Beautiful retreat in the mountains. Help create silvopastures, food stability and self-sufficiency in Cervantes, Spain

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  I am a 46 year old man from the Netherlands and moved to a spectacular spot in Los Ancares, in the mountains of Lugo, Galicia in the summer of 2019. My plan is to transform 20 beautiful mountain hectares into a (Holzer) permaculture site while using Biodynamic, Regenerative farming and Korean Natural Farming principles.
  About me: I have a background in training & development and therapy. Now working as a full-time account manager in the Ed-Tech industry. I work from home, working Nothern-European hours with occasional travel commitments.
  
  The project will take a few years to complete and I have just started! It will take place in several phases, the first being creating terraces on the fields directly surrounding the house and transform these from grassland into Food Forests.
  For this phase of the project, I am looking for help with developing pastures in the forest (silvopastury), planting (fruit)trees, seeding, watering, mulching and other gardening/agroforestry tasks .
  
  The objectives of the Holzer permaculture project are:
  1) Create food stability and self-sufficiency,
  2) Create a forest fire buffer,
  3) Create a beautiful natural garden that teems with life!
  
  Animals on the farm: I currently have 5 sheep and intend to grow the flock. There is a bunch of chickens too! I have 2 very friendly livestock guardian dogs and a small but noisy lapdog.
  
  
  The deal:
  I offer free accommodation and 3 meals a day. In return, I ask for between 20 - 25 hours from you per week (depends on the weather). It is up to you to decide when you will work those hours: Any time during the day, in the weekends or during the week. Just let me know what you prefer and if you change your mind during the day, no problem.
  With past work-awayers staying, I have learnt that not everybody can handle the freedom to set his/her own hours and some individuals need more structure. If you need more direction from me to feel more secure, just let me know and we will find a way that works for the both of us.
  Remember, I work Monday-Friday from about 08:30 till 17:30-18:00. If you prefer to work with me, we are limited to the weekends and evenings.
  If you are ok with working on your own (or with other work-awayers), you are free to choose when you will work but make sure you coordinate with your fellow work-awayers beforehand.
  
  The rest of the time you are off and free to spend your time the way you want.
  During our time together, I will teach you Biodynamics, (Holzer) permaculture, Korean Natural Farming and Holistic Management.
  
  Regarding meals: I usually skip breakfast but I have sympathy for breakfast eaters and your morning food of choice will be provided for as much as I can. For lunch, we always cook something delicious but I won't always be able to cook it for you because of the day job, so we use a rotating lunch-cooking-schedule. If you cook lunch for everyone, that will be part of your work-away hours.
  
  Some rules:
  -Smokers are allowed but only outdoors. You must be very fire conscious as the building is mostly wood and in summer forest fires can ignite within seconds
  -No hard drugs on the farm. Party the way you want but not on the farm. A Coruna (2 hours drive) has great nightclubs to let your party-heart out ;)
  -I am flexible as anything but I need to be able to plan it. Give me notice and we can plan around whatever it is you would like to do or not do.
  -You must respect my neighbors - and this is a deal breaker - as they are an extremely important resource for me. You do not need to become friends, that is up to you but you must treat them with respect and they will respect you as well.
  -Enjoy the local area. It is great for hikes, bike rides, horse riding or just strolling through the forests and mountains.
  
  That's the most important information.
  
  I always meet with applicants through a video call first before deciding on the next steps.
  Looking forward to meet with you!
  
  Pascal

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Sprachpraxis

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Gartenarbeiten

  Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten

  Betreuung von Tieren

  Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

  Handwerkliche Arbeiten
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  If you want to spend time in nature, away from everything and everyone, while helping to restore a very old farm and improving it, this is your spot! The local culture and history is fascinating and only 15 minutes from my house, you can find iron age houses that have been partly restored. These are remnants from the Castro Culture and there are many Roman left overs as well.
  
  Life in the Ancares is quite special. People are mostly self-sufficient. Everybody has at least a handful of cows, chickens, a pig or two and they have a veggie plot near the house. This area has been very isolated until the early 1980-ties and this can still be felt and seen.
  If you are looking for fabulous restaurants and on-the-edge nightclubs, you will be sorely disappointed here. If you have a fascination for or enjoyment of nature, this might just be your place to spend some time at.

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  Arbeit

  At this moment, the focus is on creating Silvopastures. This will involve clearing land from from undergrowth, thinning out the forest in some places, planting trees and plants in other places, watering and expanding the irrigation system.
  
  The terraces are still being developed and will need watering on dry days. There is a system in place that I intent to develop further so there is less manual labour.
  If you like building houses and other construction tasks, you are also more than welcome!

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  Gesprochene Sprachen

  Englisch: Fließend
  Niederländisch: Fließend
  Spanisch: Grundkenntnisse

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  Unterkunft

  There are bedrooms in the main house. We share a kitchen and bathroom. In the near future, I hope to restore a small house on the property with its own services. If you have construction skills, you can help me set that up :)
  Food is part of the deal. I provide 3 meals a day. When it comes to cooking, I usually suggest that is something we share. Sometimes I cook, sometimes you cook, sometimes we go out for lunch or dinner.
  Vegetarian can be accommodated for. Vegan is a bit more difficult because the local shops don't really offer vegan ingredients but then again, nothing is impossible!

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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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  Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen

  The kitchen is a nice place to work.

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  I can accommodate a van/motorhome up to 7 meters long. Longer than that and you won't be able to make the curves in the road.

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  Hier sind Haustiere in der Regel willkommen

  There are animals on the farm now so especially dogs need to be farm-animal friendly. I really don't like animals penned or tied down but if there is no other way, we will have to do that if the animal is endangering the farm animals. For dogs, I have a gentle training method that is very successful and lasts for 10-15 minutes, ensuring they will not come near any of the farm animals.

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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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