Orchardy Haven is an experiment in sustainable and eco-friendly living and learning. It is an 8ha neglected old farm in north east Poland, purchased in September 2011. There are several aspects to the project:
- To convert the dilapidated farm house to an eco-house.
- To grow food and other useful crops on the surrounding land using the principles of forest gardening and permaculture.
- To involve friends and volunteers creatively in the whole process.
- To embody a culture of open learning: we're learning, we're inviting others to learn with us, and we can teach and be taught by the people who come and interact with us.
- To develop the barns to provide volunteer/visitor accommodation, craft workshop facilities, and to meet the needs of the farm.
- To create a ceramics workshop and other facilities for traditional crafts.
- To build on opportunities that come out of these activities and our other skills to provide financial sustainability for the farm and our family.
![image from www.wwoof.org of someone picking pears from a tree](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AexBHTKmyO5fq87xZ8xT72SRHdLvMrpbWbQuCcx7fIKKcW4qD99IsboKqrZxGpCcOek0ek5SPwQFqVtGJKlGXM20jTmvWZSQukrcSZCZY8JjSiMKs-NnAvqp7ohycJ3IkGeueoupZyL0/s1600/picker_l.gif)
Obviously the financial sustainability of the whole thing is a big leap, but it is possible and we'll just have to have a go at it. For now we can't even afford to move there, so it's going to be a while before it's all up and running.
One question Andrew asked was whether there was a conflict between inviting volunteers to help us and trying to make a living for ourselves on the farm. We don't think that is a conflict. There are lots of organic farms that have WWOOFers, and we ourselves have been volunteering in various places where our hosts need to make a living. We think being able to volunteer on a project like this is a great opportunity and is all about sharing knowledge and experience and giving people a chance to go out and get a place of their own to farm...
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