I've always been a gardener, and in the mid 70's I led the design and implementation of an acre organic garden in Ontario. I later got a M.Arch. degree, and in the early 80's spent six years as a solar architecture consultant in California. Since then I've gotten a regular job in the software industry, which is not relevant to this avocation.
In 1973 I randomly took a soils course at MSU, and at the end of the quarter I went to the professor and told him I wanted to pursue a PhD in soil ecology. He laughed me out of his office: to him, the soil is just a physical medium to hold the plant while we apply the "scientific" amounts of nutrients and toxins. Recently I bought some land and started 'tuning' it. As I did research for tips I found that the entire field of Permaculture was available. Hence the course with Geoff.
I have a site in the mountains above Rio, halfway between Itaipava and Paty do Alferes. I'm hoping to set it up as a pousada (B&B) and Permaculture research center. Two key features are an extensive Zone 5 forest and some flood plain fish tanks I plan to turn into chinampas.