Be part of regenerative agriculture at an off-grid homestead in Sabugal, Portugal

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  About me:
  Hello! My name is Carlos, I'm 45 and I'm portuguese. I grew up in a city close to Lisbon, went to college in Lisbon to study computer sciences and I started to work as a programmer. 6 years later I started to feel meaningless and took a leave of absence. I did volunteer work in organic farms in Sweden and France and went to Thailand to teach English in a public school in a small village. I came back to give a second chance to my job but after 3 years I decided to quit for good. Already with some land in the countryside of Portugal I started a journey in Portugal for one year to know about eco-farming and permaculture. It was hard to settle down in my primitive place so I went back to Thailand to the same school wishing to help those children in their English and football skills for one year.
  After that, I came to establish and develop the land. I planted some trees, made some vegetable patches, produced cider, wine, olive oil, jams, I dried figs, tomatos and apples, etc.. The year after I did it all better with the help of nice volunteers and then with covid everything slowed down a bit. With the remote work possibility, in 2022 and 2023 I managed to work in IT again for a small software company and the feeling of loneliness was something I couldn't ignore anymore. I've lived in the farm for more than 4 years, on my own. My family and friends are all in Lisbon region. The connections I made here are light and with volunteers are ephemeral. I might have reached the same conclusion as in Into the Wild: “Happiness [is] only real when shared.” So my plan for now is to spend more time near my hometown sharing agroforestry and woodwork tasks with my brother and coming here for specific projects which I hope to keep sharing with volunteers or non volunteers. I'm a quiet person but I really enjoy to use my human qualities in a group.
  
  
  About the project:
  Having land to manage or just to protect was an early desire of mine. Self-sufficiency, healthier lifestyle, nearness of more natural and real environment are a few things that can be accomplished this way. I love trees and the main goal of this project is to increase life, diversity, soil fertility, weather resilience and to learn and teach how to exchange with nature in a beneficial way for both.
  
  2015: First tree planted.
  2016: First attempt to settle down.
  2018: Became a home. Permaculture ideas implemented.
  2019: First volunteers received. A fire burnt half of the land. Porch.
  2020: Ferrocement tank.
  2021: Chickens. Loft.
  2022: Bees. Sheep.
  2023: Rocky pathway. No watering field. Syntropic patches.
  
  For me, permaculture is the best answer for the problems humanity will face in this planet. . There's still a lot to improve. And it's a great learning to go through all the processes. Money here is definitely not the priority. Increasing diversity and keeping people happy are the most important things. I'm open for your ideas and creative skills. This is a great place to find peace and slow down.
  
  *I'm answering only to the people that takes time to read all the profile and shows interest in any of the
  seasonal projects.

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Kunstprojekte

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Gartenarbeiten

  Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten

  Betreuung von Tieren

  Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

  Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie

  Hausarbeiten

  Handwerkliche Arbeiten
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  UNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt

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  Was ist das?
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  This is a remote region in Portugal. The food is more authentic than in the urban centers and people keep some traditions expressed in events and fairs. I also buy products to the locals that can still make a good fresh goat cheese or grow their own fruit and vegetables. I can tell you about Portuguese culture, my travels, permaculture and other philosophical ideas. I'm curious to know about yours too.

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  Arbeit

  There are six times per year to form a great team for annual tasks or improvements. The projects are previously prepared and the time of stay will be determined by the task itself.
  
  # February (1-2 weeks): Bottle wine. Prune trees. Graft trees. Sow potatoes and summer vegetables.
  
  # May (2 weeks): Fires prevention clean. Tree mulching. Syntropic annual pruning. Check/improve watering systems. Weeding. Elderflower syrup. Sow corn and beans.
  
  # July/August (2 months): Trees watering. Fruit harvest and processing: blackberries (jam, liquor, syrup); figs (jam or dehydrate); apples (dehydrate or juice); pears (dehydrate, jam or juice).
  Improvement projects: Rocky pathways. Paint the house. Improve porch floor.
  (Minimum stay: 2 weeks)
  
  # September (1 week): Grapes harvest for wine and juice. Collect tree seeds to sow in October. Corn harvest.
  
  # October (1-2 weeks): Plant trees. Sow trees. Extend Syntropic forests. Fall mulching. Olives harvest to eat.
  
  # December (2 weeks): Olives harvest for oil.
  
  During the year other common tasks can happen in more than one period: Collect wood, check the bees, harvest honey, make deodorant or tooth paste, controlling brambles, turning compost and update the nursery pots.
  
  The dates will be updated closer to each project. If you already have some experience in the projects you want to join, great, but what I only expect from volunteers is interest in the tasks, willing to learn and being ok with the simple conditions. There's the chance of working alone but I'll try my best to always have a great team.

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  Gesprochene Sprachen

  Englisch: Fließend
  Spanisch: Fließend
  Portugiesisch: Fließend
  Französisch: Grundkenntnisse
  Thai: Grundkenntnisse

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  Unterkunft

  My small shed has two matressess in the loft. I also have a tent outside where usually couples prefer to stay during the warm season.
  
  The electricity comes from solar panels (it might be limited in winter time) and the water from springs. We usually use wood for cooking but there's a gas backup. I have a compost toilet and a solar handmade heater. In the winter we heat the water with a wood stove and have bucket showers indoors. We prepare the meals together. It would also be nice if volunteers could bring more natural hygiene products since we don't have a normal sewage system.

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  Was noch ...

  The transports here are not good but I have a car. During the summer we go almost every day to some river beach or a beautiful lake in the afternoons where we swim or fish. Historical villlages with stone houses and organic markets are also places I would like to take you. There are plenty of hiking routes that I would like to share.

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  The land isn't very flat but possible for small caravans. For bigger ones is better to park in the village (5 min away).

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  Hier sind Haustiere in der Regel willkommen

  Dieser Gastgeber ist bereit, Reisende mit Haustieren bei sich aufzunehmen.

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  zwei

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  Arbeitszeiten

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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