Learn about Agroforestry and Holistic Management on a family farm near Sunne, Sweden

Details

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  Description

  Hi! We, Joakim and Lisa (38 years old), live with our two children (aged 1 and 5 years) on a farm in rural Sweden. Currently we live here with our cat Frank, 13 chickens and 5 ducks.
  
  We moved from city life three and a half years ago and are slowly starting up different projects on the farm and learning lots of new skills. Lisa has recently finished a year long course in Regenerative Agriculture and Holistic Management and is planning for management of the fields with grazing animals. She is longing for cows and 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. However, we are planning on taking on two small calves this summer. 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 is currently attending 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 nearby 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. )

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  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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  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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  Help

  We have a variety of tasks that we need help with and can adjust them to some extent to your wishes and skills.
  Here are some examples of ongoing tasks we need help with:
  - daily care of the animals as well as when they have chickens and ducklings
  - gardening (sowing, transplanting, planting out, weeding, watering, covering the beds, harvesting, storing)
  - plantation and maintenance of perennials (weeding, pruning, watering)
  - making composts
  - cooking
  - childcare (if it works between our kids and you, would only be short periods when we are nearby)
  - foraging (berries and mushrooms, later part of the summer)
  - chopping wood
  - putting up fencing
  - small carpentry work
  
  Here are some projects we have in the pipe-line:
  - preparing for cows
  - painting the barns
  - painting outdoor furniture
  - restoring our earth cellar
  - clay bathroom
  - forest garden
  - making a pond
  - improving living accomodation for volunteers (a small deck as well as separating toilet just outside).

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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 have a guest house that consists of a single room. The guest house has a single bed (80x200cm) that can be extended to make a double bed. There are two drawers under the bed for storage as well as a large chest of drawers.
  
  There is electricity and two radiators. We can arrange for internet access and are in the process of building a kitchenette consisting of a small fridge, a hob and a zink with running cold water. We can also arrange a microwave if needed.
  
  You will have access to our bathroom in the main house (we only have one bathroom, so this will be shared). There is also an outhouse (separating toilet) in the chicken coop and an outdoor shower. Most of the year it is also possible to take a dip in our stream.
  
  We will provide food for you. Breakfast is eaten separately (i.e. you prepare your own breakfast in your house), lunch will usually consist of leftovers or something simple (eggs, sourdough bread, salad) and dinner will usually be a newly 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. 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 creativity in the nearby area 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 son (5 years) or participate in tasks if they like. We've noticed that our son is more willing to take part in chores if there are more people involved than just us.

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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

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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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