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10 Jan 2025
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Description
--- PLEASE READ 'WHAT ELSE' (below) BEFORE APPLYING ---
Our not-for-profit project is the brainchild of Paul & Yvonne, a Dutch couple (in our early 60’s) who emigrated to the South of France in late 2022, to get out of the corporate rat-race and become self-sufficient in food, water and energy.
We have bought a 5ha 'green valley', surrounded by forests, in the South-West of France, close to Montauban (50 km north of Toulouse), to build our farm/food-forest, based on near-to 100% renewable (solar) energy and near zero-waste!
Based on the concepts and ideas of Stefan Sobkowiak, we are building a permaculture orchard with a large variety of nut and fruit trees and various species of berries and herbs. All our 1-year edible food (salads/tomatoes etc.) is available from our ‘no-dig’ vegetable garden. A part of the valley is for a small animal-friendly farm with a rare breed of pigs, 2 donkeys, 3 Dexter cows, 7 hens, 6 ducks, our 2 dogs and 2 pigs from summer 2025 onwards.
With more than 30 volunteers since early 2023, we have managed to build almost all infrastructure for the animals and plant 250 trees and shrubs in the orchard.
We hope you will join us on this mission! Paul & Yvonne
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Being experienced in life and international environments we can help with languages, help understanding cultural differences (work and life) and encourage some soul-searching. We are parents to two mid 20-ers so we have seen most of it, first or second hand.
Help
For Spring 2025 it is mostly:
1) planting / seeding vegetables in greenhouse / polytunnel and veg.beds
2) planting and weeding the orchard
3) compost making
4) cutting trees - making wood chips
5) caring for our dogs, chickens, ducks, cows and donkeys.
6) building a donkey stable
7) improving the shade system for the soft fruit shrubs
8) making (concrete) floors for cows/pigs/donkeys in the stables/feeding area's
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
We are fluent in 3 languages (and Yvon is even a teacher for expats in Dutch-English) and we would love to learn better French.
Accommodation
For our guests we have 2 modern rooms (approx. 24 m2 each) with kingsize beds in each room; a shared bathroom w shower/bath for the 2 guest rooms. All meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) are shared 'family' meals with a typical French lunch with fresh croissants (weekends) and eggs from our own chickens .... (all free of course).
What else ...
Please describe in your application:
- why you want to work on a farm and what your own ambition / view is in farming and permaculture or at least what you already know and want to learn more of (permaculture specific);
- what your views are on climate-change and what you are doing yourself to lower your carbon-footprint;
- what other Workaway projects you are doing before or after visiting us.
Please note we DO NOT host under 2 weeks and rarely more; unless you make us change our mind .... ;)
Our eco-farm/orchard is in a secluded, private valley, although only 5 minutes by bicycle to the town of Monclar-de-Quercy (with some basic shops, pharmacy, bakery and a small supermarket). At less than ½ hour are the beautiful medieval cities of Montauban and Albi. Nearby are many towns with lovely farmers markets, with the one in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val being the most famous one. The Mediterranean is a 3 hr drive, as is the Atlantic and it is also only 3hrs to the Pyrenees. We can provide 2 e-bicycles.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a separate room on the ground floor which can be used 'as an office' some hours of the day, the guest rooms are private with adequate seating. The Wifi is high-speed fiber.
Space for parking camper vans
Free parking on site (facilities with water and 220V in-house).
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (19)
A stay at this farm is an immeasurable learning and familial experience. By the end of my 3 weeks with Paul and Yvonne I felt like a part of the family. It’s important to come into this experience yearing to learn. With an open mind, you will not only leave the farm with a new set of skills and knowledge about… read more
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Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
A stay at this farm is an immeasurable learning and familial experience. By the end of my 3 weeks with Paul and Yvonne I felt like a part of the family. It’s important to come into this experience yearing to learn. With an open mind, you will not only leave the farm with a new set of skills and knowledge about… read more
Highlights for us were that they are very organised and hardworking, so we were able to get many projects completed in just two weeks. They are very knowledgeable and share their experiences freely. The rooms were extremely comfortable and the property itself is beautiful.
Our projects were varied… read more
had the chance to develop many new skills in working with machines such as drills and a chainsaw. We helped for maximum 5 hours a day and e.g. cleared a space in their garden from brambles and rose bushes or build a shed for the donkeys. Most of our stay we… read more
My stay with Paul and Yvonne was extremely relaxing and invigorating.
There is a great diversity of activities to be carried out around permaculture, breeding or autonomous housing.
I would particularly like to thank you for your kindness and your attentiveness, I hope I have not been a burden for you during this… read more
We felt at home as soon as we stepped into their amazing house, we learned a ton of new things, like painting (outside and inside), building the mediterranean garden and a scaffold. We had so… read more
Their dedication to have a positive impact is very inspiring. I loved the fact that everything was thoughtfully planned and executed. They did an amazing job in transforming their place in a really short time.
Yvonne and Paul… read more
Kindhearted, funny and passionate which is infectious, their passion for the land and the task at hand is noteworthy!
The task/work can be different from day to day, but really nice and rewarding 🤠
I would… read more
In our time there we worked as a team to level the ground, build a polytunnel and greenhouse, build terraced raised beds, assemble a chicken run, put up a tree swing in the old oak, build rainwater collection plus lots of other… read more
Leurs projets sont vraiment géniaux et il y a beaucoup à faire.
Durant notre passage… read more
