Profile information
Host rating
70 %
Last replied
15 Apr 2024
Reply rate
57.1 %
Usually responds within 6 days
Feedback
20
Email verified
Badges (1)
Details
Description
• Dear volunteer,
We are Ioana and Marc and together with our two boys (12 and 10 years old) we live on an almost fully renovated farm, near the beautiful historical city of Lier (Belgium).
On our field we grow a great variety of vegetables, fruit and flowers, applying principles of permaculture. Our focus is to produce and sell diversified healthy organic food while maintaining a balance with our environment. We aim at (re) building an agro-ecological ecosystem and next to plants and trees also host honeybees, chicken and sheep.
We are strongly community oriented and over the years we built a supportive network of volunteers, friends and clients (community supported agriculture) to help with the busy planting and harvesting moments.
Our non-profit organization is centered on strengthening our relations to Nature and re-establishing a balance between human activities and our habitat. As an NGO we are providing “back to nature” experiences for people in need of re-sourcing.
The main work as a volunteer will be field tasks such as sowing, weeding, planting or harvesting. If you are enthusiastic to get more experience in organic farming and love spending time in Nature amid the plants, this is for you. We offer you a cosy room (great for a couple or that may be shared with another volunteer) or a caravan. Both have acces to a fully furnished kitchen where you can show your cooking talents with our products.
What you will enjoy if you come to stay with us:
- our location in the middle of the fields, tucked away from the “maddening crowd”
- the wild deer regular visiting the farm
- bird-sighting on our special bird conservation field
- sightseeing in the historical city centers of Lier (6km), Mechelen (12 km) or Antwerp (16km)
- we are 2 km from the train station with good connections to the rest of Belgium and Europe.
- outdoor activities: horseback riding in the neighbouring club, rowing and kayaking on the river Nete in Lier, long walks and bike rides (special tracks)
We look forward to welcoming you here!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are located near Lier, a charming medium sized town with plenty of beautiful period houses and cobbled streets. You can learn a lot over European history from the traces it left in Lier. You can also enjoy biking, canoeing and rowing on the Nete river and the North sea is not far away.
You can practice your French, Dutch, Romanian or English with us.
Help
We are providing education about organic food, agroforestry, medicinal herbs and farm animals (bees, chicken and sheep) as well as training and practice opportunities in organic and permacultural gardening. You can help with planting and maintaining the cultivated areas, with saving seeds and with animal husbandry. You can help with building and maintaining features such as chicken coop, sheep shed, tool shed, hotbeds, compost bins, dry toilet, building with straw bales etc. If you have a drivers license, you can help with driving and delivering supplies.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Romanian: Fluent
German: Intermediate
Italian: Beginner
Accommodation
We have a room with own entrance and a caravan. A fully installed kitchen is also available where you will be able to cook and eat meals at your convenience. We provide a weekly share of vegetables, fruit and eggs.
What else ...
We provide a bike so that you can go explore Lier and surrounds. We highly recommend the tennis courts next to the Beguinage and the skate park in Lier. We are located 10 minutes away from a train station from which you can take a train to Antwerp or Brussels or the North Sea!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
5 hours/day 5 days a week
Feedback (15)
Was winter time, so cold weather.
I liked the multi-tasking, my room, kitchen and surrounding area.
In the middle of January was boring baby sheep's, I was care about them, too much. Aphrodite (She sadly left) and Fortuna makes me tired, but really happy. I miss her, so much. My baby.
Was nice experience in… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.7)
Cultural exchange:
(4.3)
Communication:
(4.0)
Was winter time, so cold weather.
I liked the multi-tasking, my room, kitchen and surrounding area.
In the middle of January was boring baby sheep's, I was care about them, too much. Aphrodite (She sadly left) and Fortuna makes me tired, but really happy. I miss her, so much. My baby.
Was nice experience in… read more
Our jobs on the farm were preparing beds for planting, removing weeds and compost, we… read more
Each day there are orders to pick and collate so we learned about different produce and how it is grown in an organic environment.
There is a nice kitchen provided for Workawayers and lots of fresh produce to consume.
The… read more
From the first day Ioana welcomed me very well and she made sure that I didn't miss anything. Whenever I needed something I knew that Ioana would help me. As for the work, at first it was a bit hard for me but then I got used to it, Ioana was always… read more
The bedroom and the bathroom are very confortable, you have a big space. You have your own kitchen, so I used to eat alone, because I was the only workawayer at this moment (February). But we also shared some meals together, and very… read more
So, I would recommend with some reservations:
As some… read more
Great places to sleep in, well fed, great apprentissage from Ioana about plants, soil, activism and lots more.
Thank you Mark for the great stories :)
I recommend everyone who wants to feel alive, learn about plants, and animals to go there. But… read more
It was a really enjoyfull farm expirience with this wontherfull persons and animals!!! All the time learning a lot of things, having super nice coversations.
The place is confortable and with a great view. The weather was wontherfull, sometimes hot and other times rain. We shared some beutyfull meals… read more
