Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
12 Apr 2024
Reply rate
94.7 %
Usually responds within 3 days
Feedback
30
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Details
Description
At the Farm, in Karjat, near Mumbai ( 50 miles) in India, we are excited to share our life with those looking for a peaceful, natural co-existence with nature. Located close to the most pristine surroundings near the Western Ghats, in a green zone, this is a 4-acre property, about 1.5-2 hours away from the cities of Mumbai and Pune, in the well-connected town of Karjat, in Raigad District of Maharashtra.
Set up 4 years back, the farm has a well-managed and growing permaculture food forest with supporting infrastructure, vegetable beds, plantations, garden, a functional outdoor café, adequate accommodation, and cute farm animals to keep you company.
We are looking for like-minded nature enthusiasts, with a variety of skill-sets, who will work with nature to help us with plantation, farming, carpentry, natural building and more, and contribute to achieve self-sustainability, while learning and enjoying in the process, and building their credentials.
This is a fully-functional farm, where the permaculturist owners reside most of the time, and are fully involved in farm management activities, with the support of some local villagers. We are now looking to do progressive enhancements at the farm, with the help of volunteers.
Safety Measures
Keeping all safety measures in mind, the farm has a sturdy 12-foot fencing across its boundaries, and a secure gate at the entrance and the backside. The farm area is fully covered by CCTV cameras. The owners stay at the premises most of the time, and there is a dedicated day caretaker, and a night watchman at the farm, to ensure further security.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Inviting volunteers to learn, contribute & explore their flair for natural farming, permaculture, house-help & more DIY projects to learn to achieve self-sustainability, and also build their credentials.
Situated in a very serene, natural environment full of greenery, adjacent to a reserved forest, in the well-connected town of Karjat, the 4-acre farm has a growing permaculture food forest and supporting infrastructure, vegetable beds, plantations, garden, a functional outdoor café, adequate accommodation, and adorable farm animals for company.
We offer free food & accommodation for volunteers* contributing to ongoing projects for 25 hours a week.
Expect a lot of practical permaculture and natural healing learning from the permaculturist owner, working on natural structures, learning & imbibing multiple dimensions self-sustainability & so much more.
We mix work with fun, so look forward to participate in joint outdoor cookouts, painting, soaking in the fresh morning sunlight and air, lazy afternoons on the hammocks, music jam sessions, playing with farm animals, with a breath-taking view of pictorial hills and seasonal cascading waterfalls, a fresh water river flowing close-by and much more!
Help
For 2023, we are looking for volunteer contribution with these skill sets:
• Farming & Gardening the Permaculture Way
The work comprises tree & seed plantation, developing a gardening landscape, tending to vegetable beds, de-weeding, mulching, harvesting, watering trees, composting, general clearing up, & other tasks associated with permaculture farming, and also small DIY gardening projects to improve the overall aesthetics of the place.
• General Maintenance & Housekeeping
We have opportunities for nature enthusiasts to help with farm maintenance, plant-based cooking and other activities. With a varied type of ongoing work at the farm, this is a great learning ground for them to hone their skills in permaculture, architecture, natural healing and natural building.
• DIY Projects (as & when needed)
Carpentry / Painting / Construction / miscellaneous on need and skill basis.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Hindi: Fluent
Accommodation
Free Accommodation – We offer separate accommodation for our male and female volunteers, or one room for couples. This will be in the naturally built Vedic Rooms or bamboo hut, basis availability.
Mattresses, pillows, and sheets would also be provided. However, you could also carry your own sleeping bags and pillows, if you wish to.
Food - Volunteers will be provided with farm grown / locally grown vegetables, raw foodgrains and cooking equipment equivalent to three meals a day, for cooking their own food. Being a plant-based farm, we allow cooking and eating only plant-based meals.
One can also opt for ordering home cooked lunch meals through our on-site caretaker (on self-payment basis and with prior notice).
Power supply & Internet – The farm runs on solar power, so you will have access to electricity and water all through the day, and WIFI availability in common areas.
Most mobile connections get adequate signals in the outdoor spaces at the farm.
What else ...
The farm is located on the foothills in Karjat, about 50 miles from Mumbai, in a very serene, natural environment full of greenery, adjacent to a reserved forest. It overlooks a beautiful 270-degree view of pictorial hills and seasonal cascading waterfalls, as well as a fresh water river flowing close by.
The farm has a naturally preserved forested area, a kitchen garden, herb / flower garden, outdoor kitchen, natural ponds, a towering Machan, huts, tents, toilets, and residential and supporting structures. This natural ecosystem supports human living in a happy, peaceful locale, with least damage to its immediate environment.
The farm is powered by solar panels; all of the lights, borewells and other systems run 24 hours on solar power. There is stainless steel overhead tank which supplies water for the entire farm needs all through. This is a gated and well-fenced farm, buzzing with many ongoing activities. We are constantly working on natural enhancements, seasonal plantation, natural buildings and other similar activities here.
The owners stay at the premises most of the time, and there is a day caretaker, and a night watchman at the farm.
To bring in elements of fun, we plan to do joint cookouts, dabble with DIY pottery, décor and painting projects. We play with the cutest of cats, Tochi and Chibi, run around with the chickens and ducks, soak in the fresh morning sunlight and air, and do so much more.
Contribution Timings
Though we encourage free-flowing work contribution, as per the convenience and preference of the individual; however, we expect the individual to contribute about 25 hours per week to the work activities for 5 days a week, with 2 days off. As per the climate, the suggested timings are as follows during winters
Morning - 8 to 11 AM
Evening - 4 to 6 PM
This time does not include the time spent on cooking for your own / joint meals with other volunteers.
For the rest of the daytime, people are free to spend time playing with animals, spending time on the Machan, reading, or indulging in personal activities.
Age Group
Volunteers should be between 18-40 years of age.
Minimum Stay
We require a minimum 1 week and maximum 6 months stay for volunteers coming to work with us. This is to ensure that the time invested in on-the-job training by us, and the learning time spent by the individual, are both well utilized.
Volunteers can leave early (post lunch) on Saturday, and spend half of Saturday and Sunday, to visit close by hill stations of Matheran, Lonavala, or even explore the cities of Mumbai and Pune. Karjat is well connected to most locations by road and trains.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Yes, we have a high speed WIFI connection available in common outdoor spaces.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (15)
She should be more pro active and learn permaculture / farming and cooking skills in this journey.
We also had good jamming sessions with them, Angela is talented.
They should improve their indian cooking skills :)
Overall we had good time
Shanu and Samayra
They are both honest, hardened helping, social and Multi talented.
Jeremy is good with music and guitars too, we had great time jamming together.
They are also very helpful in cooking, keeping the place clean.
We would recommend them higky to other hosts too.
They… read more
It was our first Workaway and it was a great experience.
We helped in the fields and had the opportunity to plant Papayas and Banana trees on permacultural beds. We adapted our helping hours to suit the sun, so be prepared to get up early if you're working in the fields. 😆
We all cooked together for lunch, and I have to say the… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(5.0)
She should be more pro active and learn permaculture / farming and cooking skills in this journey.
We also had good jamming sessions with them, Angela is talented.
They should improve their indian cooking skills :)
Overall we had good time
Shanu and Samayra
They are both honest, hardened helping, social and Multi talented.
Jeremy is good with music and guitars too, we had great time jamming together.
They are also very helpful in cooking, keeping the place clean.
We would recommend them higky to other hosts too.
They… read more
It was our first Workaway and it was a great experience.
We helped in the fields and had the opportunity to plant Papayas and Banana trees on permacultural beds. We adapted our helping hours to suit the sun, so be prepared to get up early if you're working in the fields. 😆
We all cooked together for lunch, and I have to say the… read more
I enjoyed the outside work and our hosts took good… read more
I was a volunteer for about 10 day on this farmstead, and everything about this experience was magical. Shanu and Samayra are very generous and kind people with a great level of hospitality and organizing skills.
The experience was like a detox for body and soul. We only had… read more
This is an exciting project - the work was purposeful and rewarding, and I hope to get the chance… read more
Wishing them good luck for their future ventures :)
Mostly we worked in the melon beds weeding and building a mud oven which others already started and we finished it. We also had very nice vegan lunch meals prepared by either Shanu, his… read more
We also had a fabulous jamming session with them, where we all played the… read more
We spend most of the working time preparing the the kitchen garden and a constructing the mud oven, that unfortunately we did not had the opportunity to finish. For sure, there is no way of getting bored… read more
