Galapagos: Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems, & Conservation
internship Overview
The Galapagos Islands are one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, home to one-of-a-kind species such as Galapagos penguins and giant tortoises. While there are many local and international efforts to protect the Galapagos and its inhabitants (including native peoples), the islands suffer many challenges, such as a lack of food security, a reliance on imports, invasive species consuming local resources, and a lack of seed-saving practices for native species. This internship is an opportunity to collaborate with a farm that has been researching how to achieve autonomous, resilient, chemical-free, regenerative, and profitable agriculture in the Galapagos islands. The farm is also an agro-ecology school and arguably the founder of the first local seed bank (of edible species) in the Galapagos. Internship benefits:
Learn methods of sustainable agricultural production and food systems from experts
Contribute to the islands’ food security, soil conservation, and regeneration
Gain experience in the maintenance, design, and implementation of sustainable agriculture systems and permaculture systems
Forge meaningful relations with locals while living with a host family
Research & dissertation support available, if requested
***NOTE: Specific projects change throughout the year depending on the needs of our partner organizations. The projects interns work on during their internships are based on the organization’s immediate needs and workflow.***
Daily Life
At the start of your program, you will have an orientation on the island of Santa Cruz where the farm and your host family are also located. During orientation workshops, you will start learning about the culture, people, and geography of the region as well as other tools to support you in your internship abroad.
In addition to your collaboration at the farm, you will be able to participate in the daily lives of your host family members, forming meaningful connections with them and exchanging knowledge. You may even have the chance to participate in local customs and traditions during your stay.
At the farm, interns will be able to learn about the reality of the Galapagos Islands, participate in daily customs and rituals, and experience the culture of the community on the island of Santa Cruz. Interns are expected to work about 4-5 hours per day, 5 days per week, and regularly assist with the daily maintenance of the main house and the gardens. Interns are free to visit the island in the afternoon and go exploring on the weekends. Potential activities include:
Maintain the vegetable seedbeds
Assist with seed germination processes and take care of the seed banks
Construct apparatuses and design new permaculture systems
Assist with the maintenance of the garden by weeding, excavating, making compost, pruning, applying natural fertilizers, and more
Reforest native or endemic plants
Conduct personal research or study:
Water use and conservation; new water captation systems
Improvement of soil texture
Improvement of soil nutrients (regeneration of soil)
Human or natural innovations to control pests such as rats and wild cats
Support the farm’s marketing and social media
Conduct language tutoring exchanges with staff and community members [English, Spanish]