Costa Rica Center for Natural Living / Finca La Familia
Homesteading & Education in the Tropics
- San Isidro del General, Costa Rica - 2700 ft/823 m
- 42 acres/17 hectares
- Residential/Working Farm/Education Center
A conceptual illustration of the fully developed Costa Rica Center for Natural Living.
About CRCNL
Nestled in the foothills of Cerro Chirripó, the Costa Rica Center for Natural Living (also referred to as Finca la Familia) is a place that spans the boundary between a residential community and an institution for education and experimentation. The mission involved creating an opportunity for sustainable living for several families. This included opportunities for each family to produce their own food, manage their waste responsibly, and have minimal negative impact on Nature. The site also seeks to provide examples of diversified, polycultural food production systems that work in the area in hopes that others will come to emulate these successful production models instead of continuing with the prevailing non-organic, monoculture practices. Finally, the CRCNL includes an education center and lodging for workshops and courses. In this way they will be able to disseminate the information they learn to others, both locally and internationally.
Master Planning Process
The master plan for the CRCNL involved several days of exploring the property to get a feel for the complexity of the land. That complexity was a great benefit as it offered the opportunity for many different uses. One major focus for the project was to make the best use of plentiful, but not always easy to access, water sources. An integrated water plan allowing for potable use, livestock watering, irrigation, and aquaculture was a key feature. We also paid close attention to agroforestry systems onsite because they needed to be production-oriented and applicable to other local people. One challenge was designing for residents who were not yet part of the project. Clearly, we couldn’t interview these people. Therefore, we included a piece in the master plan that serves as a guide for future residents new to tropical living and/or land-based avocations. It includes the basics of how to design a house, yard, and basic home systems so people begin their adventure in sustainable, tropical living ahead of the curve.
Follow-Up & Implementation
After delivering the master plan we helped with the layout of an onsite nursery and maintenance area. We also worked with a local tree crops expert to figure out six different production agroforestry layouts to test.
So far the CRCNL has:
- Constructed a basic propagation/holding nursery
- Renovated a community hangout space
- Renovated a community kitchen space
- Constructed a maintenance area
- Installed a bio-digester
- Restored several acres of citrus plantation to production
- Planted several acres of mixed staple crops and perennial vegetables
- Planted 10-20 acres of agroforestry tree crops
- Incorporated chickens, goats, and horses into weed management and fertility regimes
- Offered a multi-day organic farming workshop for local people
- Launch Volunteer/Intern Program
NEWS: As of 1/23/13, CRCNL has launched their volunteer/intern program! If you're interested in spending time helping to implement their permaculture master plan get in touch with them via the link below!
For more information see the CRCNL website.
