Volunteer: Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems, and Conservation in the Galapagos Islands

Location: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador • Duration: minimum 4 weeks • Start Dates: each month – enquire when applying • Cost: $500 for the first week + $350 for each additional week • Fee Includes: all food, accommodation, pre‑departure & in‑country support, orientation, and all project related activities • Does Not Include: flights, airport pickup, travel insurance, personal spending, visas and vaccinations

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 and permaculture systems
• Forge meaningful relations with locals while living with a host family
• Research & dissertation support available, if requested

Introduction

The Galapagos Islands are one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, home to unique species such as Galapagos penguins and giant tortoises. While many local and international efforts protect the islands, challenges remain—lack of food security, reliance on imports, invasive species, and insufficient seed‑saving practices. This internship provides an opportunity to collaborate with a farm researching autonomous, resilient, chemical‑free, regenerative, and profitable agriculture, and that farm is also an agro‑ecology school and the founder of the first local seed bank (of edible species) in the Galapagos.

Responsibilities

• Maintain the vegetable seedbeds
• Assist with seed germination processes and care of the seed banks
• Construct apparatuses and design new permaculture systems
• Assist with garden maintenance (weeding, excavating, making compost, pruning, applying natural fertilizers, etc.)
• Reforest native or endemic plants
• Conduct personal research or study on:
  • water use and conservation
  • new water capture systems
  • improvement of soil texture
  • improvement of soil nutrients (soil regeneration)
  • 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)