About Us
The Sacred Valley of the Incas
The non-profit Sach’a Munay is present here in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, an hour from Cusco city. We chose this area because the soil here is incredible and mineral-rich. We are also utilizing the ancient Andean knowledge available here and rescuing it from negligence.
Vision
- Inspire and live a sustainable life that uses permaculture as a tool.
- Honor native trees.
- Promote open communication between everyone we work with and impact.
Mission
- Community talks on Permaculture to remind the local community how to live in harmony and respect with the environment. Family talks in schools to promote a healthy family life.
- Free permaculture courses will be offered to both children and adults.
- Aid local schools in eating self-sustainably by placing permaculture beds in their schools and teaching them the knowledge to take care of them.
- Plant native trees, and teach about their importance to the environment, especially the water cycle. Reforest all the land we are able/ allowed to.
Brief History
Since 2015 we have been offering workshops in Agroecology and Permaculture for local farmers; we currently have more than 130 people enrolled in groups of 10 to 15 people.
We have an experimental field to develop regenerative farming techniques that honor the traditional methods and new regenerative agriculture techniques. Currently we are experimenting with the local corn ‘Choclo’ that has been grown in the Sacred valley for hundreds of years, using a combination of clover cover crops, compost teas, and natural fertilizers. We are achieving great results. The aim is to develop a regenerative system of growing that does not rely on chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Our Team
MAURO ESCALANTE
Permaculture Educator and Director of Sach’a Munay
Mauro is the heart of Sach’a Munay, his passion and purpose impact all those he meets. He is our lead educator and teaches in both Spanish and Quechua.
He has a long history in the non-profit sector and has studied the bio-intensive method of John Jevons, Permaculture, and the Regrarians platform.
He has been sharing his knowledge throughout the Sacred Valley and the highland communities for many years and is passionate about working with children, their schools, and their parents.
An amazing speaker, Mauro is in high demand for his ‘Escuela de Padres” workshops throughout the province of Cusco.
His dream is to see the entire Sacred Valley region regenerate the soils and produce fully organic food to increase the well-being of people and the planet.
MARIO NINA HUILLCA
Garden Technician
Mario comes from the village of Sihua above the town of Coya in the Sacred Valley. Due to limited transport he would often walk an hour and a half climbing 500m to get home each afternoon.
With the mountains and traditional organic agriculture in his veins, Mario has incorporated modern gardening techniques which he uses in his home garden and shares with his community. He has also been experimenting his techniques to increase native potato harvests.
Along with Gualberto, Mario cares for and manages our bio-intensive garden demonstration site which supplies produce to our partner, Munay Sonqo Retreat and Yoga Center.
GUALBERTO HUISO MAYO
Garden Technician
Hailing from the district of Lares, Gualberto has resided in Arin since 2014 and began working with Sach’a Munay in 2016. He is passionate and enthusiastic about organic farming and is inspired to one day start his own organic farm and teach others. Alongside Mario, he manages and runs our organic garden.
ADAM WOODMAN
President
One of the founding members, Adam has lived and worked in the Sacred Valley since 2014.
After visiting Peru in 2010, he was inspired to come back and get involved sharing permaculture, and in 2015 that became a reality when he was invited to join Sach’a Munay and begin developing our school garden programs.
Adam holds a Bachelor of Horticulture (Burnley 2006), Permaculture design certificate (2007), Cert IV in Permaculture (2012), and has completed a 10 week internship with the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia (2011).
Partners and Alliances
Munay Sonqo Retreat and Yoga Center
Munay Sonqo is a sister organization and our primary financial support, donating a large portion of their profits to fund our programs every year. Our office and nursery is located adjacent to the retreat center, and our organic farm offers fresh produce to support the center’s restaurant, providing clean and healthy food to its guests.
Sach’a Munay has partnered with Munay Sonqo with the installation and demonstration of practical solutions to waste such as the waste water treatment reed beds, compost toilets, and composting of the center’s waste.
For more info please visit www.munaysonqo.com
La Gerencia Regional de Producción del Gobierno de Cusco
Gerepro has partnered with Sach’a Munay to host and accredit our Permaculture courses taught by Mauro. Click here to have a look.
