Off-grid permaculture farm on in Cocle del Norte, Panama

Details

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  Description

  My name is Sarah, and I am the owner/operator of the ecoresort and farm, which i have been developing since 2017. As a passionate traveler and DIY enthusiast, I have created a unique eco-resort where our main income comes from renting out cabanas. Alongside this, we run a permaculture farm to generate food for the resort and to donate to our workers and local community. The farm would greatly benefit from additional expertise.
  
  I have two dedicated part-time workers from the local fishing village and several occasional helpers, all of whom have been with me for several years. They handle the heavy maintenance tasks around the resort and assist with guest services like cleaning cabanas and work in the kitchen. Volunteers will not be expected to perform these duties but will instead contribute their skills to enhance our farm's productivity, set up a hydroponics system, beautify our facilities through artistic endeavors, and assist with social media and marketing.
  
  I am specifically looking for long-term volunteers who are genuinely interested in helping us improve our operations. Really, unless you are interested in staying at least two months, perhaps even alone at the resort, then this is probably not a good option for you. Our local caretakers would still be there daily, but I may need to spend time in the city. I can provide basics like rice, beans, produce from the farm, and there is a basic supplies store in the fishing village (dry and canned goods, fresh local produce, eggs, sometimes chicken or pork from local farmers). That is a 45 minute walk away (which is where our workers live). You could walk there yourself, or pay one of our workers to bring things to you.
  
  We are OFF-GRID ... there is no road access to our resort, so transport to and from is neither easy nor cheap. There are public busses from Panama City to the boat dock we use, and shared boats can occasionally be found for $30 per person, but both require strong Spanish skills, a bit of fearlessness and a lot of patience. If I have my own travel, or that for guests, already arranged, a volunteer can participate in that at no charge, but a private boat is $180 one way.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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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

  As owners living permanently on-site—one American and one Panamanian—you'll have ample opportunities to learn Spanish! Basic Spanish skills are sufficient for success here. Our guests typically include Americans and Europeans as well as some local Panamanians who visit on weekends. Volunteers may occasionally be invited to join paying guests but should consider themselves part of the staff.

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  Help

  We are primarily seeking assistance with enhancing food production on our permaculture farm. Additional smaller projects may involve resort maintenance, social media marketing, and animal care (horses and chickens).
  
  Volunteers must possess expert level experience in at least one area:
  
  1. Permaculture farming in tropical environments (crops like yuca, plantains, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, citrus fruits).
  2. Social media and marketing.
  3. Woodworking and building help.
  4. Solar and/or water systems.
  
  While we offer a beautiful location on a private Caribbean beach cove surrounded by rainforest, this opportunity is not a free beach vacation; it requires meaningful contributions to our farm, facilities, or business. We are entirely off-grid—local produce can be purchased in the nearby fishing village 45 minutes away by foot, while access to Panama City is a two-hour drive from our boat dock.
  
  This setting is perfect for graduate students in permaculture or sustainable agriculture or experienced permaculture experts. OR graduate students in business and marketing, or online marketing professionals looking to contribute meaningfully while enjoying their free time exploring the area. We genuinely welcome members of the LGBTQ community, though it is important to note that the local culture does not readily accept same sex couples, so it would be important that such a relationship be just "as friends" in front of our helpers.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Beginner
  Chinese (Mandarin): Beginner

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  Accommodation

  Volunteers will stay in a basic mini-apartment behind our social area featuring twin bunk beds and a kitchenette with essential amenities. It is rustic and open to the rainforest on one side, and has access to the toilets, sinks and showers in the social area. During low season, volunteers may stay in one of our beachfront cabanas when available.
  
  Short-term volunteers working only a few hours per day should bring their own food and use our community kitchen equipped with a refrigerator and freezer. A small store selling basics is located 40 minutes away on foot, and our regular workers are happy to bring you supplies for a small service fee ($5 for small backpack worth of provisions carried to you!). We provide unlimited clean drinking water and access to laundry facilities. Longer-term volunteers (20+ hours per week) will receive basic food staples such as rice and canned goods along with fresh produce from the farm, but would need to provide their own food and drinks beyond that.
  
  Volunteers who will contribute only 10 to 15 hours per week are expected to provide their own food. Those who will contribute 20 to 25 hours per week will have their meals provided. Unlimited fresh drinking water is provided in all cases.

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  What else ...

  For the right person, It offers a magical experience—a dream come true! Since moving here permanently in 2022 after gradually developing the property since 2017, we opened our eco-resort in January 2023. Our land includes six hectares of diverse ecosystems: beachfront dedicated to the resort, land for our home and farm, horse pasture, and untouched rainforest.
  
  We have local workers available for tasks like digging holes or gathering manure; however, we seek volunteers who can provide advanced knowledge in crop placement, companion planting, fertilization techniques, etc., as we currently rely on traditional methods used by locals.
  
  This opportunity could evolve into a long-term caretaker role with room and board for those committed to contributing significantly to growth while enjoying all that this stunning location has to offer!

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  Yes Please! We offer high-speed Starlink satellite internet both at our home and in the social area. Ideal volunteers are those who wish to live in paradise while working online and contributing to our facilities' improvement or marketing efforts.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Our property is a doggie heaven, and our own dog would be glad to have another pal ... assuming any newcomer accepts that the cats rule the property, and the chickens are not for chasing.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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