Help on a sustainable farm, near Vancouver BC, Canada

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  • Last activity : 2 Oct 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Situated on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Gibsons, near Vancouver, British Columbia our organic farm offers a full range of farming activities. We engage in sustainable practises and are continually learning and experimenting as we go. We are definitely out of the box 😊. We farm between 2 locations in Gibsons....the home base which is a 2.75 acre farm and an 8.5 acre farm about 3 km away.

    Our farm animals put a smile on your face when you realize they've succeeded in yet another shenanigan. We enjoy a full community of animal species who all offer their own quirky personalities. Our community consists of emus, geese, chickens, ducks, quail, budgies, sheep, goats, llama and dog. If you love animals you'll love these characters 😉 we usually have our young ones born in spring so if you come spring season you'll be able to participate in their childhood and teenage years as they grow up.

    Other farm activities include preparing the soil using sustainable recycled organic material (I.e. Manure and compost) and planting the outdoor garden areas and 9000 sq foot greenhouse with seedlings that were started in our grow room. Of course there is always weeding and garden maintenance through the season involved but we try to minimize this task with the use of mulch.

    We are in a fantastic location on a main route of farms that most locals and tourists alike drive by when they come off the ferry from Vancouver. So if you enjoy people many stop at our farm gate stand to purchase produce. If you have a flare for design our farm gate building is waiting for you and your creative abilities. Greeting customers is a wonderful way to practise English if you'd like or if you are a social person and need some extra conversations.

    There is always a project on the go as well. The larger 8.5 acre farm was purchased in 2016 so we have a lot of infrastructure yet to implement. Currently we are working on fencing and electrifying it to protect the animals from predation. We also need a several post and beam lean to structures built for animal shelters throughout the property so if you're handyman or builder inclined we'd really appreciate your skills. We do all our own building so even if you don't have the knowledge already you can work with Tom to learn.

    If you're someone who likes to work with wood and want a specific project to dig into there is also a cedar deck that needs finishing ....laying the deck boards. It's mostly complete and just needs a bit more work. There is also a bathroom that needs to be built so if you're into construction and can do any or all of the building process.....frame, insulate, wire electric, drywall, plumb pipes and fixtures, tile ....that would be great.

    The farming lifestyle is hard work. This is important to express. During your work times we ask that you don't use your cell phones. We ask that you focus on the task at hand and give it your best effort. We have so much much to do and prefer that workawayers come prepared to work hard 25 hours per week...5 hours per day 5 days per week. This also means that if you want to work at our farm you have appropriate work clothes and don't mind getting your hands dirty. Sometimes projects can be worked on together but many times tasks need to be performed on your own and at your own pace. We need to trust and feel good about your work ethic. We prefer if you have some experience because we are not able to spend intensive time teaching and overseeing workawayers during the entire 5 hours per day.

    During your stay you can expect breakfast and lunch to be more self serve using fresh homemade bread and leftovers from the night before. We encourage participation in the dinner meal because we find this is a time to really connect and share our lives and experiences with each other. We enjoy getting to know you and learning about your background, experiences and culture. It's fun to share cooking tasks and recipes because this is part of the cultural experience. Eating food that is grown at our farm and healthy food in general with tons of vegetables is very important to us. We do eat include meat at most of our dinner meals so if you are vegetarian you will especially need to participate in preparing the meals to ensure you have all your nutritional requirements met.

    We look forward to relaxing times together and hanging out after our work day is done. Of course we know you want to explore the Sunshine Coast and can definitely answer questions and get you pointed in the right direction. Buses tend to run with the ferry schedule which is every couple hours... And more often in the summer season. You can google Sunshine Coast transit to find the exact scheduling. Both farms are within 5-10 minute walk of local buses.

    We'd love to hear from you and welcome the opportunity to co-create and participate in each other's lives along the path of lifelong learning.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    General Maintenance
    Farmstay help
    Help with Eco Projects
    Animal Care
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Learn organic and ecologically sustainable farming practises, methods and philosophy.

  • Help

    Help

    Some qualities and experience we are looking for....

    Hard working reliable trustworthy workerawayers who are prepared for farm work.
    People who are serious about learning sustainable farming practises.
    Skilled tradespeople who can build and work with wood with very little instruction.
    People with an aptitude for building and hands on work but may need more instruction and guidance.
    People who are fix it handyman types.
    People who love, understand and can function on gut instinct with farm animals. The animals need to be fed, opened and closed up each day. Their stalls, barns, coops etc need to be cleaned on a regular basis as well.
    People who enjoy growing food and are prepared to work hard and get your hands dirty. This is a farm with large greenhouses and fields so there is a lot of work to do on an ongoing basis in season.
    People who have a creative flare to design/set up farm gate store.
    Possibly someone who has marketing skills.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    The home farm was built and run as a bed and breakfast almost 15 years ago so it's set up very comfortably for house guests. Wifi is available at the home farm.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    The Sunshine Coast is a major destination because of its close proximity of a 40 minute ferry sailing from Vancouver. The scenery is spectacular...the several small communities along the Coast are surrounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It's perfect if you enjoy fishing, boating, hiking and are an outdoor nature enthusiast.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    This host can provide space for campervans.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 781343824439

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