Indigenous Culture and
Sustainable Agriculture
in the Amazonian Highlands of Peru
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winterim 2015-16: December 28-January 18(tentative)
Program Description: Connect with the indigenous people of the Peruvian High Amazon who understand and live
the connections between ecological, spiritual, and community health. Working with the staff of the Sachamama Center for Biocultural
Regeneration, participants will make black earth (yana allpa/terra preta) using compost, biochar, and forest microorganism, and will
participate in indigenous agriculture practices. We’ll stay at the Sachamama Center’s ecological resort and in Kichwa-Lamista
communities working with them on their communal chacra-huertos (home gardens).
Trip Leaders: Jeremy Solin directs the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education in the College of Natural Resources.
In the summer of 2014, he traveled to the Peru to learn about indigenous practices and the creation of black earth. He’s excited to
return with students! Jeremy graduated from UWSP in 1997 and has been working on campus since 2003. Stop by his office in TNR
110, call (x4907) or send an email jsolin@uwsp.edu if you are interested.
Virginia Freire is a Biology Professor interested in the relationship between plants and culture. She was introduced to this field in her
native country Guatemala. She joined the UWSP Biology Department in 1999 and currently teaches several plant related courses that
include Ethnobotany. She was the leader of Ethnobotanical field trips to Guatemala and Belize and is very excited to co-lead this trip to
Peru. She plans to research the medicinal plants used locally and their production in home gardens using black earth. She is also
interested in spiritual healing practices. Contact her at vfreire@uwsp.edu, by phone at 715 346 4252 or stop to see her in TNR 302.
Cost: Approximately $4,000 - $4,500 for three weeks in Lamas, San Martin, Peru staying at the Sachamama Center. This cost is
based on 17 student participants and includes round-trip airfare (Chicago-Tarapoto, Peru), room, three meals per day, community stays,
and in country transportation, UW-Stevens Point resident undergraduate tuition and UW System mandated health insurance.
Credits: Students will earn 3 credits in INTL 310 / Service Learning. Students will discuss with their academic advisers whether
and how the course might count towards major requirements or GDRs
Eligibility: This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students in all majors and minors with a minimum GPA of
2.5. All participants will enroll for credit or audit at the same cost, and will be expected to participate in all segments of the program,
pre and during the trip.
Application, Enrollment & Withdrawal: Request an application form
from the UW-Stevens Point International Programs Office. There is a $50 (nonrefundable) application
fee. Enrollment is limited. Late applications can be considered only if there is room. UW-Stevens
Point International Programs reserves the right to cancel, surcharge, or alter the program. For
information on cancellation, withdrawal and refunds, see:
www.uwsp.edu/studyabroad/Pages/financial.aspx
Room 108 CCC, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481
Tel: 715-346-2717, Fax: 715-346-3591, intlprog@uwsp.edu
www.uwsp.edu/studyabroad