Norway
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07th July 2020:
We could sure use a carpenter. Uwe has injured himself, and our building project has stopped because of it.
Due to the Corona virus, we currently only accept volunteers who are already in Norway, Finland, Iceland or Denmark, according to the current travel restrictions in Norway.
There are no animals at the farm at the moment, apart from Leo the cat. We are going to repair, fix, develop the infrastructure and bring everything up to par before getting new goats and horses. This process will probably take a year or two.
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Here is our story:
In December 2016, our family bought an old farm that hadn't been in operation for a while. Now we have goats, horses, chicken and cats. (Our horses and chicken are currently elsewhere until we have built the new stable and chicken coop). Now our organic and sustainability development project has begun at one mountain farm with buildings in need of restoration and a coastal farm with no buildings and strawberry plants. We aim to try various organic, environmental-friendly and innovative ways of operating a farm in harmony with nature, and in time produce everything we need. The long term goal is to be off-the-grid. Any idea may trigger activity. :-)
We aim to utilize as much of the farms's natural resources as possible, and only buy other material when necessary.
Volunteers will have food, accommodation and clothes for helping around provided for free.
Due to being in a critical phase or establishment where things have to happen within a given time, we accept volunteers with at least some experience, who have learned to take care of themselves, have good personal routines and are able to contribute to the team in a positive way. Building up a project like this involves physical tasks, and you need to be fit for the tasks at hand, or be able to build up the strength while you are here. You also need to have a good command of the English language to be able to understand instructions and communicate well during teamwork.
The farm is located in a valley at the foot of the Lyngen Alps in North-Norway, with abundant opportunities for hiking, skiing and horseback riding. Not far from here is a husky farm who offer tours. Midnight Sun in the summer and Northern Lights in the Fall and Winter.
No smoking & no tobacco policy on the entire farm, not at all, in any form, or anywhere. If you smoke, you need not apply.
We do not serve alcohol in our home, and do not want alcohol consumption on our property. What you do when you're off the farm, we don't mind. Just as long as you show up for work sober and with a clear head. :-)
We currently do not host vegetarians, vegans or anyone requiring special diets, as we do not have the capacity to make special provisions during the establishment stage.
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
Farmstay help
Help with Eco Projects
Help around the house
"Muscle tasks": Organic farming, recycling, harvesting resources to use on the farm, felling trees and demolishing & constructing buildings and structures, how to use tools, safety while performing tasks, language and caring for animals.
"Household help": Various kinds of cooking, including non-vegetarian, vegetarian, raw food, harvesting and using local resources.
"Brain work": Project brain storming and idea testing. People with the right skills will have opportunities in this field when we are through the bulk of the establishment stage.
"Language": You will have access to our online language resources to learn Norwegian.
"Cultural Exchange": We are LDS (Christian), and welcome people of any religion and nationality for an interesting experience learning from each other, expanding our horizons.
In general, getting the farm up and running after many years of stillstand. We moved here and took over in December 2016, and practically everything needs fixing and replacement. This will take a few years. Then onwards to the project, which includes several new structures and nutrient resource management (sustainability).
Generally:
1) We need someone to feed us, so cooking and taking care of the household is an important task.
2) Animal care. Milking, feeding, cleaning the stables. Producing woodchips. Fencing.
3) Infrastructure: Bushes and trees have taken over, so here is quite a bit to do to clear fields and farm roads, hiking trails etc.; felling trees, clearing bushes, producing firewood, woodchips and timbre for building things. We have a sawmill, wood machine and chipping machine and are able to do all these things on the farm.
4) Summer season field help, harvesting and strawberry picking.
5) Demolition, construction & renovation; Tearing down parts of buildings, setting up new structures, repairing parts of building structures, fixing all buildings and getting all functions up and running. Building chicken coop, outdoor shelters for horses, goats and small animals, a stable, storage sheds, fencing etc..
6) Fixing of farm vehicles and machinery in winter.
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Norwegian: Fluent
We have two farmhouses, of which the old one is used as accommodation for our guests. It needs some fixing, but the bedrooms on the second floor are quite all right. It has two stories, five bedrooms, a kitchen, livingroom, bathroom and washing room. There is also a cabin and the possibility of camping out in a camping trailer, tent or snow cave or earth hut. Take your pick, or try them all! :-)
Our farm farm is located in a high valley at the foot of the Lyngen Alps, with ample opportunities for outdoor exploring and activities both winter and summer! The small metropolitan city of Tromsø is an hour's drive away, and there are swimming pools and alpine skiing slopes with ski lifts one to three hour's drive in either direction. Free riding on pristine snow is possible on most mountains in the area. Berries, herbs and mushrooms can be harvested and munched directly from the plant in the summer and fall. visitnorway.no has listings of organized and independent activities in our region.
Sand farm is located on the coast on the Malangen peninsula. This is where we will experiment with plant production, including strawberries, potatoes, grain and forestry. There is a sea house in dire need of renovation. Sand is located about an hour's drive from the farm and from Tromsø.
Public transportation in the form of (rare) buses. The bus stop is 7 km from the farm. Most people here drive around by car.
We trust our helpers to keep track of their own time and coordinate their days off with the other volunteers, so that there is always enough people on duty to take care of the animals and tasks in a good way. Volunteers are in charge of making something out of the ample food we provide (cooking/baking/meals), keeping the household in order, clean their work clothes, boots, rooms and bed sheets and do their own laundry. When everyone contributes, this works very well and everyone's happy.
We are generous people and share what we have. We do not abuse our workers and ask the same in return.
We currently have only a cat. Our goats contrived a disease from the neighbour's sheep. All of them had to be sent to slaughter since there is no cure. Horses and chicken are elsewhere, since we don't have proper buildings for them yet.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
More than two
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
