Help us on our new farm, and learn about regenerative agriculture in Värmland, Sweden

Details

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  Description

  Hi! We, Joakim and Lisa (39 & 40 years old), live with our two children (2,5 and 6,5 years old) on a farm in rural Sweden. Currently we live here with our two cats, 24 chickens, two heifers (cows) and a bull. We are in the process of moving to a farm 30 minutes away and will be spending the winter renovating the new house (using eco-friendly materials) and preparing spaces for our animals at the new farm. We are moving to the small village of Sunnemo close to friends and next to Sunnemo Ecovillage, who we will cooperate with.
  
  We moved from city life five years ago and have started up different projects on our current farm and learnt a lots of new skills since then. Lisa has completed a year long course in Regenerative Agriculture and Holistic Management and is planning for management of the fields with grazing animals. She is longing to get her own milk eventually, for now she's settling with collecting fresh milk from a nearby organic dairy farmer and making her own cheese and kefir. Lisa has also completed a year long course in smale-scale organic gardening (equivalent to market gardening). Aside from that Lisa is a licenced Psychologist and is also dreaming of ways to incorporate her profession with life at the farm.
  
  Joakim's passion lies in Agroforestry and in propagating trees and bushes. He has recently finished a year long course in Agroforestry and is planning for a forest garden near the house and he's also thinking about how to incorporate trees on the bigger fields together with grazing animals. Joakim dreams about starting his own plant nursery. Apart from that Joakim loves striking with his scythe in the summer months and baking sourdough bread throughout the year. Joakim also has an interest in working with clay as a building material and has plans to build a clay bathroom, something he has attended a course in too.
  
  We have made major life changes these past couple of years, from eating a vegan diet to now eating grass-fed meat from small-scale local farms. We have opened up our minds and are more open to different possibilities. We have thought about what really matters to us and are constantly talking about where we are going and making sure we are feeling well. We both practice some kind of yoga.
  
  (We have a total of 14 hectares of land, mostly fields and a small piece of woodland. We have approximately 600sqm of land for gardening and a 60sqm greenhouse. The new farm is of a similar size, but the majority of the land being forest. )

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Culture

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Farming

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Gardening

  

  Music

  

  Animals

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Dancing
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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 you can see in our presentation we have a variety of skills to teach.
  - gardening, growing both annuals and perennials
  - Regenerative Agriculture and Holistic Management
  - Agroforestry
  - schything
  - working with clay as a building material
  - sourdough baking
  - animal care
  - slaughtering of birds
  
  You will also be able to learn more about a life trying to make a smaller footprint and our journey trying to be more circular and live more local. Lisa is also part of the Transition Network and can share her experiences from that, as well as experiences of community gardening and purchasing associations.

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  Au Pair Help

  Further details can be found here

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We have a variety of tasks that we need help with and can adjust them to some extent to your wishes and skills. During this winter (November-February) one of us will spend 2-3 days a week at the new farm and preparing for the animals. Then there will be plenty of time to talk to us undisturbed, and maybe ask any questions you have about our way of life or about our interests /knowledge in Regenerative farming, Agroforestry, Permaculture etc. There we will need the following help:
  - setting up a space for cows and chickens, as well as their food
  - fencing a winter pasture for the cows
  - painting walls with Egg oil tempera paint or linseed paint
  - maybe taking down a wall in the kitchen and building some new cupboards
  - painting kitchen cupboards with linseed paint
  - if there is time, preparing the bathroom for clay
  
  The rest of the week we are at home where we can focus on tasks like:
  - daily care of the animals as well as fencing (we aim to use holistically planned grazing, moving the animals every three days or so), in the winter most of the fencing is prepared in advance
  - cooking, as well as baking and cheese-making
  - playing with the kids (if it works between our kids and you, would only be short periods when we are nearby)
  - clearing out things in our barns, in preparation for the move
  - helping us pack for our move

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Swedish: 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 live in a large house and have a warm guest room upstairs (we are only upstairs in the night so you can have privacy here during the days). The guest room has a queen size bed (140x200cm). There is also a small desk and a small walk-in closet.
  There is WiFi in the whole house, if you need it.
  
  We have one bathroom that we all share (with a shower, toilet and washing machine). There is also an outhouse (separating toilet) outside that can also be used.
  
  We will provide food for you, but you need to prepare your own breakfast. Lunch will usually consist of leftovers or something simple (eggs, sourdough bread, salad) and dinner will usually be a freshly cooked hot meal. Ocassionally you will have to cook your own meals. We buy organic produce as much as possible, local or homegrown when possible and we only eat local grass-fed meat (unless we have meat from our own animals). Joakim regularly bakes sourdough bread. We can arrange for gluten-free options at mealtimes.

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  What else ...

  There is a lake approximately 2 km from our house that we like to go to in the afternoons when it's too hot. We also like to cool in our stream.
  There are plenty of activities around here in the summer, many fleamarkets, art galleries and cafés open. There is a lot of culture in the nearby area (Alma Löv Museum of Unexpected Arts and Selma Lagerlöfs Mårbacka for example) and there are many beautiful hiking opportuinities across the whole of Värmland (where we live). The landscape is varied, with fields, forests and mountains.
  
  We do not have public transport from our house. It is approximately 10km to the nearest bus stop and 17km to the nearest town with a train station (Sunne). Sunne is our nearest town where we have a library, grocery stores, cafés and restaurants (as well as a SPA, bowling, water amusement park).
  
  It can be lonely for kids here occasionally so we appreciate volunteers with their own children, who could play with our children or participate in tasks if they like. We've noticed that our kids are more willing to take part in chores if there are more people involved than just us.
  
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  Our new farm is located 1km from a small village with a grocery store, school and church. From there you can also take the bus to a small town, Hagfors (approximately 20mins away). 2km from our house there is also a bus to a larger town, Karlstad.
  
  The farm is also next to the forest and a lake.

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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

  There is WiFi in the guest room.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have plenty of land.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Several

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