FURTHER DETAILS...

 

 

Access and Transport

 

The farm itself is situated on a pleasant hillside overlooking abundant coffee plantations. Access is via a secondary road about 2km from the main Pitalito – San Agustin road. The access road is not fully paved but is in a good state of repair and is being constantly improved due to the gestation of the local community.

 

The main Pitalito – San Agustin road is well serviced by public transport. From Pitalito it is a 10 hour bus journey to Bogota and 4 hours to Neiva the departmental capital.

 

Climate

 

Our farm is located at 1400 meters above sea level, in the foothills leading up to the Macizo Colombiano.  The climate is warm and tropical usually with a refreshing breeze thanks to its height.  The dry season is December to February, the wet season is May to July but in reality most of the time there is a good mix or rain and sun. Temperatures are on average between 18 and 22 °C in the day except when there is more rain when it gets cooler. Night-time temperatures rarely drop below 10 °C and often can be pleasantly warm without it ever being uncomfortable.

 

Housing

 

The community houses have all been self-built in a variety of styles and using a variety of materials including adobe, timber and brick. 

 

There are three main houses each with their own kitchen, shower and compost toilet. In addition, there is a garage and parking area with guest rooms and a living room above the garage.

 

The first building you find upon arriving is the garage/undercover parking area with two further storeys above. There are 3 bedrooms and, in the attic, an ample sala/living room with a series of drying racks to one side for drying medicinal plants. The building has cement columns and the rest is timber frame with adobe.

 

House #1; Visible from the garage is the main house which has five bedrooms, kitchen, washing room, dining area, living room. Featuring a hand painted mural in the dining area. This is a cool and sheltered house with a nice aspect. Ground floor built with bricks with cement floors, second floor in timber with zinc roofing. Fitted both for 110v and 220v electricity.

 

House #2; This house is smaller but still with 6 bedrooms. Ground floor timber framed with adobe. Second floor timber and zinc. Kitchen, separate but linked by roofing through a dining area to the house. Partially “open air,” fresh, agreeable and typically Colombian.

 

House # 3; A hexagonal house with kitchen, dining and two small bedrooms downstairs. One master bedroom upstairs with panoramic views and shady balcony giving it a summer house feel. Built in timber and adobe with ceramic flooring in the downstairs area.

 

The meeting house is found slightly apart from the rest of the farm. The main “Sala” is spacious and can easily fit 30 people making it ideal as a community space, school room or for holding gatherings/seminars. The first floor is unfinished and could be adapted for a variety of purposes. All this without mentioning the “secret” underground chamber carved out of the rocky sub-soil and fortified with thick columns.

 

Just below the communal meeting house partially dug into a terrace on the hillside there is a one room “meditation cabin” artistically constructed with local timber.

 

Economy

 

As mentioned in the intro above, the farm is found within easy access, practically at the entrance to the Colombian Macizo. This Highland area is famed throughout Colombia and is visited at key holiday times by many Colombian holiday makers. In addition it is an area that most foreign visitors pass through due to its spectacular natural scenery, making it a must for people interested in hiking in the mountains, visiting the archeological sites and participating sports such as white water rafting and paragliding.

This fact makes this farm perfectly situated for self - catering holidays, meditation type retreats or as a rural hostal.

 

The farm itself was originally a coffee plantation and we have conserved approx. 500 bushes whose quantity could easily be added to.

 

The large variety of medicinal plants make the farm viable for people interested in making a living from natural medicine.

 

 

 

 

Privacy

 

The entrance drive to the farm passes next to the house of an elderly lady who has her own coffee toasting business. None of the houses are visible from public roads and the level of privacy is high. The local population is not dense but there are neighbouring farms. Neighbours are friendly and respectful of privacy.

 

 

Cultivated areas

 

We manage the cultivated areas of our farm with planting techniques that create a balance between different food and medicine bearing trees and plant species that can be cultivated in different zones according to their characteristics.  In cultivation areas that are not flat, we have built terraces, to prevent erosion and conserve the fertility of the soil.

 

Forest, Soil & Water

 

The farm is in an area that has been largely deforested in favour of coffee plantations but over the 20 + years we have owned the farm we have conserved the wooded areas that remained and reforested the farm whilst also making works to stop erosion and conserve the soil. The soil itself is fertile and supports many kinds of plants. Where we have found it inadequate we have made terraces and increased the composting.

 

The farm is part of a local water supply collective. Water is piped from a mountain stream 5 km away and distributed between around 100 families. There is also a spring on the land and an underground holding tank where the water is collected and from where it is distributed to various parts of the farm. There are various stand pipes for irrigation in dry periods.

 

There are two small streams that flow through the farm and we have conserved tree cover so that they are not lost.

 

Biodiversity - Cultivated plants:

 

Its varied botanical collection is what makes the farm unique and of special interest for people with ecological leanings. The farm was established with the objective of conservation making it a haven for local flora and fauna.

 

• Organically grown fruit trees including oranges, lemons, mandarins, guanabana, mango, mamey, chontaduro palm, coffee, prickly pear cactus, apples, pineapple, chorozo palm, jackfruit, borojo, guava, achote, uva agraz   and more…

• Many kinds of medicinal plants from different parts of Colombia and South          America, from Andean to Amazonian including;  Lemongrass, mugwort, coca, neem, Guayusa, rosemary, elder flower, sarsaparilla, carare, plantain, dandelion, dragon's blood, moringa, magave, aloe vera, chóndur, mint of various kinds, lemon balm, Floripondio, mano de Dios, citronella,

      -    Sugar Cane.

• 2 fish ponds suitable for cultivation of edible species such as cachama and mojarra.

 

 

Connectivity (signal-internet);

 

On the farm cell phone signal can be received and fibre optic internet can be installed in the different houses.

 

Energy -  Electricity;

 

The whole farm has an electricity supply and the possibility to connect with both 110v (local standard) and 220v.

 

Why Are we selling:

 

We are an ecological organization that is focused in a path of practical and experiential learning. We have two farms in the San Agustin area and due to other projects we have decided to sell one of these farms.

Any potential buyer would be able to have contect with us on an ongoing basis as we hope to sell to people interested in conserving and developing this farm along ecological lines.

 

Additional Information:

 

The San Agustin area has a well established and vibrant ex-pat community of Europeans (French, Germans, English, North Americans etc.) that have relocated in order to live a more peaceful and rural based life as well as establishing their own projects and schools (Waldorf/Steiner).