Wwoof- india (Willing Workers on Organic Farms)

A brief description of organic activities (crops, projects, goals, etc.): Learning about and participating in organic methods of animal upkeep, learning about sustainable rainwater harvesting while working to spread knowledge to surrounding villagers, possible construction of new animal sheds, harvesting and growing of organic animal fodder, growing and maintenance of organic garden. How long you have been doing Organic Farming: 25 YearsWhether the farm is certified (if yes)name of certification agency: No, but certified NGOSuggested length of stay for volunteers: As long as they would like.Accommodations (number and type): One guest house that consists of 3 separate bedrooms. Facilities include 3 separate western toilet rooms, kitchen, and drawing/living room. Non-farming opportunities/ activities (alternative construction/ restoration project, alternative energy, etc.): Participants can assist in developing our goat project, which helps widowed women of the Rajput community with financial need gain access to goats to sustain their livelihood. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about goat upkeep and financial benefits through this program as well as assist women of the community. Expectations of work for volunteers: Volunteers should be willing to help with livestock as well as open to learn new and sustainable ways of farm life. We are very enthusiastic about teaching volunteers who are willing to learn. Participants are free to take part in any of our activities we have going on at the farm but are not expected to take part in those they do not want.  Is transportation available?: YesLanguages spoken: Hindi, Marwari and English  Can you host children or pets?: Yes, both children and pets. This is an open house and stress free place. Children and pets are most welcome. Special diets: Besides our strict no beef diet, this is a non-veg farm that can accommodate most dietary needs of volunteers. And any other specifics for your farm:  None

IND 150 Farm Name Sukha place Contact Name Sukha Ram Location (address, description of land and how to reach by bus or train) Pushkar, Rajasthan A brief description of organic activities (crops, projects, goals, etc.) At the moment we are starting a new project, our farm Angel Home, 4 km from Pushkar on which we are planning to grow our own organic fruits and vegetables. We are just getting started there, building house soon. So there is the option to help there, supervise the building works, assist. Also we start to plant trees. Again: You are welcome to come with your own ideas and knowledge. How long you have been doing Organic Farming 20 years Whether the farm is certified (if yes) name of certification agency No Suggested length of stay for volunteers As they wish Accommodations (How many volunteer you can accommodate at one time) During the off season (summer) we have more availability in the place. We can host up to five volunteers at once. A bungalow with a double bed and a private bathroom, another solution is a normal room with private bathroom or a tent in the garden. We can also set up a dormitory for a whole group of 5 persons. We want to provide the best accommodation for them so they can be comfortable and hence they feel like home. Non-farming opportunities/ activities (alternative construction/ restoration project, alternative energy, etc.)Generally we are hosting one or two volunteers to help out in the guest house and restaurant. This is mostly about taking care of tourists, reception works, social media... (Your ideas and inspiration are always welcome) Expectations of work for volunteers We expect a high sense of responsibility and respect not only for the local culture but for the main rules of the farm. Our main principle is to share our knowledge to everybody. We expect initiative from them and creativity, because we can teach them but we want to learn from them also. We welcome people that are eager to collaborate with the local workers of the farm, so they can exchange ideas, learn languages and built a positive enviroment. We welcome everyone regardless their religion, gender or nationality, the most important value for us is the honesty. We feel this place like a family, we want the volunteers to understand that with us they can be open about everything, if they have a problem, no matter how serious could it be, we are here to listen and help them. Is transportation available? Yes Languages spoken English, Hebrew, Hindi Can you host children or pets? Yes Special diets We have only vegeterian cuisine. (Not vegan, we have eggs, milk and cheese). Pushkar is an indian holy city, therefore meat is not allowed, neither alcohol. If the volunteers want to have some of those products they would have to go to another town. They can bring it and have it in their room. We don't permit meat in the kitchen. And any other specifics for your farm If you have any question or doubt, please do not hesitate to ask. To talk on the telephone or on Skype

IND 151 Farm name: Co-op forest Contact name: Ms. Malvikaa  Solanki Phone/email:Location (address and description of land): opposite Nagavathi dam, 7 kms off the Dharmapuri - Pennangram highway, (Salem route) Tamil Nadu . The best thing to do is to call us once you choose to wwoof and we will guide you.A brief description of organic activities (crops, projects, goals, etc.): We are into creating forests and natural farming. The key objective of the co-op forest is eco-restoration. To this end, the co-op has over 150 acres of wasted land and efforts are ongoing to revive, rejuvenate and restore the past glory through natural harmless means of natural farming and mimicking nature, rather go against it. Crops include millets, guava, pomegranate, jamun, gooseberries, papaya, custard apple, cassia fistula, kodgapuli, lemon, silk cotton, Singapore cherry, pongamia pinnate, neem, sima rouba, agave, aloe and parandai. Forest species constitute the major part of the land, with bamboo as the main stay, which also paves the way for some agro industries. In addition to this we grow fodder for cattle, fishery, vegetable patches and a full-fledged nursery having 15 to 20 species at any given time. We employ local labour with most of those working on the land that owned these lands earlier. The farm employs the co-operative model with many like-minded individuals participating in the enterprise.The Co-op forest has created a few water bodies, which fill up during the monsoons and a stream that runs through the property. How long you have been doing Organic farming: We have been into natural farming for five years in co-op forest. The co-op forest is an eco restoration effort on land that originally housed a forest, denuded due to tree felling, subsequent loss of ground cover and the resulting soil erosion. This 150-acre forest, today, thanks to the co-op efforts is greening up partly and patiently, with biodiversity, water conservation and harvesting, buzzing with butterflies, insects, wild boars and birds. Additionally the adjoining government forestland of over 15000 acres with monoculture of Velikathan (Prosopis juliflora) that releasecertain chemicals into the soil, making the soil less fit for any use is causing further desertification. Efforts are on to restore this huge expanse of land as well.  Whether the farm is certified (if yes) name of certification agency: No, and would also not require the same in the future. The forest follows natural farming principles for it's own health and sustainability; it is not an effort to maximize profits by way of pricing the goods through branding or certifications. Suggested length of stay for volunteers:  A minimum stay of 3 days and can extend depending on mutual conveniences, interests and benefits. Accommodations (number and type): At present we have small basic individual hutments with mattresses and sheets with Indian toilet facilities. At any given time we can host over 25 people Non-farming opportunities/ activities (alternative construction/ restoration project, alternative energy, etc.): Yes, all three.  Expectations of work for volunteers: writing, documenting, planting trees, work at the plant nursery, construction, operating various processing and green units set up, record the experiments and conduct a few on their own, outreach program with kids of surrounding villages and workers. We consider this an opportunity to share, learn and exchange. WE are as much open to learning from you as you are.   A few individuals in the co-op are full time activists and will be glad to share their experiences on issues related to mining, displacement, toxic, pollution, and of governance.Is transportation available? Yes. We can have you picked up from the nearest village till where you can travel by public transport.Languages spoken: Tamil, English, Hindi, Kannada Can you host children or pets? YesSpecial diets: If you are on any special diet, please make arrangements for the same yourself. We can help you with what is on the land to enable this. Carry any special medications that you might need during your stay. And any other specifics for your farm: No alcohol. Smoking not preferred but tolerated. Believers need to keep their faith to themselves or in utmost privacy. Carry insect repellants, towels, toiletries, work clothes, and a torch.

IND 152 Farm name Lakshmi Latha Farm (LL Farm) Contact name Dr.Vijay (Language all local & English) Location (address and description of land):- Lakshmi Latha farm address Kollegal , Karnataka, language only Kannada Local Language , 3KM from Kollegal Bus stand http://www.kollegalacity.gov.in/Extent of the land: - 14 acres, mixed soil black cotton, sandy loamy, sandy. With state of art Netafim drip irrigation for the entire 14 acres with plantation and inter cropping drippers, one open well with one bore well, Vermi compost tanks with industrial chipper & shredder Machine, Power control room, tractor & store room, Drying yard, Small water stream flows in the land, the entire land well secured with solar powered electrical fencing, internal street lights & roads Current cultivation activity 600 Hapus mango (alphonso) saplings, 300 coconut matured trees, inter cropping vegetables, 600 Arga Wood saplings plantation, 25 varieties of tropical & sub-tropical fruit bearing tree saplings, horticultural garden plants, cultivation of Mexican Lawn, Major fruit trees Jambul fruit (Jamum) , lychee, Jack fruit. A brief description of organic activities (crops, projects, goals, etc. Production of Vermi compost, Production of humus manure, manure schedule for the upcoming plantation with the combination of 50 % bio fertilizers (Green Gold ) with self-produced organic manure. Weeding in non-chemical modern manner, usage of mulch & mulch film for inter cropping. How long you have been doing Organic Farming 2years Whether the farm is certified (if yes) name of certification agency No Suggested length of stay for volunteers Nothing in particular depending upon the will of the volunteer & the host. Accommodations (number and type) Two independent rooms 20 X 12 feet with common toilet & Bathing area with Gujarat water heater (using Fire wood), City electricity with an Inverter power back up, aqua guard for Clean drinking water, ceiling fan, tube light, overhead water tank. Cot mattress Linen pillows, basic utensils, open fire wood stove, mini gas burner. Non-farming opportunities/ activities (alternative construction/ restoration project, alternative energy) Open for development depending on the volunteer participation interest and the skill available Expectations of work for volunteers Honest Disciplined & duty concisions To be able to actively participating in most of the activities in the farm, along with the employed staff. Cleaning of self used Utensils, living space, laundry to be done by the volunteers. Is transportation available? Yes bus stops in front of the farm. One cycle will be provided by the host to the volunteers. Languages spokenKannada (local) with the farm workers, English with Dr.Vijay & family Can you host children or pets? Yes Special diets Basic vegetarian nutritional food will be provided, and the volunteers would be trained to do Indian cooking so could assist the staff and be a part of cooking. And any other specifics for your farm It is a well secured place for foreign nationals to come work and experience the typical virgin south Indian village living.I Dr.Vijay (Host), visit and stay in the farm 6 days in a month mostly during the weekends, with my wife, son 5 Years & daughter 3.5 Years, I had been a part of ICYE http://www.icye.org in the year 1999 as a student placed in Denmark to work in the farm as volunteer myself. Minimum of two maximum of 6 individuals would be allowed as volunteers to participate & stay at LL Farm ,Common snakes found: - Cobra, common / black krait, Pit vipers, water snakes.To the volunteers: - Health Assistance (Hospitals & clinics) is available in 4 Kilometers range, groceries and personal belongings available in less than a 1 kilometer. Girls & ladies not allowed to travel alone unless accompanied by a male adult or authorized person by the host To blend into the culture of the society, Versatility, tolerant calm with composed nature. Suitable sense of dressing to blend into the society Narcotics strictly prohibited To consult the host at all given point of time for help and assistance not to trust and rely on locals for any reason and be carried away by their offerings.

IND 153 Farm name- Suneelkrishna farms Contact name-T.M. Suneel kumar . Taluk,Kolar District,Karnataka State. India563135. Description- We grow mangoes a lot here,and also pulses ,redgram, horse gram, dals, etc . Our farm is entirely organic. Since ourregion is rainfed, we didnt applied much fertilizers, chemicals from many years. How long you have been doing Organic Farming For last 3 years , we apply only organic items:) cow dung,cow urine, mulching etc Whether the farm is certified (if yes) name of certification agency The farm is not certified, i dont have anyidea about that.Suggested length of stay for volunteers Volunteers can stay for more than a week. Accommodations (number and type) As we got2 big houses with good bathrooms, there is no problem for accommodationfor around 10 members. Non farming activities It can also be done nearhome like construction of cow shed,etc. Expectation of work It will besowing seeds, cultivating, giving manure , weeding, harvesting in mangoseason etc. Is transportation available?As bangalore is nearer to our village(75km),transportation is good. Languages spoken-kannada, Telugu, Hindi, English, little bit Tamil.Can you host children or pets? Yes we can hostchildren n pets, but they should take care. Special diets- Veg and nonveg.

IND 154 Farm name  'Windarra' Contact   name Sandyra, Location (address and description of land) Tamil Nadu A brief description of organic activities (crops, projects, goals, etc.) We are a learning community. Our holistic approach embraces farming as the ground pillar - added arts, education, renewable energy, music, movement and healing. We enjoy common living, common working, common facilities and common activities. TerraSoul works on 9,5 acres of beautiful land, divided between forest (2,85), fruit orchard (2,85), vegetable garden and grain fields (2,8) and housing (1). Our goal is to provide organic food for We cultivate a large variety of vegetables, among cucumbers, tomatoes, capsicum, different types of beans, pumpkin, radish, gurds, peanuts etc., and red rice, varagu (indigenous grain) and millets. In our organic orchard grows among others: guava, mango, banana, papaya, coconut, rosella, citrus and chicco. Our approach is to combine traditional farming in its most natural form with methods from permaculture, Masanobu Fukuoka´s natural farming and biodynamics. We work with nature, the whole farm is one ecosystem of fertile soil, healthy plants and useful insects. Nature balances itself, the soil (re-)creates itself, men have to work and interfere less. Our farming does not exhaust the soil, we create, give and receive: we receive plants and give back all the leftovers like leaves and weeds, thus creating layers of mulching. Weed and pest control, without killing bugs, is done by organic (e.g. ashes) as well as biodynamic preparations. We do intercropping. We plant our grains before the monsoon, they get flooded naturally by the rain (water conservation), and we harvest once a year in January. After the harvest, we do not plant the same crop again, as is standard practice in conventional farming. In the same soil, we plant now vegetables, then leguminous plants, then grain again. This rotation system works on its own, needs less compost, less input from outside. How long you have been doing Organic Farming Windarra Farm has been a cultivated land for around 12 years, and we, The TerraSoul Community, started out here in January 2011.  Whether the farm is certified (if yes) name of certification agency     No      Suggested length of stay for volunteers We ask for a min. of 1 month commitment of approx. 6 hours pr. day.  Accommodations (number and type) The volunteer housing situation: Various environmental friendly buildings such as bamboo and keet constructions for approx. 15 volunteers are mainly done. The dormitories are simple. We have outside showers and dry compost toilets. Non-farming opportunities/ activities (alternative construction/ restoration project, alternative energy, etc.) We create delicious fruit jams, using the fruits from our own organic orchard, to generate income. We are also experimenting with processing eggplants, cucumbers and tomatoes and started producing pickles. Renewable Energy:  Our enthusiastic goal is to become independent from non-renewable energies. To achieve this, we will improve the efficiency of our energy consumption .Our main project on renewable energy is 'Minvayu' – for the moment producing windturbines for Auroville. 'Min' is 'electricity' in Tamil, 'vayu' is 'wind' in Sanskrit - creating energy with the wind.  More information is available at  Expectations of work for volunteers Volunteers are fully integrated in all aspects of community life and activities.  As an essential part of our community, volunteers provide help in the farm, fresh ideas and inspiration, and a cultural exchange. The sharing of knowledge and mutual inspiration enriches our life. You are welcome at any time to come and be a part of our project, to live and work together with us in awareness and respect for the environment.  We offer a wide range of working possibilities:   farming, preparing compost, fruit orchard ,construction (working with bamboo, welding, roof making etc)  ,making of windturbines  ,making of jams / pickles , cooking we welcome artistic souls to put their mark by painting walls or similar, to help in the making of our webpage, to decorate etc. Farming experience or any experience is very welcome but not necessary. There is also a possibility for offering workshops. We try to consider your individual needs and your personal aim. Is transportation available? We can arrange for a taxi to pick you up from the airport. While in Auroville we can arrange for you to rent a bicycle or moped Languages spoken On the farm we speak mostly english, but also portuguese, danish, arabic, tamil, spanish, faroese. Can you host children or pets  Yes - but communicate with us beforehand pleaseSpecial diets There is a community kitchen where we eat common lunch, where we often cook together and where you can cook your own meal  And any other specifics for your farm In the community, everybody is involved in farm related work, and at the same time all have the chance to develop individual talents through workshops and projects. We have the following activities in the farm: Didgeridoo, Percussion, African Dance, Capoeira, AcroYoga, Thai-Yoga massage, Tango, Healing.We have different arrangements to bring people and new life to visit the farm. At the moment we have an afternoon/evening a week where we arrange a music jam, then dinner, then a chanting circle around the fire under the stars. Singing songs from around the world. 

( No more member please do not contact )

IND 155 Farm name: B P Oganics ·Contact name: Dr. Arun ·Location : District Solan,Himachal Pradesh –Nearly one Ha hilly land with 45 degrees gradient in Himalayan foothills. It is 15 kms from Parwanoo town and 281 kms from Delhi. Closest railway station being Kalka, & airport – Chandigarh. It is at an altitude of about 3000ft AMSL and situated at the latitude of 30.843 and the longitude of 76.962 with summer temperature  15 - 32 degrees Celsius and Winter temperature being within 5 – 25 degrees Celsius range. Monsoon season, mid-June to mid-Sept is the best·A brief description of organic activities (crops, projects, goals, etc.) :  BPO in short, is a family run small organic orchard in Himalayan foothills attempting to do what human beings are best bestowed with - the ability to think beyond and do things beneficial to other beings including their own kind. Amongst others, it is driven by three core concerns :1 to establish the validity of non-chemical based food production regime amongst the farming community. 2 to address the issue of small farmers' livelihood security, fast eroding due to exorbitantly priced seeds and agrochemicals.3to address the issue of health security of unsuspecting consumers by giving them access   to toxin-free food.In 1996 we started developing it as a Mango and Amla (Indian Gooseberry) orchard. Since May 2012 we’ve bee experimenting with vegetable crops. Currently Ginger, Turmeric, Arbi (Colocasia or Taro root in English), Green Chilies and Radish crops are growing in a multi-cropping pattern. There are no ‘projects’ as such but currently installation of drip irrigation system is under way, a biomass shredder is waiting to be installed, work on terracing the land is underway and we are planning to have a green house, acquire a drier for vegetable dehydration, initiate experiments for adapting dozens of varieties of traditional seeds procured nationally and globally, network with neighboring farmers to adopt organic practices, streamline the marketing of our own products and facilitate that of others’ as well.·How long you have been doing Organic Farming – 16 years.·Whether the farm is certified (if yes) name of certification agency: Certification process is underway with Uttarakhand State Organic Certification Agency (USOCA) Registration No ORG-1207-000699. Since our land had never been under the plough and the first inspection round is over, we are hopeful of getting the Certification by July 2013. ·