Creating an off-grid permaculture food forest in the Algarve, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  Hello everyone, my name is Simone, I was born in Italy but lived as an international for two good decades. I studied horticulture and green design between Edinburgh and Milan and worked on several farms and eco-projects. I have recently bought some land in the Algarve region, more precisely 6000 square meters in the concelho of Loulè. At the moment I am creating basic infrastructure (i.e. irrigation system, fence, raised beds, compost heaps, and a strawbale hut).

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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

  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

  I am happy and open to sharing my knowledge about botany, horticulture, landscaping, and permaculture but also to learn from you and your own experience.
  
  At the moment, I am teaching languages to earn a living, so if you are interested in language exchange for Italian, Portuguese, and English, this place could benefit you.

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  Help

  The project is in the very initial stages, I bought the land a year ago, therefore help is needed at 360 degrees, that is, gardening, fencing, building, watering, composting, and clearing up areas for fire protection. I would like volunteers to benefit from their time here, therefore, I would like to be flexible on the hours. The ideal scenario is that you work 2 hours a day in the activities that look more interesting to you. However, food is not included in the exchange. Of course, we can share meals if you like but since I don't make money out of the land I can't provide food for volunteers on a regular basis.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  Portuguese: Intermediate
  Polish: Beginner

  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

  The best accommodation I can offer for the moment is a camping tent, if you have a van you are very welcome to come with it. There is a gas kitchen you can use. I have a very basic off-grid shower, there is no hot water at the moment, however, the water gets heated by the sun in the central hours of the day and as you can imagine temperatures are high in this region during summer therefore hot water is not needed. The toilet is a dry outdoor compost toilet that will ultimately provide humanure every 9 to 12 months.

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  What else ...

  Loulè is a cute Portuguese little town, there is a castle, there is an open market every Saturday and there are also many ceramic artists.
  
  The area around the property is quite beautiful, it's one of the few places where native flora has been preserved, and the views from the hills at sunset are soul-filling. The ocean is 20 km away.

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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

  I have a ZTE router connected to a solar panel plant, the internet speed is around 11 Mbps download and 1.40 Mbps upload. if you have your own router 50 meters away from the land the speed is higher, up to peaks of 50 Mbps download.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  2 hours a day, 5 days a week

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