The Caretaker Program
Cultivating Caretakers
The Caretaker program sits at the center of BLI's work as an institution. Every year, BLI welcomes a new cohort of Caretaker trainees to its campus for a two-year residential program in Integral Ecology. The program is intense and holistic, completely immersing trainees in the practice of Integral Ecology at every turn. While BLI's curriculum includes some basic classroom lessons and modules, the majority of learning happens in the field. This includes work on demonstration plots in Mary's School to learn regenerative farming techniques; lessons in caring for the biodiversity in Lazarus' Forest; opportunities to sell harvests as part of Martha's Market; and regular participation in community outreach events to learn leadership and presentation skills. BLI ensures that by the end of the two-year program, Caretakers are equipped with the
comprehensive skillset
needed to return to their home villages and start their own Integral Ecology farms.
2028 Cohort
2027 Cohort
2026 Cohort
2025 Cohort
2024 Cohort
2023 Cohort
Training Leaders for Change
Our Caretakers are core to our mission of transforming rural Uganda. As a prerequisite to joining the residential program, every Caretaker trainee commits to starting their own Integral Ecology farm after completion of the program, often in their home village.
Our Caretaker network continues to be an ever-expanding group of thoughtful, creative leaders spread across Uganda.
Meet Current Caretakers
Where are they now?
BLI has already commissioned four cohorts of Caretakers who have gone out to start their own farms and to spread Integral Ecology across Uganda. Some have specialized in crops, others in forestry, and still others in animal husbandry. See where our Caretakers are today.
