Help us create an abundant permaculture garden on our family farm in Absberg, Germany

Infos

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  Description

  *** Upcoming activities on our farm! *** UPDATED!
  
  Please ask only about farm visits at the announced timeframes below. Otherwise we are not able to host any volunteers outside these dates.
  
  *** VOLUNTEERS WANTED ***
  
  We are still looking for more people to join us during our September & November Events!
  
  25. Sept - 29. Sept 2024
  
  - Tree planting (setting up an Agroforesty Row and Fruit guilds)
  - Helping in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Build some small wooden structures for rainwater harvesting
  - Building Insect habitats
  - Finishing a small pond
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  - Renovation tasks in the house
  - Preparations for Permaculture Training
  
  04. - 11. Nov 2024
  
  - Tree planting (planting a future proof and diverse forest)
  - Helping in our Foodforest and Agroforest
  - Planting fruit trees
  - Finishing a small pond
  - Maintenance on tools and vehicles
  - Renovation tasks in the house
  
  ***More helping opportunities will be announced later during the year***
  
  About our farm:
  
  Our farm is located in a small village, in the `Franconian Lake District` - `Fränkisches Seenland`, around 30 km south of Nürnberg. For generations our family has specialised mainly in the cultivation of old cherry varieties on high trunks. We have over 200 fruit trees, including 140 cherry trees. Our land is located in a hilly landscape in the middle of orchard meadows and vast forests. The area is about 4 ha (meadows, orchard, pond and forest plots). Our experimental edible food forest was started in Autumn 2019 and covers around 200m². We also started 3 rows of a syntropic agroforest last year.
  
  Our family farm is run by myself, my wife, and my mother on a part-time basis. We try to do most things ourselves, and are supported by friends, when they are available. Unfortunately, we are still far away from self-sufficiency, especially when it comes to time, work, and finances. We are looking forward to committed, interested and flexible volunteers, who like to help with their own hands and bring in their own skills and experience. We are always open to new ideas. In the past years people from different countries and continents have helped on our farm (different parts of Europe, USA, South America, Taiwan, Iraq).
  
  I have spent over two years abroad (mainly in Australia / New Zealand and Southeast Asia). Before that I often travelled to Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and worked there with various NGO`s and aid projects. In 2018, I completed a course titled "Organic Agriculture Trainer" in Switzerland. I also completed courses in Practical Permaculture, Water Management (building ponds and tapping springs) and a Permaculture Design Course with Geoff Lawton in 2021. For the next years I am continuing trainings in the area of Syntropic Agroforestry, Regnerative Agriculture and Permaculture to get my Diploma in Permaculture.
  
  I also support several agricultural projects in the middle east as a consultant. These projects aim to research and develop strategies how to support the local farmers with methods of regenerative agriculture and permaculture.
  
  For almost four years now, an expansion, or extension, has been taking place on our properties. The goal of the transformation and redesign of the site is to get a collection of old, rare and exotic varieties of fruits and vegetables to preserve and propagate them in the long term. In addition, to allow all interested and knowledgeable visitors to visit and exchange information. This can be intensified in the future through various trainings and courses. Furthermore, an area is planned to develop and test various small-scale agricultural projects in a modular way. Here, a cultivation of special crops or old vegetable varieties and different biological cultivation methods are planned.
  
  One of our goals is to eventually be able to live off of the income created by the farm. At this point, any money made does not cover the expenses of running the farm. This is why we are still a non-for-profit farm, and are working to build the infrastructure to make this goal a reality in the future.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We are a mixed cultural household (German, Canadian / Middle Eastern), who have travelled to and lived in many parts of the world. We want this house to be a place where people from all around the world can gather, get to know each other, and share their experiences. So far we have had people staying with us from different parts of Europe, USA, South America, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
  
  In this experience, you can learn the principles and practices of permaculture, including fruit tree pruning, planting, or construction tasks. You can also learn how to improve your life through implementing good habits and nutrition, and healthy, delicious cooking with all-natural ingredients.
  
  We are on the journey of learning how to live sustainably and to take our responsibility of stewardship in creation. We invite you to join us, so that we can all learn from each other.

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  Aide

  Workawayers will be assisting us in the running of the farm, however will not be involved with helping with the produce that we sell (due to regulations). Tasks include setting up ladders for pruning the trees, weeding different areas of the property, caring for the family vegetable garden, re-potting seedlings, planting various trees, herbs and ground cover crops, helping with permaculture methods, particularly in the fruit forest area. In spring and autumn, we focus on planting fruit and nut trees. In winter, we do more renovations in the house, tool maintenance and preparing the farm for winter.
  
  There are many ongoing DIY projects, such as building compost toilets and dry stone walls, and house renovations. Maintenance tasks usually includes repairing tools and the machinery (tractor).
  
  We always have something to do here, but the tasks are too much for us alone. That's why we need you to come alongside us and build up this beautiful piece of land. We are looking to share the experience with others who enjoy the outdoors. We love committed volunteers, and we also know how to celebrate together after a successful day, such as having a campfire or barbecue, or swimming in the nearby lake.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Arabe: Courant
  Allemand: Courant
  Anglais: Courant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
  
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  Hébergement

  We have several guest rooms in our old farm house, from a single room, a twin room and a shared room / living room with mattress / couch sleeping areas. The bathroom and toilet will be shared with the family.
  
  The kitchen is also shared with the family and we prefer to cook and eat our meals together. In summertime we will have some meals outside in the orchard. We try to get regional food and fruits / veggies which are partially grown on our farm. We mostly cook vegetarian meals but can make allowances for non-vegetarians as well. But we are really flexible with cooking especially in regards to allergies.
  
  Internet is also available in our house, but it is not the fastest connection.
  
  We have a strict non-smoking and no-drug policy in our house.

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  Autres infos...

  The next train stations are around 15-20 min away by car and there is no public transportation to or from the village. But we can provide a pick up from the train station upon request. The city of Nürnberg is around 1h away, where you can find museums, the Emperors Castle and many other sightseeing opportunities.
  
  The Altmühl-, Brombach- and Igelsbachsee are each about 15 min away. There are many recreational opportunities such as swimming, boating, surfing, SUP or water skiing or ice skating in winter. You can also rent a bike from us to discover the area around the village. The area also has a lot of scenic views and many hiking paths.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  We are welcoming campervans or motorhomes, but we don`t have electrical power, fresh water or a normal toilet on our main property. So you need to be off grid. But you can use shower / toilet, as well as power and internet in our house.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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