Organic & B.D / Permaculture project

[_e_]

I have recently become involved in a local farmers market, and am spearheading a new community activation project, revolving around organic and biodynamic food and medicine production. There is an opportunity for people whom are interested in such things, to come get involved and live/stay with us in return for input/labour. Basically woofing, but with more of an emphasis on people whom wish to train/learn and are already passionate and interested in plants and food/medicine production. It goes a little something like this.

I have always been interested in sustainable/self sufficient living, and from a very early age, i was accustomed to more alternative community based lifestyles. From the age of thirteen i have been growing and collecting ethnobotanicals. My capacity to honour these two aspects of my self has been severely limited by my living environment and health.

About a year ago, i took on the lease for a large (100acre) property, of lush Caldera Rainforest within the surrounds of Mt Warning (Wollumbin). Since living here, myself and my kin have put a lot of time and energy into improving the gardens and house. I have also been enjoying the best health ive experienced in many many years, and i am generally much happier in life, as a result of a lot of hardwork and healing finally paying off.

I have been quite active in the plant world for this past 18 mths, and have established some herb and vegie gardens, and a small nursery setup, here, on our rental property.

I have also been renting and utilising a hall/studio that is on the property, for weekly and monthly classes and workshops in spiritual healing practices such as Yoga, Martial arts, Breathwork, subtle energies e.t.c.

This year we have taken over the lease for this space in a more formal manner, which is a considerable financial and energetic commitment, in the hope that we can offer a range of different classes, workshops and retreats. In taking on this lease, i hope to be in service to the local and wider community, through providing accessible and integral spiritual and cultural enrichment through a variety of different activities. As part of this, i had invisioned establishing some medicine and food gardens on the property, and doing some Biodynamic permaculture workshops, and other such plant culture initiatives.

I have also become increasingly interested in large scale organic food and medicine production, in response to the increasing need for food securities and what i percieve to be the process of preperation for the collapse of 'the system' as we know it.

About 2.5 mths ago, i recieved a phone call late one evening, alerting me to the possibility to get involved in managing a local organic market garden. 8.00 the next morning, i drove 10 minutes up the road, further down into the cradle of the caldera, to visit the gardens and talk to the property owner and resident permaculture guru. He is a 73yr old german permaculture/gardening enthusiast, whom has completely re-habilitated his 100+acre property, from its original state as a devestated bannana plantation. 20 years and 40,000 trees later, the property is now a lush, abundant, prime example of what can be done, and how quickly (and for the most part, on the back of one mans determination, passion, vision and bloody hard work). As much as his spirit and will are still impressivly strong, his body is winding down in its capacity to meet the requirements of the land, and the extensive gardens he has established.

The property has extensive orchards, with a variety of tropical and temperate fruits and nuts. There is also an commercial scale vegetable garden established at the bottom of the gardens, some 10-15 minutes walk from the carpark and main house. The vegie gardens and community space consists of close to 3 acres of irrigated and cultivated alluvial flats, with rich fertile black volcanic top soil, and eternal water sourced from vital and mineralised sub-terranean springs. There are close to 8 dwellings built down around the gardens, and for many years the space has operated as a biodynamic/organic permaculture institute, hosting scores of european students, and travelling woofers, producing a veriety of organic vegies and herbs to supply the local community.

For the past two or so years the space has been for the most part dormant. There has been a lack of passionate and hard working people to keep the gardens growing, and our friend has struggled to keep u the hard work and resources to keep the whole property maintained. Nonetheless the whole place looks and feels strong, vital, and a lot neater and well maintained then most properties i have ever visited. I am told by admiring locals and neighbours, that in terms of food production, the place is still winding up, looking at hitting peak food production in the coming years. Our friend proclaimes with cheeky glee, that the whole operation is distinctly german in its efficacy and attention to detail.

So, it has been almost three months, and i have been slogging it out in the gardens, with the occasional help of close friends and french bohemian woofers.. IT has been hard slog. But there has been a lot of work done already, and for the most part i consider my time in the garden to be an amazing blessing and sign of good things to come (which is graciously recieved given what i percieve to be an increasing instability in the world at large)

I have been given permission to go all out in the gardens, to grow as much food and medicine as i possibly can, and recieve guidance and training in the process from the gardens guru and his friends and family.

So now, i have the honour, of being able to offer the space to those in the wider community whom wish to come and stay on site, with free accomodation, and varying amounts of food, in return for 5hours a day of work, 6 days a week. With most of this time being spent working as a team on evolving the gardens and the 8-9 dwellings, whilst learnign about biodynamics, organic permaculture, food production, and medicinal plants.

There is a lot of interest already, and it seems that there will be no difficulty filling the permanent living spaces, however there is definatly room for interested, passionate, hardoworking folks to come and get involved and add to the project.

If your interested, please write to me on here.

ill do my best to keep things updated, and will add more information and some photos as i go.

many blessings

plant lov.e

[watertrade]

Congratulations E,

it sounds like you have found a special place for yourself and are able to do some valuable work in the community.

[tripsis]

Wow _e_ that sounds amazing. You are living the sort of life I dream of. Next time I'm up that way, I'll be in contact for sure. Would love to do some work on a property like that.

So are there permanent living space available or only temporary WWOOFing-types ones?

All the best in your endeavours!

Edited January 9, 2011 by tripsis

[Amazonian]

Wow. GOOD ON YOU . I have fantasies about escaping from my family and living a life like that ,even just for a little while. Maybe one day. Sounds like a dream job rather than a chore. You are truly blessed !

[WoodDragon]

Two thumbs up dude! We need as much of this as we can spread.

[bℓσωηG]

That's all Ive ever wanted , to go all out!! enjoy it mate sounds awesome.

[synchromesh]

I know where my next holiday is going to be!!

[suuuuu]

Wow! sounds like you have quite a bit on your plate!

I would love to come up, help out and at the same time learn and live in such an interesting place... I guess I know what i'm doing next holidays =)

What sort of structures are you putting in?

[Amazonian]

Hey _e_, hows all this Organic & B.D / Permaculture project going? Did you get affected by the floods?