Help us create an abundant permaculture garden on our family farm in Absberg, Germany

Details

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  Description

  *** Upcoming activities on our farm! *** UPDATED!
  
  04. - 09. May 2024
  
  - Working in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Build some habitats for beneficial insects and wild bees
  - Build some small wooden structures for rainwater harvesting
  - Working at veggie beds
  - Finishing a small pond
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  - Renovation work in the house
  
  01. - 07. June 2024
  
  - Working in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Build some habitats for beneficial insects and wild bees
  - Finishing a small pond
  - Harvesting fruits and veggies
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  
  26. June - 01. July 2024
  
  - Pruning of fruit trees
  - Working in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Build some habitats for beneficial insects and wild bees
  - Harvesting fruits and veggies
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  
  31. Aug - 08. Sept 2024
  
  - Pruning of fruit trees
  - Working in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Earthworks around pond
  - Mowing and mulching
  - Construction projects (gabion walls, dry stone walls, wooden structures)
  - Harvesting fruits and veggies
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  - Renovation work in the house
  
  23. Sept - 05. Oct 2024
  
  - Tree planting
  - Working in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Build some small wooden structures for rainwater harvesting
  - Finishing a small pond
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  - Renovation work in the house
  
  05. - 10. Nov 2024
  
  - Tree planting
  - Working in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Build some small wooden structures for rainwater harvesting
  - Finishing a small pond
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  - Renovation work in the house
  
  ***More working opportunities will be announced later during the year***
  
  About our farm:
  
  Our farm is located in a small village, in the `Franconian Lake District` - `Fränkisches Seenland`, around 30 km south of Nürnberg. For generations our family has specialised mainly in the cultivation of old cherry varieties on high trunks. We have over 200 fruit trees, including 140 cherry trees. Our land is located in a hilly landscape in the middle of orchard meadows and vast forests. The area is about 4 ha (meadows, orchard, pond and forest plots). Our experimental edible food forest was started in Autumn 2019 and covers around 200m². We also started 3 rows of a syntropic agroforest last year.
  
  Our family farm is run by myself, my wife, and my mother on a part-time basis. We try to do most things ourselves, and are supported by friends, when they are available. Unfortunately, we are still far away from self-sufficiency, especially when it comes to time, work, and finances. We are looking forward to committed, interested and flexible volunteers, who like to work with their own hands and bring in their own skills and experience. We are always open to new ideas. In the past years people from different countries and continents have helped on our farm (different parts of Europe, USA, South America, Taiwan, Iraq).
  
  I have spent over two years abroad (mainly in Australia / New Zealand and Southeast Asia). Before that I often travelled to Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and worked there with various NGO`s and aid projects. In 2018, I completed a course titled "Organic Agriculture Trainer" in Switzerland. I also completed courses in Practical Permaculture and a Permaculture Design Course with Geoff Lawton in 2021. For the next years I am continuing trainings in the area of Syntropic Agroforestry, Regnerative Agriculture and Permaculture to get my Diploma in Permaculture.
  
  For almost four years now, an expansion, or extension, has been taking place on our properties. The goal of the transformation and redesign of the site is to get a collection of old, rare and exotic varieties of fruits and vegetables to preserve and propagate them in the long term. In addition, to allow all interested and knowledgeable visitors to visit and exchange information. This can be intensified in the future through various trainings and courses. Furthermore, an area is planned to develop and test various small-scale agricultural projects in a modular way. Here, a cultivation of special crops or old vegetable varieties and different biological cultivation methods are planned.
  
  One of our goals is to eventually be able to live off of the income created by the farm. At this point, any money made does not cover the expenses of running the farm. This is why we are still a non-for-profit farm, and are working to build the infrastructure to make this goal a reality in the future.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are a mixed cultural household (German, Canadian / Middle Eastern), who have travelled to and lived in many parts of the world. We want this house to be a place where people from all around the world can gather, get to know each other, and share their experiences. So far we have had people staying with us from different parts of Europe, USA, South America, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
  
  In this experience, you can learn the principles and practices of permaculture, including fruit tree pruning, planting, or construction tasks. You can also learn how to improve your life through implementing good habits and nutrition, and healthy, delicious cooking with all-natural ingredients.
  
  We are on the journey of learning how to live sustainably and to take our responsibility of stewardship in creation. We invite you to join us, so that we can all learn from each other.

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  Help

  Workawayers will be assisting us in the running of the farm, however will not be involved with helping with the produce that we sell (due to regulations). Tasks include setting up ladders for pruning the trees, weeding different areas of the property, caring for the family vegetable garden, re-potting seedlings, planting various trees, herbs and ground cover crops, helping with permaculture methods, particularly in the fruit forest area. In spring and autumn, we focus on planting fruit and nut trees. In winter, we do more renovations in the house, tool maintenance and preparing the farm for winter.
  
  There are many ongoing DIY projects, such as building compost toilets and dry stone walls, and house renovations. Maintenance tasks usually includes repairing tools and the machinery (tractor).
  
  We always have something to do here, but the tasks are too much for us alone. That's why we need you to come alongside us and build up this beautiful piece of land. We are looking to share the experience with others who enjoy the outdoors. We love committed volunteers, and we also know how to celebrate together after a successful day, such as having a campfire or barbecue, or swimming in the nearby lake.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Arabic: Fluent
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We have several guest rooms in our old farm house, from a single room, a twin room and a shared room / living room with mattress / couch sleeping areas. The bathroom and toilet will be shared with the family.
  
  The kitchen is also shared with the family and we prefer to cook and eat our meals together. In summertime we will have some meals outside in the orchard. We try to get regional food and fruits / veggies which are partially grown on our farm. We mostly cook vegetarian meals but can make allowances for non-vegetarians as well. But we are really flexible with cooking especially in regards to allergies.
  
  Internet is also available in our house, but it is not the fastest connection.
  
  We have a strict non-smoking and no-drug policy in our house.

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  What else ...

  The next train stations are around 15-20 min away by car and there is no public transportation to or from the village. But we can provide a pick up from the train station upon request. The city of Nürnberg is around 1h away, where you can find museums, the Emperors Castle and many other sightseeing opportunities.
  
  The Altmühl-, Brombach- and Igelsbachsee are each about 15 min away. There are many recreational opportunities such as swimming, boating, surfing, SUP or water skiing or ice skating in winter. You can also rent a bike from us to discover the area around the village. The area also has a lot of scenic views and many hiking paths.

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  We are welcoming campervans or motorhomes, but we don`t have electrical power, fresh water or a normal toilet on our main property. So you need to be off grid. But you can use shower / toilet, as well as power and internet in our house.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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