A hands-on training was carried out in the region of Lago Agrio where extraction- related illnesses and cancer rates are elevated, so that community members can implement prevention and land restorative methods at the level of the community. These two-day capacity building sessions took place in Amisacho and 35 people participated including farmers, indigenous people, students and women. Activities included basic understanding of the composition of soil life by comparing essential soil characteristics between primary forests, monocultures, and petroleum contamination while meeting and analyzing the diversity in soil ecology under their very feet.