Eco-Agriculture projects are located high in the cloud forest, surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains and near the famous cloud forest of Monteverde. Volunteers work directly with a coffee-farming community to support the families in their daily activities. This includes all aspects of the coffee growing process from planting to roasting, and sometimes working with the final product. Activities may vary depending on the season, as coffee harvesting is from December until early February, but there is plenty of interesting work to do all year round.
Volunteers at Eco-Agriculture projects may be asked to:
- Harvest and process coffee beans
- Tend to the coffee tree nursery
- Plant and prune coffee trees
- Package and market the coffee
- Assist with reforestation projects
- Support supplemental agriculture projects
Participants are always supported by Maximo Nivel’s in-country coordinators but they are not on site at the project. Volunteers work directly with the Spanish-speaking project director and his or her assistants.
The program begins with 1-2 days in San José where volunteers receive an orientation and information about their trip to the project site. At the project site volunteers are housed with one of six families that we work with among the 26 that live on this particular land. These families have comfortable accommodations that include warm showers. Access to ATMs, grocery stores and other common conveniences will require a 15-20 minute taxi ride.
