Homestead, Mixed Farm - To avoid poverty tomorrow, choose sobriety today ! Dolny Tisovník - Volunteers Base - Free Volunteering and Work Exchange Opportunities.

Location: Dolny Tisovník, Slovakia

I recently moved to a 4 hectares piece of land, surrounded by the woods, previously used to produce hay to feed big animals.
I planted 300 fruit trees, welcomed a few chicken, goats and sheep, and want to allow other animals to live on the same parcel, and to grow a part of my food.
In Slovakia, a little bit more people still produce a part of their food; trading with the neighbours is one of the best practices ever, to face the future.
I prefer to make efforts and to work everyday, instead of asking "the system" to produce everything for me (with so much damaging consequences).
All the things that I don't need to consume here, are not needing extraction (mining), transformation and transportation. It limits the impacts of my existence, in addition of providing an healthier daily life.

I will do my best to share the living space, instead of owning it.

I currently live in a caravan, that I heat with a wood stove, collect rainwater, use solar panels (but my point is to become less and less depending on the electricity and other technologies).
Living like this means saving electricity, water, wood, and all the other available goods and resources, including gas, fuel, tools, clothes, materials...
It offers the opportunity to deeply redefine our real needs.
Yes, I would like to build a small house (maybe half buried in the ground), but my priorities are definitely to manage the trees, the garden and the animals first.
Waiting for this to happen step by step, I still feed myself in a conventional way (but start to trade with the neighbours).

The projects that I already completed :
- having a bore well and water on the parcel
- making a chicken house and playground, welcoming the first birds and having eggs everyday
- planting 300 fruit trees (mostly old varieties, mixed with new ones, from all over the world) and individually protect them, from being eaten by the deer and future goats.
- pruning the trees.
- building a greenhouse.
- building a shelter for the chicken

My current projects are :
- building a shelter for the goats and sheep, before the winter
- adding a storage for the firewood
- holding the solar panels with a wooden structure that could be an additional shelter for some stuff
- building a "walipini" greenhouse
- building a root cellar, mostly made of local stones, and/or with earth bags
- there should be a half buried house, somewhere, with a greenhouse facing the south, and this is a big project, even if I don't really want the house to be big

Step by step, I'd like to welcome more animals.
Different breeds of chicken, birds like pigeons, and probably other animals in the future.
Bees should come soon.

The gardens have to be prepared, to slowly replace (a part of) the grass, which is currently everywhere.
NB : I never used and will never use any chemical on my property. I don't need any certification for this.

WORKING ARRANGEMENT

Depending on everyone's skills and interests, I could need help for building the goats and sheep's shelter, to drive the mini digger, to cook, to harvest and process some food, to shear the sheep, to process the wool, to maintain the garden and the orchard, to build a solar dryer, to build a solar water heating system, to set up the peripheral fence, a structure for the solar panels, etc. It has no end ;-)

Due to the "technical setup", a lot of constructions/tools and material are a bit specific and sometimes "fragile".
Being calm, patient and careful with the tools and stuff, is highly appreciated.

Minimum length of stay : 2 weeks.
Working hours : until now, all the helpers did not consider living here as working, but as being a part of a project that makes sense. Of course helpers can have days off and free time, but it depends on there willing, on the weather, on the ongoing tasks, etc. It's not rare to have them helping a little bit all the day; this is their choice.

LIVING ARRANGEMENT

For the helpers, I currently cannot provide a luxurious accommodation. This is another project...
The best would be to come here with a camper van.
I can provide electricity, fresh water for drinking/showering, and the food.
NB : if you can't come with your van, a big tent is available with a camp bed.
Toilets are outside, all around.
Depending on the weather, we can cook in the caravan, outside, in the main tent or in the greenhouse.
We can share the meals, and all of us can let creativity speak.
Until now, a few weeks only after moving to the new piece of land, I still don't produce what I need.
Only a few mushrooms in the woods, some veggies, walnuts and berries are available!
We can get products locally (from the neighbours), or from zero-waste and bio shops.
We can also go there together, to meet interesting people.

This remote area in the woods, will definitely suit the ones who like calm and quietness; there is a 1km unpaved road to access the land. The last meters are a bit muddy in winter; that means that a normal city car could hardly help you to get here in winter.
The land can be accessed by any car from spring to autumn.
Once you are here, there is nobody and nothing around, but the woods and a few animals. Sometimes, we can meet bears and friendly neighbours who also keep bees, make their own harvest and homemade products.
The first food shop is located 4,5 km away from here.
With a car, it's easy to get to Detva, Hriňová, Lučenec or Veľký Krtíš.
In these cities, you can find all kinds of shops, several restaurants, a swimming pool, a climbing rock, traditional farms, beautiful sky and hiking paths, waterfalls, and mountain bike paths in the nature.

Find me on Facebook and Odysee :
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343136423
https://odysee.com/@David83SK:3

Homestead, Mixed Farm - To avoid poverty tomorrow, choose sobriety today !