The purpose of the demonstration farm is to practice environmentally responsible
agriculture, advancing the goal of environmental protection in a culture that
is dependent on direct use of natural resources. In order for the demonstration
to be meaningful, it is imperative that the extension farm be operated for
profit, thus convincing local farmers that they too can be successful by adopting
these techniques. The profits from the farm will help to finance conservation
programs.
The demonstration farm complements our sustainability curriculum, designed to expose students to current environmentally sustainable agriculture techniques. Recently, GOSESO has partnered with Peace River Coffee to develop curriculum materials related to sustainable coffee production.
A core tenet of the GOSESO mission rests on the notion that educating and training rural people will yield long-term sustainable livelihoods. The goal is to replace income currently derived from resource exploitation-charcoal and brick making, logging, poaching, and other endeavors-to more sustainable and less environmentally harmful sources.