Growing food in a community

Activity description

Based at an ecovillage community farm, our volunteers experience a year’s cycle of organic vegetable production and distribution, and acquire a full set of skills to grow food for a community or small business in an environmentally beneficial way. Regular tasks include sowing seeds, watering, weeding, harvesting, and weighing veg. Other seasonal tasks may include preservation of surplus crops (pickling, preserving etc) and assisting with building projects. While the primary commitment is hands-on farm work, some volunteers also take an active role in supporting the farm’s related projects, such as our food hub and digital farmers market. Volunteers will also be immersed in Ecovillage life and experience community living, collaborative governance and decision making. All this combines to provide a lived example of practical activism as a direct response to climate change, loss of biodiversity, and over-consumption.

Accommodation, food and transport arrangements

Accommodation is in shared housing with other volunteers. Membership of our Community Farm allows you to take as many organic, local vegetables as you need. Locally baked sourdough bread is delivered to your doorstep each week, and you also have credit for monthly bulk wholefoods orders. Everything in the village is within a 5 min walk, including a pharmacist, bookshop, cafe, and small supermarket. Sporadic train and bus services connect Cloughjordan to major cities and nearby towns, and local residents are also willing to provide lifts.

Training during the activity

All volunteers attend a week of induction and orientation on first arrival. Our farm production team train volunteers in all aspects of practical growing skills, and are on hand to answer questions on a day to day basis. Throughout the year, volunteers also attend specialised workshops on relevant topics such as cooking, composting and seed saving, permaculture, cooperative food distribution models and community resilience. Regular sessions will also be held on non-violent communication, group dynamics and personal development. Local classes are available in yoga & martial arts amongst others.

Participant profile

If you want to spend a year growing vegetables, you like to put your hands in the soil, and you don’t care about getting wet in winter, this project is for you! If you're passionate about organic farming and want to learn more skills, even better. Only apply if you’re interested in healthy food and local food systems, and you’re keen to learn practical skills to address the climate and biodiversity crisis while experiencing community life in an Ecovillage. We welcome self-motivated individuals who enjoy working as part of a team, and would like more experience of working cooperatively.

Activity dates

A total of 48 week(s) during the period 01/04/2023 to 30/06/2024

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Activity location

Cloughjordan Ecovillage, E53VP86 Cloughjordan Ireland

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 Individual volunteering

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Looking for participants from

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine

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Activity topics

Environment and natural protection

Health and wellbeing

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Deadline for applications

No application deadline

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