Help develop a self sustainable permaculture farm in Hrvatska Kostajnica, Croatia

  • Favourited 119 times
  • Last activity: 24 May 2023

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    UPDATE 2021/01: My house got damaged in a recent earthquake and it's not safe to live, so I temporarly moved out and won't be hosting for some time. I'm still looking for people who want to be part of the community here (permanently or on a regular basis), feel free to apply if you're interested.

    I'm developing a farm with focus on permaculture, usage of natural materials, cultivation of eco friendly food, energy efficiency and self sustainability.

    I bought the house and surrounding land a year ago and moved in. The house and the land haven't been used for years so currently most of the help consists of clearing the land, putting up a garden, cleaning and renovating the house. The house is in a very poor state, I'm renovating it and making it better each day with the help of workawayers.

    Since one of the longterm goals of this project is self sustainability, we are developing habits of living minimalistically - conserving water, electricity and other resources. You will have a great opportunity to learn how to live with less.

    In longterm I want to form a small community of people who live here permanently, or regularly come to be part of the collective. Applicants are welcome. I'm also looking for a life partner who will join me in this adventure, applicants are welcome too.

    The farm is located near the city of Hrvatska Kostajnica, half an hour on foot (5 minutes with a car) from the beautiful river Una and the border crossing to Bosnia. It's surrounded by wild nature, with lots of birds and other animals... occasionally you can see deers crossing the land.

    When ariving to the place you will be welcomed by my friends - a dog named Pipi and her offsprings: Paso, Tipsi and Pablo. They live near the house in dog heaven.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • 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

    I'm still learning myself, we can learn together, I'm happy to share any knowledge I have aquired so far. Also, I can help you learn Croatian, or anything computer related.

    You will have plenty of opportunities to visit the local area, get to know the rural customs, walk in the woods, go for a swim in the beautiful river Una or visit Bosnia which is just accross the river.

    You will meet my neighbours who are always happy to hang around, share their experiences, offer you wine, rakija or a home made meal.

  • Help

    Help

    Help with gardening, clearing the terrain, landscaping, fencing, house maintainance and renovation, taking care of the dogs.

    Help me complete the greenhouse, help me build a chicken coop, composting toilet, outside shower.

    You'll need working clothes, the chores around the house can get dirty. I can provide some working clothes but I don't have them of every size.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Croatian: Fluent
    Spanish: Intermediate

    This host offers a language exchange
    Aprendo español, hablo bastante para comunicación basica, pero necesito más practica. Puedo ayudarte con croato y inglés. Sin duda vas a aprender la palabra "rakija" :)

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Two bedrooms, both with two beds. One of the beds is for two people (a couple, relatives or close friends can share it), but depending on the circumstances, you might be sharing this room with a third workawayer. You can put up a tent or park a campervan on the land.

    I offer three meals per day using fresh vegetables from the garden and food bought from the locals. You are free to cook it yourself, or we can cook together. I mostly eat vegetarian, but cooking meat dishes is not a problem. We eat zucchini, beans, eggplants, paprika, cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden, and apples from the trees. I provide the rest of the ingredients from the locals or the grocery store but we try to keep it minimalistic. All dietary preferences can be met, including vegetarian, vegan, diabetics and gluten free.

    The farm is under heavy development, so some parts of the house still look more like working areas than houserooms. The essentials (electricity, water, toilet, shower, kitchen) are working and I keep the rooms as clean as possible. The state of the house plus the natural setting around, make it a perfect oportunity to experience a semi-robinsonian lifestyle.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    As a part of the development process I'm experimenting and learning how to use natural and eco friendly resources as much as possible, so you will have the opportunity to learn different applications of natual materials - e.g. how to make eco friendly cleaning liquid and detergent, how to use sheep wool for mulching, cleaning and other purposes, how to make constructions from unprocessed forest wood, extract and work with natural clay...

    P.S. I go by the name Pepe

  • 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

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    I'm a digital nomad myself, working online for more than 10 years. In the house I have ADSL internet connections which is good enough for working, I use it daily for my work. The area in front of the house has Wi-Fi coverage, so you'll have the freedom of working both inside the house and ouside in the nature.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    I have a huge area where many campervans can be parked

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    Pets are welcome. I'm taking care of four dogs myself, so I have no trouble having additional pets running arround. Your pet will live outside and love the beautiful nature here.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 896786367359

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