The Escuela de Agroecología del Josco Bravo announced on Tuesday, November 10, that it will offer a course to train new farmers with the tools to grow food for their own consumption and for commercial sale. The program is open to the general public and will take more than 250 students in 2027. Classes will run from January to June 2027 in nine sections across Puerto Rico: Ciales, Loíza, Orocovis, San Juan, San Lorenzo, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Ponce and Mayagüez.
Each section meets once a week over 20 weeks and covers both theory and practice. Agronomist and teacher Ian Pagán Roig said the course covers every aspect of producing food free of agrochemicals with resources within anyone’s reach, from seed propagation, land preparation and crop maintenance to natural pest control, organic fertilizer preparation and marketing.
Farmer and teacher Omar Colón said people are surprised by how much food can be grown in relatively small spaces, noting that a yard in a residential neighborhood can produce a considerable share of one’s food and that large farms are not needed to make a living from agriculture. As part of the practical component, students work together on an agroecological garden whose harvest is divided among participants; Pagán Roig said students take home many pounds of vegetables, fruits and herbs.
The application deadline is November 23, 2026. The most recent statistics indicate that food costs in Puerto Rico have risen 30% in the last six years.