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Restore the Amazon Rainforest on a 130-hectare organic polyculture Fruit Forest in SE Ecuador

  • Favourited 638 times
  • Last activity: 25 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are a 130-hectare organic polyculture fruit forest in southeast Ecuador. With a mild tropical climate, many tropical fruits are grown on the land, as we engage in reforestation of historic cattle pasture. The primary foods grown here are bananas, biriba (rolinia), plantains, papayas, cacao, chonta, yuca, white carrot, ice cream bean, peanut butter fruit, citrus fruits, and tropical classics such as jackfruit and marang. We are planting many exotic tropical fruits such as durian, sapodilla, green sapote, mangosteen, soncoya, jaboticaba, just to name a few.

    No domesticated animals are used, as the project is owned and operated by vegans. This region has extremely limited malaria/parasites/etc. compared to neighboring tropical regions.

    A large, roofed camping structure is available for tent or RV camping. We typically have 1-4 volunteers at a time. We accept only vegan volunteers.

    Workawayers are welcome to volunteer with us for up to 2 months. All housing accommodation will be provided to Workawayers, including a tent/ or cabin, mattress, bedding, showers, kitchen access, and use of full facilities. Workaways will also get a share of the harvested fruit off the land.

    We also have openings for long-term community members, which you can apply for during your stay if you wish to join the community on a longer-term basis.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Farmstay help
    Babysitting and creative play
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    We are one of the worlds largest polyculture food forests and the largest veganic agroforestry establishment. Our members are well-educated in health, agroforestry practices and sustainable energy. The more that you apply yourself physically, socially, and intellectually, the more that you will gain from your time here. This is still a relatively new project, started in 2015, and we are still working on building up our repertoire of examples for people to learn from.

    We primarily speak English, while most days we have Ecuadorian people around the property, and of course we have our neighbours. If you're looking to learn Spanish let us know, as various members of ours are glad to interact in Spanish. The neighbours are very friendly, and this area is generally safe compared to most of South America and Ecuador (which is a reason why we are here). Please don't negatively affect the local culture with drug use, excessive spending, or unfriendly interactions with our neighbours.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    Tasks generally consist of harvesting fruits, greens, and veggies, mulching fruit trees, harvesting seeds and tending to saplings, assisting with new structures and other building projects, preparing meals for other volunteers, eco-friendly technology/energy projects, clearing with machete, IT infrastructure, general yard/garden work, and kitchen and facilities cleaning.

    Please let us know if you have special skills, as we may be able to find or create a (personalised) project for you. We will give task suggestions for 25 hours per week. There are usually many options. Typically you will help 4 hours in the morning and 1 in the afternoon or evening, but this changes depending on rain, task at hand, and other factors. We have group work 3-5 times a week.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    Danish: Fluent
    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Fluent
    French: Fluent
    Norwegian: Fluent
    Swedish: Fluent
    Chinese (Mandarin): Intermediate

    This host offers a language exchange
    One of our members is very interested in learning languages. He speaks American, Spanish, Danish, Mandarin and is currently learning Hungarian. Other residents speak English, Spanish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, French; and we often have visitors from different countries especially from Europe.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    The bambus house provides shelter from the rain for campers. It can house up to 20 tents, and there is a dedicated outhouse next to it. Bambus house is only a 2-minute walk from the community center, and there is (weak) wifi signal at one end of the shelter.

    Our property is in some ways remote, others not - there are neighbors across the road, down the road, and up the mountain. There is a small village 2 km south and a small town 3 km north. Access from the town on the north is either via a 30-minute bus ride or via a 50-minute walk. The market in Gualaquiza is about 50 minutes of travel one way where you will arrive on the bus and get various supplemental food/fruit.

    We request that the amount of plastic packaging or other trash brought onto the land be kept to a minimum and removed when you depart.

    Food: You will be provided a healthy whole foods vegan diet (three meals a day). No oil, bread, pasta, or other heavily processed foods are allowed in the kitchen.

    Please note that no animal-derived foods are to be brought onto the farm; this is a vegan establishment. No hunting or fishing, as this disturbs the delicate rainforest ecosystem that is already damaged by clear-cutting for cattle. No cigarette smoking on the property. No drugs or alcohol. The composting toilet system we use is designed for vegans and doesn't safely function when people consume animal products. Please plan to not consume any animal products a few days prior and for the duration of your stay here, even when you are not on the property. Thank you.

    We only accept volunteers who are plant-based vegans; please tell us of your dietary inclinations when applying.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Buses, rancheros, taxis, and boats run regularly and are quite cheap.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have starlink and a back-up solar system so we never have to be offline. We have a shared office space, and we can offer private office spaces to those interested if available at that time.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    Yes but our road is rough, so be warned! In the dry season (September - February) it's a little easier. We have space available for campervans and motorhomes.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    25 hours per week

Host ref number: 312428152296

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