a refuge to preserve them), a farmyard (geese, duck, chickens)

💼 What the programme involves

The volunteer's mission is to participate in the food autonomy program and make chocolate in the 3-hectare agroforestry cocoa farm with different activities. He/she will participate in:
- Plant the seeds
- Make manure: Mexican flowers (minerals), ferns (when damp)
- Fumigate with manure or organic matter
- Maintain the educational trail – Make signs of plant species
- Maintain the chicken coop: put the droppings on the cacao trees, replace them with dry leaves, clean the nests, remove tall grass
- Remake the compost
- Harvest the cacao, and carry out the process to obtain dry beans
- Harvest the secondary crops: Sacha Inchi, chilimoya, guava, cardamom, Ishpingo (either to dry or for the shelter animals)
- Pruning: cut off pods with brown rot and witches' brooms
- Organic construction: Finish the benches with clay/fiber/sand
- Fill the planting holes with ERETRINA flowers
- Plant the short cycle: cassava, Banana, papaya, passion fruit, chayote
- Milking our neighbors' cows

🏠 Accommodation on site

The volunteer is accommodated in the farm's of 200 m2 reception house overlooking the plantation located in the heart of the forest.
The water used is collected from the rains with 1 tank + village'swater. The house is supplied with electricity thanks to the hydraulic power stations of Ecuador. The house is inspired by traditional dwellings in order to preserve local know-how and minimize our impact on the environment.
In this house, you will have at your disposal:
- a dormitory (two per room or 4 per room),
- 2 large showers, 1 with hot water.
- Quality dry toilets with sawdust
- A large kitchen with a living room and two large terraces with hammocks. For internet, we have wifi.

🍲 Food

You buy your groceries and prepare your meals in the shared kitchen.
Our neighbor sells milk, cheese
You will benefit from the fruits of our plantation and eggs from our hens

📍 About the location

The village of Puerto Misahualli is a small, touristic and traditional village in Ecuador. It is imbued with a strong Kichwa culture that has attracted several expatriates from all over the world (French, Ukrainians, Australians, Swiss or even Germans, etc.). Puerto Misahualli is a village popular with local tourists coming from Tena or Quito for the weekend. It is particularly known for its monkeys that can be seen almost everywhere in the village or its carnival that attracts nearly 10,000 people each year. The language spoken is Spanish.

🎒 Leisure activities

- Several waterfalls: Latas, San Jacinto, Pimpilito, Los Hippies, Palmeras
- Forest excursions: discovery of the fauna and flora
- Community visits/crafts: Shiripuno, Ayllu Warina, Sinchi Warmi, etc.
- Traditional cocoa production - Lagoon visits: Laguna Azul, etc.
- Rafting/kayaking/canyoning (region known for this activity)

⚠️ Requirements

Your volunteer fees are €200 per week. Per month, it's €800.

The fees include:
- Your accommodation with water, electricity, and internet (fiber optic)
- Your companions (whom we pay).
- Cleaning fees ($25 per week, but if there are several of you, the fees will be reduced).

We need motivated, interested, independent, and responsible individuals who respect safety and hygiene guidelines.

🤝 Meeting point

At Puerto Misahalli or at the foundation directly.
Ask the taxi to take you to the foundation of "Santi" on via antigua Palmeras

ℹ️ Additional information

Typical week from Monday to Friday:
7:30 am: start of activities: the project manager explains, trains and shows the activities (why, how, where)
8:00/8:30 am: start of activities
11:00 am: Cooking
12:00 pm: meal
1:30 pm: resumption of activities
4:00 pm: end of activities
Friday: go get milk or cheese from the neighbors

Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.