Click the tabs below to see information about the 3-Day workshops offered by Ecology Action!
- Introduction
- Presenters
- Topics/Schedule
- Reading
- Registration
- Food/Lodging
SUSTAINABLE MINI-FARMING
T H R E E - D A Y W O R K S H O PS
MARCH 1-3, 2013 (completed) and NOVEMBER 1-3, 2013
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
 We are pleased that you are interested in Ecology Action's 3-Day Workshop in GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Sustainable Mini-Farming. This course offers an excellent opportunity to acquire a wealth of information on the most efficient gardening method we know. The information has been gathered from over thirty years of research. GROW BIOINTENSIVE is currently in use in over 130 countries around the world.
The 3-Day Workshop is an in-depth study of GROW BIOINTENSIVE Mini-Farming appropriate to a more self-reliant lifestyle and for work in developing countries. The program will consist of lecture, discussion and demonstration, and will include a full range of information on Sustainability and Efficient Resource Use, Crops and Diet, Fertilization, Compost and Compost Crops, Soil Preparation and Preservation, Seed Propagation, and Income, as well as the perspective to tie all these together. The workshop content covers introductory, intermediate and advanced material. Five-sixths of this workshop is in lecture and classroom work. One afternoon will be devoted to demonstrations in the Common Ground Research Garden/Mini-Farm; a few participants may be able to try their hand at double-digging, pricking out and/or transplanting. Just as GROW BIOINTENSIVE Mini-Farming functions as a whole system rather than isolated techniques, this workshop constitutes a whole, with each section building on previous sections; it is therefore important to attend the entire workshop. Transportation should be scheduled so that participants can remain through 5 p.m. on Sunday.
In order to ensure that everyone leaves the workshop with the fullest range and depth of information possible, we must assume that all participants have read the publications listed under Required Reading on the attached sheet. If you do not already own them, you may purchase a full set. If you need just some of the publications, please order them from Bountiful Gardens.
Ecology Action is a non-profit organization, working to rediscover the techniques and scientific principles involved in the resource-conserving, life-giving GROW BIOINTENSIVE method. These millennia-old practices are an important element in the solution to the problems of the planet. The first seven years of Ecology Action's research focused on the techniques and economic aspects of food raising, while the second seven years were devoted mainly to ‘breaking the code’ for a sustainable diet. Our current research focuses on growing one’s food and income on a closed-system basis, with soil fertility maintained sustainably from within the garden. Our classes and workshops encourage gardeners from many corners of the globe to find solutions appropriate to their own context. Our goal is to find a way to live lightly on the planet so that the planet's resources can be enjoyed by all.
Our registration instructions provide step-by-step guidelines and details about our cancellation procedure,
deadlines, reading lists, and the registration form.
To
better understand what takes place at the workshops, see the list of presenters and the workshop schedule of activities and topics. If you prefer, send a large self-addressed
envelope with 63 cents postage to receive all of this workshop information
and registration form in one packet.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
- Workshop
Costs:
$425 - $475 per person including workshop manual, plus approximately $75 for other publications (purchased separately if you do not already own them) depending
on the workshop and on the time of registration. Lunches and a networking dinner are included, but lodging and other meals are not. To see food and lodging options in Willits, click here.
- To
Register for a Workshop:
See Registration Instructions for details on how to register.
- More
Workshops
For information about other workshops taught by John Jeavons, visit www.johnjeavons.info.
- Workshops in other countries
- One 5-Day GROW BIOINTENSIVESM Sustainable Mini-Farming Basic-Level Teacher
Certification Workshop will be held in Willits, CA on July 15-19, 2013. Prerequisites for
attending a teachers workshop are completion of an introductory 3-Day Workshop and an active
practice of GROW BIOINTENSIVE techniques. The application deadline is April 15. Please write for further details.
In 2013, multi-day Biointensive Workshops in Spanish will be held in Veracruz State in Mexico on Feb 4-9, May13-17, July 8-13, Nov4-9 and Dec 5-7. Contact Ricardo Romero for more details at:bosquedeniebla[at]prodigy.net.mx or fax him at 011-52-27-37-341577
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Three-Day Workshop Presenters
John Jeavons has been the Director of the Mini-Farming program for Ecology Action since 1972 and is the author of How to Grow More Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops... on GROW BIOINTENSIVE Sustainable Mini-Farming, which is currently in use in over 130 countries in English, Spanish, German, French, Hindi and Russian. He is author, co-author and/or editor of over 30 Ecology Action publications. His major responsibilities include directing field and library research and education in Biointensive food-raising. He advises GROW BIOINTENSIVE projects in Mexico, Kenya, Russia and Argentina, as well as all corners of the U.S. John holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. Before coming to Ecology Action in 1971, he worked as a systems analyst in business, government and university settings. He has received the Boise Peace Quilt, Santa Fe Living Treasure, Giraffe and Steward of Sustainable Agriculture awards for his public service. John's dream is to be a GROW BIOINTENSIVE mini-farmer.
Dan and Margo Royer-Miller, a husband and wife team, are now wrapping up their sixth season of Biointensive farming. Starting in an internship with Steve Moore in Pennsylvania, they moved on to complete a Three-Year Apprenticeship with Ecology Action and a year working with Ecology Action Garden Manager Ellen Bartholomew as Field Coordinators at the Golden Rule Garden. In March of 2010 they moved to western Ohio to begin a project that will merge their mutual enthusiasm for teaching, farming, sustainable living, and community building. And in June of 2010 they had their first child, which has added a great deal of joy (and complication) to the process. As they grow into the geographical area they have begun to establish links with Dayton-area local food movements, garden projects, and teaching opportunities. Dan has a passion for grains and appropriate technologies related to small-scale agriculture and simple living, and in any remaining free time he practices fiber arts, Aikido, and music.
Three-Day Workshop Topics and Daily Schedule
To download the complete three-day information packet, which includes the detailed schedule and topics list, reading list and other information, click here
NOTE: In addition to the reading listed in the information packet, above, there is a Workshop Manual
of lecture notes
and key articles (included with registration),
which will be handed out at the beginning of the workshop..
| FRIDAY |
Sustainability
The closed-system concept |
World Situation
Top soil destruction; species loss
Food production, diet choices and their consequences
|
Philosophy
Growing crops, soil, people; individual responsibility
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History
Chinese, Greek and South American traditional agriculture
French market gardeners, Bio-Dynamics, Alan Chadwick
Sustainable systems
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Diet
Calories
Sustainable diet and 60/30/10 design |
| SATURDAY |
Compost: Principles and techniques
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Compost Crops: Carbon plus calories
|
Bed Preparation
Soil air, water, organic matter, nutrients, structure
Double-digging: principles, tools, techniques
surface cultivation |
Seed Propagation
Transplanting vs. direct sowing
Seedlings
|
Simultaneous Sessions
Income OR Crops and Seeds |
40-Bed, 21-Bed, and One-Bed Units
|
Demonstrations at Common Ground Mini-Farm Research Garden
Double-digging, fertilizing, pricking out, transplanting
|
| SUNDAY |
Simultaneous Sessions
1. Water Use & Farming Techniques for Low-Rainfall Regions
OR Crop Rotations
2. Human Waste and Fertility OR Companion Planting |
Fertility and Fertilization
Living soil; feed the soil, not the plants
Organic fertilizers, manure, compost
|
Planning
Making Best Use of the Master Charts
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Demonstrations
At the Golden Rule Garden |
Group Activity
Planning Your Own One-Bed Unit
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Concluding Perspective
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DAILY
SCHEDULE
|
Friday |
8:00-12:30—Lecture; 12:30-1:45—Lunch; 1:45-5:30—Lecture |
Saturday |
8:00-12:30—Lecture; 12:30-1:30—Lunch; 1:30-5:00—Demos 6:30—Networking Supper |
Sunday |
8:00-12:30—Lecture; 12:30-1:45—Lunch; 1:45-5:00—Group Activity |
N.B.
The schedule is subject to change, depending on the weather.
This will be a non-smoking classroom.
return to top
Three Day Workshop Registration Information and Instructions
To view the registration information, click on a topic below.
(To close a topic, click it again. To close all topics, Click Here.)
How To Register
3-Day Workshop Registration: A Four-Step Process
Registration and payment should be completed at least one month in advance, and participants are encouraged to apply as early as possible, as these workshops can fill quickly. A higher fee is charged for registrations received less than one month in advance. Registration closes February 28 for the March workshop and closes October 30 for the November workshop.
Space is limited. In case of oversubscription, the Mini-Farm staff will select later applicants on the basis of the impact their work is likely to have in the future; priority will be given to those with a goal of using GROW BIOINTENSIVE Mini-Farming practices in outreach and public service projects. Workshop fees will be returned to those not selected
- Download and read the 3-Day Workshop Information Packet (296KB PDF)
- Complete the Online Workshop Application/Registration
Form for the workshop of your choice: (click the link for the workshop you want to attend, below; our secure online registration form, hosted by FormSpring will open in a new window).
- Pay for workshop fees. When you submit your workshop registration, you will automatically be redirected to our online payment page, hosted by PayPal. Make sure to complete payment or your registration will not be processed.
Prices are as follows:
- $425 if received at least one month in advance.
- $475 if received less than one month in advance
- The required workshop manual is included in the price of the workshop. You will receive your copy at the workshop.
- Participants will be responsible for providing all meals and lodging for this workshop, except for lunches and the Networking Dinner, which are included with registration. If you wish to bring a guest to the networking dinner, the cost for the dinner will be $20 per person. For food and lodging options, click here.
- Look over the Required Reading for the 3- and 5-day workshops, and if you need any of the books
or papers,
order them from Bountiful Gardens.
If you need more information, please contact us at: (707) 459-0150, M-F between 10AM-3PM PST.
Prices and Deadlines
Costs and Deadlines:
3-Day
Workshop
takes place on:
|
Registration & Payment
should be completed by:
|
Registration Closes: |
March 1-3 2013 |
February 1, 2013
|
Closed |
November 1-3, 2013 |
October 1, 2013 |
October 30, 2013 |
If paid at least one month in advance, the cost of the program is $425 per person, including the workshop manual, plus the purchase price of the required publications, if you do not already own them.
If complete registration is received less than one month in advance, the cost of the program is $475 per person,including the workshop manual, plus the purchase price of the required publications, if you do not already own them. .
Registration officially closes a few days before the workshop, but since these events tend to fill fast, we recommend registering as early as possible.
Food and Lodging:
Catered lunches and the networking dinner will be provided. Lodging and other meals are not included in the workshop fee and are to be provided by each participant. Workshop meals will be vegetarian. Please indicate on the registration form if you prefer vegan meals. If you have any special food allergies, such as nuts or wheat, we recommend you bring your own food. If you wish to bring a guest to the Networking Dinner on Saturday, please indicate and include payment when you register.
For more information about food and lodging in the Willits area, click the
Food/Lodging tab, above.
Scholarships:
Ecology Action has very limited funds for scholarships. Applicants interested in scholarships are encouraged to contact garden clubs, youth groups, churches, Rotary or Kiwanis clubs, etc., for sponsorship.
Cancellation Policy
1) If a person cancels his/her workshop registration at least two weeks prior to the first day of the workshop, $400 of the workshop fee ($425 minus $25 processing fee) will be refunded or applied to another Ecology Action workshop during the year that follows.
2) Cancellations that occur less than two weeks before the start of a workshop will result in the loss of the registration fee, or $400 of the fee may be applied to another Ecology Action workshop during the following year.
Preparation, Planning, and Other Information
Your understanding of the workshop will be enhanced if you already know the following about your area: elevation, first and last frost dates, rainfall by month, temperature—monthly highs and lows. (See forms for these in The Sustainable Vegetable Garden. Your County Agricultural Agent should be able to help you find this information.) You are welcome to bring along photos of the project you are involved in, if you wish.
Please bring your own mug for hot liquids, a calculator and 2 pencils. Our weather is unpredictable. Come prepared for cold, rain, snow or heat at mid-day. Waterproof boots with good tread are highly desirable! Generally, tape recorders and video cameras are not permitted at the workshop.
There will be an opportunity to submit an order to Bountiful Gardens on Saturday and receive your order on Sunday at the workshop, to save you shipping costs.
Feel free to write us about any particular or personal concerns or questions. We will try to be accommodating, if it does not interfere with our work here. Our staff is prepared to stay in touch with participants after the workshop is over. Notice of further training opportunities, such as Teacher Certification workshops, will be given in the Ecology Action Newsletter.
We Look Forward to Seeing You in Willits!!
Suggestions for Food and Lodging in Willits
Catered lunches and the networking dinner will be provided, and are included in the cost of the workshop.
However, lodging and other meals are not included in the workshop cost and are to be provided by each participant.
Willits, the gateway to the redwoods, has many restaurants, shops, hotels, campgrounds, and recreational activities for you to enjoy during your stay here.
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Special note: Ecology Action workshop participants receive a special rate at:
The Old West Inn
1221 S. Main Street, Willits, CA 95490
707-459-4201
$50/single $60/double plus taxes.
Only 19 rooms available, so book ahead!
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For an interesting idea for a road trip through the area, including
restaurant reviews, activities and lodging information,
take a look at this article from the
Arts Council of Mendocino County website
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For a list of grocery stores in Willits, click here.
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For a list of campgrounds near Willits, click here.
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