Apprenticeship Program
“I would highly recommend this experience to anyone […] It is a chance to see how we can work with the earth, with the plants, with the rhythm of nature.” —Tiffany Rose, Alberta Canada
Apprenticeship Program Graduate
Whether you are a wellness professional, expert horticulturalist, seasoned chocolate maker, or agriculture industry professional, our apprenticeship program offers an in-depth look on regenerative farming.
Sueño de Vida offers a flexible apprenticeship program designed to teach curious minds about:
Rainforest ecosystem restoration
Tropical agroforestry methods
Heirloom cacao cultivation
Natural and sustainable building methods
Off grid living and homesteading
We cover a variety of topics through daily immersion in the natural processes and work flows on the farm. Depending on the apprentices’ interests, topics covered can include:
The history and culture of tropical agroforestry
Conventional vs Regenerative agriculture practices
Environmental rehabilitation
How to make and apply natural building materials such as cob and earthen plasters
Seed germination and sapling care
Holistic tree maintenance
Harvesting & Seed processing
Cooking with cacao & nutritional benefits
Tuition Costs & Application
Our apprenticeship program lasts between 7 and 28 days depending on your schedule.
Program Duration Options
7 days — $180
10 days — $200
14 days — $350
21 days — $440
28 days — $520
Costs include tuition, food, and accommodation.
Our program is offered year round.
Apply anytime — email Kristen at kristen@sdvforest.com
To apply, send an email of proposed interest to Kristen Krash at kristen@sdvforest.com
What our program graduates have to say.
After my experience with urban farming, which in Canada is a very short season, and Industrial agriculture through my partner's family farm, it is impossible to deny that the reforestation and permaculture practiced at Sueño de Vida are in harmony with the earth. The plants are working together with the soil, pollinators, people and climate to care for each other and that is how it should be. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who has a nagging feeling that life can be more than what it is and that there is something inherently disconnected and wrong with the way we do things. It is a chance to see how we can work with the earth, with the plants, with the rhythm of nature.
— Tiffany Rose, Alberta, Canada
I had never been to South America nor anywhere near a cacao tree before Sueño de Vida. I grew up operating combines and tractors on an isolated industrial monoculture farm in the middle of the Canadian prairies, and for over twenty years after that I had worked as a tradesmen in the oil industry. But tending and caring for trees has always called to me. When I was led into the cacao plantation I knew immediately that I would love my time there. After twenty years of working in welding shops in a concrete half frozen city my spirit cried out for this type of work. The sound of the birds and insects was soothing, the air was clean and humid, the uneven earth beneath our feet gently tested our balance and strength.
— Robert Payant, Saskatchewan, Canada