Hi, I am Jonnie:

Up until the last few years I had no back ground in food cultivation, land management, water design, biology, chemistry, or animal husbandry. My only green experience was working with banks and as a personal investment consultant in San Diego Ca.

Several years ago a friend and I bought a farm in Costa Rica. Shortly there after, I sold my business, retired at 45 and moved full time to Costa Rica. We inherited a 60 hectare melina tree plantation. As we take out this monoculture devoid of life, we struggle with mitigating the aggressive melina regrowth. What we have found most effective is growing corn, yucca, rice, sugar cane and other crops to shade out the sun. So instead of using poisonous chemicals, we are producing organic food and concentrating on soil building.

It is easy to see the importance of permaculture education and practices, and the future it holds. As a function of time, money and effort, I couldn't imagine a better investment, nor a more relevant one for our collective future.

We are exploring and establishing super foods, like moringa, sugar cane juice, guanabana, cocoa, tumeric, papaya, aloe and others beneficial produce.

I am interested in establishing a Permaculture Works Campus on the farm in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica. We are 3 miles from the Golfo Dulce/Pacific and 7 miles from the world renowned wave of Pavones. The farm is 200 meters above sea level with rolling hills and terrain falling toward the sea.

Currently I am working with Geoff Lawton to get my PDC, but mainly to begin to fill my educational needs. There is so much to learn, but it is great work and important work.