You’ll gain hands-on experience producing and assessing biologically complete compost and liquid amendments while working in a small group with guidance from experienced mentors.

You’ll prepare starting materials, build compost piles, and monitor their development throughout the workshop. Because multiple piles will be built simultaneously, you’ll see how different recipes and management decisions influence the composting process during the critical first ten days—providing experience that could otherwise take months to gain independently.

You’ll also produce compost extracts, compost teas, protozoan infusions, and nematode extractions. Throughout the workshop, you’ll use microscopy to assess the biology in compost, liquid amendments, soil, and other preparations. This continual practice will strengthen your microscopy skills and help you connect what you observe under the microscope with what is happening in the compost pile and the field.

Together, these activities cover all learning objectives required for BioComplete™ Compost Production and Biological Liquid Amendments.

If these dates don’t work for you and you want to hear about future workshops, please fill out the form below and select the location(s) you would be most interested in. https://school.soilfoodweb.com/pages/workshop-interest 

The January 2027 Accelerator Workshop will be held at Armonía Agricultura Orgánica, located in Belén, Heredia, Costa Rica, approximately 11 km (6.8 miles) north of San José, within the Greater Metropolitan Area.

Armonía is an organic agriculture project dedicated to promoting ecological responsibility and locally grown food through sustainable farming practices.

The venue offers a combination of covered and open-air outdoor workspaces for hands-on composting activities, as well as indoor classrooms for microscopy training and other learning sessions.

To learn more about the venue and explore the farm, visit Armonía's Instagram and Facebook pages.

It is your sole responsibility to look into whether you need a visa to travel from your home country and if your passport allows you to enter and stay in Costa Rica for the workshop

Look into whether you need a visa to travel from your home country and if your passport allows you to enter and stay in Costa Rica for the workshop. See the Costa Rican Embassy, Visas by Nationality website for information.

US nationals do not require an entry visa to Costa Rica. However, they must have a current valid passport and a return ticket to exit Costa Rica within 90 days. (Either to return to your country or to go to another country). Your US passport must be valid for a minimum of one day from the day you enter Costa Rica.

Tuition for this experience does NOT include room and board. You will need to provide your own overnight accommodations as well as food

There are various accommodation options near the workshop site. Please see the “Accommodation” section of the Workshop Handbook.

During the workshop (Monday to Friday), lunch will be provided on-site for all attendees; please plan to stay on-site for this meal, as we want to ensure that sessions before and after lunch start and end on time. 

Attendees are expected to provide their own breakfasts and dinners; Heredia has a variety of options to choose from.

Absolutely! This workshop is designed to provide a highly interactive, hands-on learning experience with plenty of opportunities to engage directly with our experienced instructors.

You will be assigned to a small group of attendees, guided by a dedicated instructor who will work closely with your team throughout the two-week workshop. Your instructor will help you develop and review compost recipes, monitor and evaluate compost pile progress, interpret results, and answer questions as you put your knowledge into practice.

In addition to working with your small group, you'll have opportunities to collaborate with other participants, learn from different teams, and exchange ideas and experiences.

Live Q&A sessions will be held throughout the workshop, along with a final wrap-up session to address any remaining questions.

Our goal is to ensure you receive personalized guidance, practical experience, and the confidence to apply what you've learned.

The workshop will be led by a highly experienced team of instructors and mentors. The instructor lineup is subject to change.

We strongly encourage all participants to attend the full ten days of this intensive, hands-on workshop to get the most out of the learning experience. However, we understand that scheduling conflicts may arise.

If you arrive late, leave early, or miss portions of the workshop, you will not be excluded from participating in the other sections of the workshop. These absences may affect your ability to use the workshop to satisfy the Learning Objectives required for graduation from the corresponding Soil Food Web School courses.

For example, if you miss a significant portion of the Biological Liquid Amendments training, you will need to complete the corresponding self-study course to fulfill those graduation requirements. This material is included in enrollment free of charge as supplemental learning material, so no additional purchase is required.

Weekend activities are optional and do not affect your attendance requirements.

If you anticipate missing any portion of the workshop, please contact our team in advance so we can help you understand how your absence may affect your course completion and graduation requirements.

Our recommendation: Attend all ten days whenever possible to benefit fully from the hands-on training, instructor guidance, and opportunities to complete your course requirements.

Students who register for the workshop can cancel on or before December 7, 2026. After this date, no refund is available. 

All cancellations are subject to a $200 non-refundable service charge to cover payment processing fees. This amount will be deducted from any eligible refund issued for cancellations made on or before December 7, 2026.

We will create a waitlist, in case there are any cancellations.

Yes, you are welcome to join us for this workshop even if you have attended an in-person training with us previously. 

Many people enjoy their experience so much that they seek a second. 

All students who have purchased the Foundation Courses are eligible to register for the Workshop. If you have not yet completed FC3, you’ll need to finish it prior to the start of the Workshop. Terms and Conditions apply: 

1) Students must complete the Soil Food Web Foundation Courses prior to the start of the workshop. 

2) Students must pay the applicable workshop fee in full. 

3) Students are responsible for obtaining their own travel, medical, and medical evacuation insurance they require or desire before attending the workshop. 

4) Completion of the online Pre-workshop Training Course. 

5) You will be required to attend Safety Training and to sign the “Workshop Handbook” on or before day 1 of the workshop.

6) It is your sole responsibility to check whether you need a visa to travel from your home country and whether your passport allows you to enter and stay in Costa Rica for the workshop. 

There will be many Q&A sessions throughout the workshop to ensure that all your questions will be answered.

The Soil Food Web Complete Practicum (SFW Practicum) is an advanced, mentored program designed for students who have completed the Foundation Courses and are ready to move from theory to hands-on practice. It’s science-grounded and built around real land, real challenges, and real goals, guiding students to read, build, feed, and work with living soil over a full growing season.

The Practicum is organized into four core modules:

1. Soil Microscopy – Build the skills to observe the life in your soil and assess biological health to guide every management decision.
2. BioComplete™ Compost Production – Learn to create compost that is alive and tailored to your soil’s specific needs.
3. Biological Liquid Amendments – Design and brew site-specific liquid amendments to introduce and multiply beneficial biology.
4. Field Trial – Apply your knowledge and techniques over a full growing season with mentor guidance, directly on your own land.

This workshop provides an alternative pathway through the Practicum by giving you hands-on experience, guided instruction, and practical tools that align with the Practicum’s objectives. By participating, you receive BioComplete™ Compost Production and Biological Liquid Amendments. Please note that to graduate Biological Liquid Amendments, Soil Microscopy needs to be completed before or after the Workshop.

Review the Participation Agreement for all terms and conditions.

The workshop offers an intensive, in-person learning pathway that covers the learning outcomes for BioComplete™ Compost Production and Biological Liquid Amendments.

Over 10 days, students work in small groups under the guidance of experienced mentors to build and monitor multiple compost piles. This allows students to observe how different recipes and management decisions influence compost development and to gain experience that could otherwise take months to develop independently. Students also produce and assess compost extracts, compost teas, protozoan infusions, and nematode extractions while strengthening their applied microscopy skills.

Students have the opportunity to satisfy the BioComplete™ Compost Production and Biological Liquid Amendments requirements through the workshop. However, participation alone does not guarantee completion. Students must meet all course learning outcomes presented through the workshop materials, along with any additional graduation requirements. Please review the Participation Agreement for complete details.

Yes! This workshop provides an opportunity to fulfill the practical Learning Objectives required for graduation from the BioComplete™ Compost Production and Biological Liquid Amendments courses.

To qualify for graduation through the workshop, students must meet the following requirements:

1. Workshop Participation: Attend and actively participate in all required training sessions. If you miss a significant portion of a training section, you may be required to complete the corresponding self-study course to fulfill those Learning Objectives.

2. Prerequisite Courses: Successfully complete all four Foundation Courses (FC1–FC4) and the Soil Microscopy Course. Students who have not completed these courses before the workshop may complete them afterward.

3. Pre-Workshop Training: Complete the required Pre-Workshop Training Course and Assignment.

4. Post-Workshop Assessment: Successfully complete the Post-Workshop Graduation Assessment.

Important: Attending the workshop does not automatically guarantee graduation. All applicable course requirements and assessments must be successfully completed.

Please review the Participation Agreement for full details before registering.

To progress to the Field Trial Course of the Soil Food Web Complete Practicum, students must meet the following requirements:

1. Produce Biological Compost: Build at least one compost pile at home with a minimum volume of 200 gallons (760 liters) that meets the minimum biological standards outlined in the Course Manual.

2. Complete a Remote Assessment: Submit your compost for a Remote Assessment to demonstrate that it meets the required biological standards for solid compost.

3. Previously Produced Compost: If you have already produced successful compost in the past, you may use an existing pile to fulfill this requirement, provided it meets the current minimum biological standards.

4. Field Trial Participation: Pay the Field Trial Course Participation fee, if you have not already done so.

Need additional support? Post workshop, students can attend live Office Hours in the AP community to connect with a mentor, ask questions, and receive guidance on producing compost suitable for use in their Field Trial.

For complete prerequisite and Participation details, please review the Participation Agreement.

Students are not required to bring their own microscopes, as microscopes will be available for use during the workshop.

However, we strongly encourage students who own a suitable microscope to bring it with them, if practical. The microscopes provided onsite may vary in quality and performance, and using equipment you are already familiar with can enhance your learning experience, particularly during hands-on microscopy sessions.

Bringing your own microscope also provides a valuable opportunity to practice and refine your microscopy skills using the equipment you will continue working with after the workshop.

Please note that students who bring their own microscopes do so at their own risk. The Soil Food Web Foundation cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to personal equipment or belongings.

Health and Safety guidelines are included in the Workshop Handbook. Please read it with special attention to any health and safety information before attending the workshop.

In an effort to prevent paper waste, you will be sent a copy of the Workshop Handbook to sign electronically before the start of the workshop. If you are unable to sign electronically, we will ask you to fill out the emergency contact information, sign, and return the last page to the SFWF Safety Officer on Day 1 of the workshop.