Goats amd farming on the mountains

Location: Gata, Spain

Important
* We are only interested in those people who are really interested in helping and learning about goats, agriculture or construction.
** We ask volunteers to stay for a minimum of 4 weeks. The reason is that it takes a lot of work (and time) for us to explain the day-to-day processes to you, and for you to adapt to the daily routine. But of course, if you are a professional and independent helper who wants to help out in any aspect of the farm (cheesemaker, builder, farmer ...) then it is not a problem to be less weeks. Volunteers who want to stay for more than a month to gain more knowledge and experience on the farm are the true profiles we are looking for. We are also open to visits as long as they are independent and we do not have extra work.

Good morning we are Juan (1975), Paz (1977) and our children Clara (2015) and Mario (2017). Juan is a Sheperd who studied Forestry Technician and Philosophy. But he has extensive experience in many types of jobs, such as a builder, cook, electrician, plumber ... Paz studied Architecture, but she has spent all her life working with medicinal plants, distillation, perfumes and gardener, she is a plant healer. We started our project in March 2012 when we found a land to plant our seeds and raise our animals. The place that chose us is full of ancient culture, but in the last 50 years it was abandoned. Since we arrived we have been rebuilding most of the ruins in stables, houses, orchards, and restoring the old fertilized places like the cultivation terraces (the place is similar to machu pichu :-), cleaning the old chestnut forest that is above our houses, and helping him to extend his dominions and broaden the shade of his branches.

Our project
We came here to recover and expand the native forest and the fertility of the land, using traditional ways of working with animals, plants and buildings, having the greatest respect for nature and LEAVING A MORE FERTILE AND SEEDED FUTURE THAN CONSUMED BEHIND US. We came looking for a drier life, moving away from excessive consumption, and valuing the basic and important. Our way of operating is to plant trees that will feed the next generations. We have already planted more than 500 fruit trees, more than 1000 native trees to reforest the surrounding mountains. We also enjoy reproducing medicinal and aromatic plants. We love ethnobotany, giving meaning to all the plants that grow around us. Respect for the land is our foundation, and the best reward we get is seeing the fertility of the places worked increase. We do not consider ourselves an organic farm, WE FEEL ONLY a LOGICAL farm, because we want to do what has always been done, but now people call it organic. WE ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL FARM, WE DO NOT LIVE FROM SELLING OUR PRODUCTS. We have animals because it is the reason to close the biological cycle in the area that we are restoring. Currently we have more than 40 animals including donkey, goats, sheep, mainly.

On our farm we are completing a biological cycle with water, plants and animals. We irrigate the grasslands that feed the animals, increasing the biodiversity of the plants that provide health to the forest and the animals. The animals fertilize the entire mountain with their feces, feeding the pastures, the forest and our garden. The forest extends its domain by giving moisture and humus to the grasslands, and feeding the animals. This circular system increases the fertility of the land every year and gives the best quality and flavor to milk and cheese. Giving health to the forest gives us inner health in return.

The place
The place is very wild and located high up in the mountains. We are hanging from a mountainside and surrounded by different types of forests, valleys, mountains, streams, fountains ... The small road to get here is narrow and difficult for wide cars to access. The town is 4 km. In front of our houses (south) the views extend to Portugal in the background. At the back of the houses, the mountain protects us from the north winds. To the East and West some streams are born, in the valleys and forests that are within the property, so the water is pure, without contamination and good to drink.

The goats
They eat out in the mountains every day, cleaning and recovering the old roads that no one used for a long time. They will eat the best food an animal can eat ... fresh plants in season, always eating on a clean mountain.
We are also in an experimental government program to study the impact of goats on vegetation to prevent fires.

The other places.
We also have an old house in the town next to ours (10km from the farm) and several orchards separated around the village where we grow other types of fruit trees that do not grow well in the mountain climate. So from time to time there is the possibility of working and / or sleeping in town, if you want to join. During the week Paz and the children live more in the village (Paz has her laboratory in the village and our children go to school) and Juan is every day going back and forth from the village to the farm. Normally from Thursday to Sunday the whole family travels to the mountain (farm) to work together.

We are eternally grateful to all the people who passed through here, helping this project, and helping to make this world a little more fertile place.

WORKING ARRANGEMENT

We ask for 5 hours of help on the farm. The works are divided into two categories. The fixed ones from day to day. And those that are necessary each day in particular
The daily schedules are: feed the animals and bring the goats back to the farm from the mountain when they do not come alone (2 hours in the afternoon)

The necessary work each day can be carried out in the garden or in the construction, for which a time and objectives appropriate to the person and the work to be carried out will be established. It is not the same to remove herbs than to transport stones. If the work is very physical, we will do less hours.

There is a working schedule (3 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon) but you can join the hours to have free time per day as you want.
The days off for the week are chosen and negotiated on Sundays

Cooking, scrubbing and cleaning are not included in the 5 hours of work. Neither do the wood to make your fire.

LIVING ARRANGEMENT

We have renovated 3 stone and wood cabins so that volunteers can enjoy more independence, cool in summer, and some with a stove for winter. We have also enabled a common living room and kitchen for your private use. You bring the wood to heat the house from the forest, this implies physical effort. We can help you cutting with the chainsaw and the ax.
We lend you a sheet for the bed and blankets but it is necessary to bring your sleeping bag.
We have good 4G internet coverage and a SIM card available for you in case you come from outside of Europe.
Electricity works at 12v just like the one we use in cars. Only mobile phones can be charged. In the town we have 230v electricity to charge other devices.
There is a place to wash clothes by hand
The bathroom is a dry toilet
There is a solar shower that only heats water when it is sunny.
There is also a bathtub that heats the water to more than 40 ° by fire (see photo)

Meals
When the family is up on the farm, it is normal for us to cook ourselves. But you will probably have to cook many days on your own. And if you don't know how to cook, we can leave food ready for you when you go to be alone. The general rule is: One cooks and the other cleans. Otherwise we all cook and we all clean.