Help us with our non-profit regenerative agriculture project and soil laboratory in Calabria, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Hi, we’re Mario and Chris from Terranima Association.
  
  This is a non-profit organisation working towards the regeneration of soils. We are dedicated to transforming how food is produced, how we care for our ecosystems, and how we care for our physical, emotional and spiritual health.
  
  We have been involved in permaculture and regenerative agriculture for several years, gaining experience in different countries and projects worldwide. After having volunteered ourselves many times we're now building up our own farm and education center in one of the most beautiful parts of Calabria, Italy.
  
  At our project, we are open to host volunteers and/or interns who want to have a hands-on experience in regenerative agriculture. You will gain hands-on experience in producing various types of compost, understanding soil dynamics and the roles of its microorganisms, preventing erosion, sequestering carbon, enhancing plant and tree resilience, and monitoring soil and crops after treatments and techniques are applied—along with much more.
  
  We run a soil laboratory where we carry out biological soil assessments to examine and monitor the soil food web. Our objective is to build healthy soils which help us growing healthy plants and therefore being / staying healthy people ;)
  
  Join us in building a more sustainable future, one rooted in regeneration and community.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Farming

  

  Culture

  

  Events & social

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development
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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

  You will get a chance to learn about permaculture ethics and systems in general, soil biology and regenerative practices in particular. For instance, we might show you how to produce a kick-ass high-quality compost!
  Since we're still busy building up infrastructure it's likely that you'll gain more experience in topics such as woodworking, plastering, painting, etc. and general maintenance of the farm.

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  Help

  We’re looking for self-responsible individuals who share our vision that healthy soils are the base of all life and who can assist us in various tasks, such as gardening (planting, weeding, tending, propagating, harvesting, pruning), implementing erosion control, earthworks (i.e. water retention systems, etc.), compost management, building structures or stone walls, fencing, cooking, harvesting olives (seasonal) and a lot of other fun stuff. If you have special knowledge or skills in a specific area, we might want to learn that from you, too :-)
  
  We offer regular volunteering (minimum three weeks!) in spring and fall (Usually mid-April to mid-June and mid-Sept. to mid-November). We're also offering internships (minimum 2-3 months), which usually corresponds with the volunteering season. An internship is suited for individuals who really would like to dive deeper into every aspect of our work, including lab work and the science of soil management.
  
  We’re eating mostly vegetarian meals (sometimes vegan), but nothing strict or dogmatic. If you have special dietary restrictions, please let us know in advance.
  
  We’d like to have a video call with every applicant before they arrive so we can get to know each other and/or better assess your strengths to make it a pleasurable experience for everybody.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Italian: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  Normally, we'll ask our volunteers / interns to sleep in a tent (which we can provide if you don't have one). The same goes for pillows, sheets, duvets or sleeping bag. There is a fully equipped campsite where you can pitch a tent amongst our olive trees. You will use our wonderful composting toilets and outdoor showers (cold). We've recently integrated a communal outdoor kitchen with a gas stove, fridge and a spacious workspace that all volunteers share, manage and clean self-responsibly.
  
  We usually have lunch together at the main house while breakfast and dinners take place at the outdoor kitchen (covered). There is also a large bench, some chairs, a table and a couch to share meals and free time.
  
  We expect all volunteers / interns to assist each other in keeping the campsite (especially kitchen!) clean at all times as there will be insects and other animals invading the space immediately if they find food scraps or trash openly lying around.
  
  We also have a caravan that we usually sleep couples in, but it's a bit further away from the communal kitchen and it has no water (yet).

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  What else ...

  We believe that Calabria is one of the most underrated regions in Europe in terms of natural beauty, biodiversity and quality of life. It's a perfect place to discover nature, connect with life and with yourself.
  
  The enchanting town of Badolato (Superiore) is definitely worth a visit or two, not just for it’s incredibly good gelato or its pizza but also for its charming inhabitants and romantically narrow alleys (20min. by foot). Depending on the season, there is a small selection of shops (a little supermarket, a pharmacy, a bar) but if you need a bigger selection you'd typically need to go to Badolato Marina.
  To reach Badolato Marina or the beaches you would need to take a local bus (runs ca. 4 times a day) or walk. If we run some errands, we might give you a ride, too.
  
  We are lucky to have endless forests close by, so there are plenty of hiking / biking trails to be found. We can also point you to some beautiful waterfalls that you might want to explore on the weekends. Some of them are not easy to reach without a car but sometimes we visit these places ourselves and might take you with us.
  
  We expect volunteers to book their travel arrangements so that they can arrive in Badolato by themselves. We will gladly pick you up at the train station or anywhere in town. If you arrive by plane in Lamezia, you would typically have to arrive at the airport in the morning to catch the last train to Badolato on the same day. If you arrive in the afternoon, there is also an affordable B&B near Lamezia train station that you can stay and continue travelling to Badolato the next day.

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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 have a space for campervans. Contact us and we will let you know if it is available.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Contact us, it depends largely on your pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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