We need help here with a number of projects this coming year.
- We have just started a permaculture garden with raised beds here on the farm. It is our hope that the family and volunteers will be able to grow enough vegetables, fruit and herbs for the whole year. We have free range bantam chickens that give us eggs (when we can find them!). More veggies need to be planted as do fruit trees and a herb garden.
- We would like to build a chicken coop and a second permaculture garden by the eco-house.
- The eco-house sleeps two and requires some work installing a shower with hot and cold water and a wood-burning heater. It has its own well, there are solar panels for light, the kitchen has a gas powered fridge and cooker and in the bathroom there is a composting toilet.
- We try to recycle as much as possible - vegetable waste is given to the pig and worms or composted, manure from the horses and other animals is used in the gardens and fields, plastics, metals and paper if not used on the farm goes to the recycling bins in the village.
- There is another outbuilding that is slowly falling down and this summer (June, July and August) we would like to remove it and re-build a straw bale house consisting of one bedroom and a bathroom. Anyone that has any experience with this type of building technique please contact us now!
- We have over 20 horses that require our daily care. They need feeding and mucking out everyday. When we need more manure for the gardens we bring more horses into the stables!
- We have 4 hectares of scrub land with rocks that needs clearing and turning to better use. (Don`t worry we get a bulldozer to do the really hard work.). Our project for this land is to plant Carob Bean trees and put a flock of approximately 50 sheep and some beehives on it. There is also another building on this land that needs renovating but maybe only next year in 2013.
The family is Anglo-Portuguese, my sister and I have been living on the farm since 1983. Originally our parents bought the farm and retired here with the idea of becoming self sufficient. We welcome volunteers that are happy, friendly people. We enjoy company and sometimes evening meals are cooked for you at the farm house. There is wireless internet available in the afternoons if you have your own computer.
Accommodation is in the eco-house and occasionally the farm house, you are expected to keep your living space clean and tidy and help tidy up the communal living areas. Volunteers with their own live-in vehicle are welcome. Volunteers staying with us help on five mornings from 08.30 till 13.30 and one full day from 09.00 to 13.00 and 15.00 till 17.30. This project is suitable for volunteers traveling on their own, two individuals traveling together or couples. Unfortunately we cannot accept any volunteers with pets due to the amount of animals we already have on the farm.
Situated one kilometer from the village of Almádena (5/10 min walk) the farm is on the local bus routes giving easy access to beaches and local towns.
This is an incredibly beautiful and tranquil area within a stones throw of the natural park. We have scenic horse riding, walking and fantastic surfing, with great night life in Lagos, Luz and the nearby villages.
As there may be lots of opportunities to get on a horse, please make sure your travel insurance covers horse riding and farm work. All our riders wear riding hats and if necessary they will be supplied.
We would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
