Description
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is a native holly tree to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Historically, the tree has been cultivated for subsistence. Runa works with indigenous farmers to boost production of guayusa by growing it in agroforestry systems. Researchers on our agroforestry team will work with farmers and Runa field technicians to implement and design a participatory research initiative with the help of the World Agroforestry Centre.

Project Objectives

• To design and develop agroforestry research plots to investigate how               different conditions affect the growth of guayusa
• Collect data for academic papers
• Increase our knowledge about the growth patterns of Guayusa

Qualifications
This internship is geared towards undergraduare and graduate students majoring in environmental science, sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, policy, business, or a related field. Proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred. Experience in Latin America and/or working in a rural setting is a plus.

Current status of research
The first investigative plot was planted in October. Guayusa was planted in 4m by 4m squares interplanted with plantain, yucca and guava. The second plot is currently being designed to test how spacing effects the growth of guayusa and the effects of shade.

Intern Duties
-        Design agroforestry research plots for Guayusa
-        Develop and implement a monitoring and measuring system
-        Plant the research plots
-        Design a database system to record results
-        Input data obtained from the plots and analyse results