Objective:

Create a greater awareness among the participants, motivate them and give them tools that will enable them to initiate their own crops with successive agriculture, as well as help them in the marketing of certified ecological products.

Practices are carried out in small groups

The courses are for agronomists, technicians or famers working with organic agriculture in humid (sub) tropical areas. During the first days of the course the participants receive a theoretical and practical introduction to the topic; afterwards, they are exposed to a more profound analysis of certain aspects like:

Successive agro-forest systems

• The principles underlying the natural succession of species
• Management of agro-forest systems using natural succession dynamics
• "Pests", diseases and "weeds" in agro-forest systems
• Designing agro-forest systems

Quality control for organic certification of products

• Internal organisation to guarantee ecological quality (administration, harvesting, processing and storing)
• Internal standards
• International legislation
• Inspection, certification and costs
• Market and marketing of certified ecological products

The course includes demonstrations and fieldwork in different agro-forest plantations, as well as site visits to local small farmers who implemented successive agro-forest systems.

Visit to agro-forest parcels that belong to small farmers

There is also the possibility to take a close look at the production and marketing of certified organic cocoa from a Cooperative.

Fieldtrip with the students enrolled in the course to the Beni River

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