Join a daily life on an organic farm in rural Sicily, Montemaggiore Belsito, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Hello to everybody,
  I'm Baptiste, a 28 year old German farmer. Since I'm 18 I have been combining organic farming with travelling. During this time I experienced great adventures in different countries. I was planning to do another 3 years of travelling, before getting settled. But as life sometimes goes I fell in love withe a small town in Sicily.
  Right now I am taking over a organic farm in Montemaggiore Belsito. There are cows, donkeys, horses and chicken. In the future I will produce fruits and vegetables as well. Important to me are biodiversity projects to improve the sustainability. For this aspects I will be looking for help. With the possibility to get involved in the daily farm life. The village is very authentic and the inhabitants are extremely welcoming. I came here myself only a few months ago and became quickly a respected member of the community. We have enormous meadows for the animals. So they can live peacefully and I want to share this. The huge contrast to industrial farming, is inspiring. Right now I work together with the owner of the farm until he retires. In the next months there will be friends joining me to work as partners. On the farm there is no hierarchy but motivated and idealistic people working together.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Farming

  

  History

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Hiking

  

  Camping
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I'm very well integrated in the small town Montemaggiore Belsito where I live. Especially in the summer time there is lots of events, concerts etc taking place. Everybody can participate and enjoy for example traditional festivities. Most of the time there is a big procession and a gathering. Some of my friends try to improve their English so the will be glad to get the possibility. They helped me learning the Sicilian and Italian language. I would love to stay in contact with the travelling community, as it has been my lifestyle for several years.

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  Help

  Volunteers interested in getting to now a real farm experience can choose between taking care of the chickens, planting trees and taking care of them as well as growing vegetables. This activities take place in one location where I work as well and will be present to join forces or concentrate on individual projects. As long as my Sicilian college is maintaining the cows some Italian knowledge would be necessary to get involved. He is an easy going person that gave my this incredible opportunity to manage a farm. As I have been a volunteer myself for a long time, I would love to share all my knowledge not just about farming but sustainable travels as well.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Italian: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  Exchanging ideas in different languages is interesting and keeps the mind focused. On the other hand I don't know if I will have a lot of time to teach you any language skills. Honestly I wanna use my skills especially for exchange and deeper connections with people that aren't speaking English fluently.
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  Accommodation

  There will be a personal space inside a building. Right now a room I will be renting especially for your stay. So a good communication about the time schedule of your stay will be important. In the future I will acquire a house with enough rooms to accommodate volunteers. In the town there are several spots where you get a free WiFi connection. Antonio doesn't eat breakfast and I don't always take the time as well, so you will have to organise yourself and ask for the required components. Lunch and dinner can be eaten together or individual and we provide the food. If you show the people here your interest in their way of life, I assume you will get invited to share meals with neighbours and friends.

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  What else ...

  We are half an hour away from the sea. With public transport you can get to Cefalu in an hour. During the summer there is a cheap bus taking you back later, leaving enough time for a nice bath or exploring the city. Around Montemaggiore you can go hiking in the hills with great views on the madonie mountains. There are different sport activities possible like paddle, soccer or using an outside training area.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  

  There are chicks for eggs and roosters are butchered for the meat

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