The Himalayan Farm Project

volunteer experience April 2013 by Krishna

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:02:00 +0000

"i'll see you there!" shouted vincent.

"where?" i inquired

everyone bawled back the response: "Everywhere!" and i followed the path down the hill into the woods.

following me was the sound of many dogs baying and yelping which always accompany anyone who leaves the farm.

compare this with when i arrived three weeks earlier. it was early morning. there was no sign of anyone. i knew i had arrived because i had seen a sign that said, "welcome home". i put my rucksack down and climb into the hammock. the sun was coming up and everywhere was the sweet scent of tranquility. some windchimes were causing some very lackadaisical melodies to float in the air. i was full of alertness and curiosity about the new people i would meet, but was unable to vent it. then i heard the human-made melody of a flute, in its turn very lackadaisical i mean relaxed. i could not see the player. my curiosity was very high at that point. i could say that i was high strung with curiosity. it was actually a little eerie. the lazy, introspective flute was sounding louder and louder but there was still no sign of anybody. that is when i became proactive and got out of the hammock and then saw the flute player - Elliot, from france - floating towards me. his movements were so balanced and calm and his eyes slowly alighted on mine and we embraced each other tenderly. i was welcomed into the farm.

during my stay at the farm i changed my name to krishna. it was very easy to do. when the question was put to me, "what is your name?", i responded: "Krishna". if they were indian this would often be followed by a "mmmm, good name" and i would often elaborate, "well, my name is actually carson but i have decided to call myself krishna here in india"

Hari's vision is for the Himalayan Farm Project to be an experimental grass roots community. people connected in simple living he desires. he wants the farm to show that it is possible to live off the grid by and large self sufficiently. the human connection is amply achieved but there is still a long way to go before the community becomes self-sufficient. it requires a unity of intention. often we ate fresh salads from the garden, with exquisitely fresh bulbs of garlic. peas as well. there is a big field of corn and another of onions but they haven't grown so well because the irrigation is still being installed. mark from canada was the master plumber even though he was learning on the job. he coordinated the digging of trenches to house the pipes which conveyed the water from the spring at the top of the hill. one morning we all got up early and finished off digging the trenches together. amazing it was, how our individual energies multiplied when we were engaged in a communal task. the men from the local village were the real dedicated hard workers, working doggedly from dawn to dusk on the construction of a new mud house which will be the dining room and enlarged kitchen. the kitchen previously was a pokey smokey hole, where lentils and rice were boiled over the fire, and chai was made. sometimes the fire outside was also used. and in the cool evenings, a fire was lit on the flat rocky patio and we sat round with the djambe drum and cups of chai. erica wrote a couple of songs which got everyone singing along with heart she had a great strum on the guitar. one of them was called "trenching and mulching" and the other "going down to dogaon" - the village (actaully little line of roadside cafes) at the bottom of the hill.

each short term volunteer contributed 300 rupees a day for the cost of food, which had to be brought from haldwani - a bigger town something like 20 kilometres away. it has got to be said: we ate pretty lavishly. ioana would have chosen more raw food if she could and i think everybody would have chosen to eat a little less each meal if they could. difficult not to overeat when the food is so tasty. we had some really enthusiastic cooks who flung all their love into food preparation. there would be a call that the fruit and vegetables had arrived in dogaon and a troop of people would head down - 45 minutes or so on a sometimes steeply winding stone path through the woods - and come back up laden with crates of oranges and bananas and potatoes and tomatoes, bags of onions, sometimes papayas. man, we ate regally. no shortage of tasty fruit salad in the morning. often we chose to fry chapattis or parhotas on a pan smeared thinly with ghee. after a while voices said: "not porridge again" then there followed a hiatus of porridge preparation. quite often someone would come back from the town and bring up things like crisps and chocolate, of which i partook "who can refuse chocolate?" the question was posed, still, however, i concurred with ioana that we were accumulating a lot of unnecessary plastic waste. satisfaction would be high for me if the project ever does come to realise its minimal vision of living in the woods simply growing vegetables and eating them.

one morning i went into the woods and painted the stones and fallen logs and blackened pine trees with lots of love.

spreading such love really filled me with love

People sometimes talked about being sad about leaving or about other people departures, but Tug's comment was: "don't cry over what has ended, laugh because it happened." he attributed the effect of these words to words originally enunciated by doctor zeus.

when i was going to leave the farm i said it felt like i was a page being torn from a beautiful book.

Ruben Costa - Volunteer Experience

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:26:00 +0000

English:

I just left Himalayan Farm and I feel the need to share the happy experience that I have had for almost one month in this community.
Start by saying that for me any project which aims to become self-sufficient and based on a simple concept of life, needs people that feel union between themselves and the space that they share to live, which creates a sense of commitment and rooting. Himalayan Farm was the best experience that I had as a community that really feels this union between the people and the place as I was welcomed with the love that only true union can bring.
During this month, the no expectation of the community for each person abilities allowed me to explore myself and let the flow of life expresses. So I ended up involved in the construction of stairs, showers, toilets among other little things that gave me a natural pleasure of being, letting my thoughts aside little by little. I had the same feel for each person who has lived with me during this time because each one was open to find his own place in this community so that the Eco-system tend to function naturally.
I feel that the time is approaching this project become self-sufficient because electricity is being generated, water is being collected from the mountain, there is housing that is being gradually improved and the food is gradually being produced.

Soon approaches the Permaculture Design Course to be held here, which will bring a lot of knowledge and different energies to this place and surely a great new experience to all those who participate. For me, this event may shake a little the stability of the community energy, but I want to give my strong support to all who make this diffusion of knowledge possible and I believe that the energy of union that I lived here will remain strong for the continuity of this community. The change is a constant in all lifes and always comes for a better good, so then attachment isn't needed. Surely after this course, everything will stabilize to follow peacefully receiving people as a opportunity to live and learn with the Himalayan Farm Project.

I want to especially thank Hari for having supported me in my state of health, using his knowledge in Ayurvedic medicine and still being willing to take me and other mates over the nearest doctor (important detail for any community that don't want to be dependent, needs knowledge about health). I also want to thank Eliot for giving me this opportunity opened during the PDC held in Sapney Farm with Heal The Soil, Tug by good fellowship and teamwork, Selma for so often feed this community with food, the source of life and those who were present for this happy month of my life.I hope to soon return to the project and for now I'll continue with energy to what's life bring to me. Peace and Love for you family.

Portuguese:
Acabo de deixar Himalayan Farm e sinto a necessidade de partilhar a feliz experiencia que tive durante quase um mes nesta comunidade.

Comeco por dizer que para mim qualquer projecto que tenha como objectivo tornar-se auto-suficiente e baseado num conceito mais simples de vida, necessita de pessoas que sintam uniao entre elas mesmas e o espaco que partilham para viver, o que cria um sentimento de compromisso e enraizamento. Hymalayan Farm foi a melhor experiencia que tive como comunidade que realmente sente esta uniao entre as pessoas e o local pois fui acolhido com o amor que so a verdadeira uniao pode trazer.

Durante este mes a nao expectativa da comunidade para cada pessoa permitiu-me a mim mesmo levar-me no meu auto-conhecimento e acabei participando na construcao de escadas, duches, casa-de-banho entre outras pequenas coisas que me deram um prazer natural de existir, de deixar os meus pensamentos de lado pouco a pouco. O mesmo sinto para cada pessoa que viveu comigo durante este tempo, pois cada um foi descobrindo sozinho o seu lugar nesta comunidade de forma a que o eco-sistema funcione naturalmente.

Sinto que se aproxima a hora deste projecto se tornar auto-suficiente pois energia esta a ser gerada, agua esta a ser recolhida da montanha, existe alojamento que vai sendo melhorado e pouco a pouco a comida vai sendo produzida.

Cedo se aproxima o curso de design em permacultura a decorrer nesta quinta, o que trara bastante conhecimento a este local e seguramente uma excelente nova experiencia a todos aqueles que participem. Para mim, este acontecimento podera abalar um pouco a estabilidade como comunidade, pois muita gente e diferentes energias chegaram ao local. Mas quero dar o meu forte apoio a todos os que tornem esta difusao de conhecimento possivel e acredito que a energia da uniao que vivi este mes permanecera forte e sem medo das mudancas que viram pois a mudanca e uma constante na vida e vem sempre por algo melhor, o que torna nao necessario o apego. Seguramente depois deste curso a energia voltara a estabilizar-se para seguir pacificamente recebendo pessoas magnificas que tenham oportunidade de viver e aprender na Himalayan Farm.

Quero agradecer especialmente ao Hari por me ter apoiado no meu estado de saude, utilizando os seus conhecimentos em medicina ayurvedica e homeopatica e ainda dispondo-se a levar-me a mim e a mais companheiros ao medico mais proximo (detalhe importante pois qualquer comunidade necessita de conhecimento sobre saude se quer realmente nao estar dependente). Quero tambem agradecer ao Eliot por ter-me aberto esta oportunidade durante o PDC que decorreu em Sapney Farm com Heal The Soil, ao Tug pelo bom companheirismo e trabalho em equipa, a Selma por tantas vezes alimentar esta comunidade com comida, a fonte da vida, e a todos os que estiveram presentes para este feliz mes da minha vida.

Espero em breve voltar ao projecto e seguirei agora com energia para o que me traga a vida. Peace and Love for you family.

Spanish:
Acabo de salir de Himalayan Farm y siento la necesidad de compartir la feliz experiencia que he tenido por casi un mes en esta comunidad.Comienzo diciendo que para mí todo el proyecto que quiera ser autosuficiente y basado en un concepto simple de vida, necesita de personas que sienton unión entre ellos y el espacio que comparten para vivir, lo que crea un sentido de compromiso y arraigo. Himalayan Farm fue la mejor experiencia que tuve como comunidad donde realmente se siente esta unión entre la gente y el lugar pues me dieron una recepcion con el amor que sólo puede traer la verdadera unión.Durante este mes, la poca expectativa de la comunidad por las habilidades de cada persona me permitió explorarme y dejar que el flujo de la vida se expresa. Así que terminé involucrado en la construcción de escaleras, duchas, aseos, entre otras cosas pequeñas que me dieron un placer natural de ser, dejando poco a poco a un lado mis pensamientos. Tuve la misma sensación de cada persona que ha vivido conmigo durante este tiempo, ya que cada uno era libre de encontrar su propio lugar en esta comunidad para que el Eco-sistema tienda a funcionar de forma natural.Siento que se acerca el momento donde este proyecto se convierta autosuficiente porque se esta generando la electricidad, el agua se obtiene de la montaña, hay una alojamiento que está siendo mejorado gradualmente y la comida se va produciendo poco a poco.Temprano se acerca al Curso de Diseño de Permacultura, que se hara aquí, lo que traerá una gran cantidad de energías y conocimientos diferentes a este lugar y sin duda una gran nueva experiencia para todos los que participen. Para mí, este evento puede sacudir un poco la estabilidad de la energía de la comunidad, pero quiero dar mi apoyo a todos los que hacen esta difusión de conocimiento posible y creo que la energía de unión que viví aquí seguirá siendo fuerte para el continuidad de esta comunidad. El cambio es una constante en todas las vidas y siempre viene por un bien mejor, por lo que el apego no es necesario. Seguramente después de este curso, todo se va a estabilizar y seguir pacíficamente recibiendo a la gente para una oportunidad de vivir y aprender con el Proyecto Himalayan Farm.Quiero agradecer especialmente al Hari por haberme apoyado en mi estado de salud, usando su conocimiento en la medicina ayurvédica y aún así estar dispuesto a llevarme a mi y otros compañeros al médico más cercano (detalle importante para cualquier comunidad que no quiera ser dependiente, requiere conocimientos de salud). También quiero dar las gracias a Eliot por darme esta oportunidad que se abrió durante el PDC, en Sapney Farm con Heal The Soil, Tug por buen compañerismo y trabajo en equipo, Selma que tan a menudo estaba para alimentar a esta comunidad, la comida la fuente de la vida, y los que estaban presentes para este mes feliz de mi vida.Espero volver pronto al proyecto y por ahora voy a seguir con la energía a lo que la vida me traiga. Peace and Love family.

A Note for all Upcoming Volunteers

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:52:00 +0000

Hello to those already planning, or interested in coming to the farm,

Lately we have been overflown with volunteers and unfortunately, at the moment, our space capacity has reached it's limit. Due to not only sleeping space, but also the amount of project space on the farm itself, we can hold about 12 volunteers in our communal house with a few extra staying in tents.

With the growth of the farm, we have found that many people who plan to stay only for two weeks end up staying for one month or more. While this is wonderful, it can also become difficult managing the flow of volunteers. Because of this we would like to ask that, for now, new volunteers make a commitment of at least 30 days. It is also very important that each person who has already contacted and has been confirmed space from us fills out the calendar, which can be found in the confirmation email sent to you or by clicking the following the link. http://www.keepandshare.com/calendar/show_month.php?i=1986148

We love to see new smiling faces at the farm and everyone is more than welcome from June onwards. We thank you for your cooperation in helping us make the farm the lovely place that it is to be.

From all of us here at the Himalayan Farm family

PDC in May

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:12:00 +0000

Hello friends,

From May 11th onward, we are hosting a PDC. The 14 day Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course will be conducted in the internationally accepted manner and will be followed by a week of hands on. Ben and Matt who are running Panya project in Thailand http://www.panyaproject.org/ will cover every major topic in Bill Mollisons: Permaculture: A Designers Manual & includes the following & more:

~Philosophies & Ethics of Permaculture
~Permaculture Design Principles
~Patterns in Nature- How they apply to design
~Methods of Design- Turning damaged landscapes into productive, healthy landscapes
~Climatic Factors- How to design within your climate where ever you are
~Trees and Forest Systems- How to mimic nature in your design
~Water- Catchment, usage, importance & conservation
~Soil- Minerals, micro-organisms, erosion prevention & soil creation
~Earthworks- Shaping the land to achieve our design goals
~Aquaculture- Fish & water plant production
~Natural Building- Cob, adobe, Wattle & cob, compressed & rammed earth & more!
~Community Cultivating- Strategies for community development
~Urban Design Systems- Designing for density
~Animal Systems - Understanding the role livestock plays in design

But the course is not only about teaching. It is about the experience of community living as well as simple living. It is a participatory process where teachers, assistants, participants, and volunteers create an eco system as to understand at an experiential level the meaning of permaculture.

The course is now for 540 usd (offer stands for few more days, then 630 usd, there are discounts for NGOs and projects carrier please contact us) this includes food, accommodation and teaching. Accommodation is basic and the last people to come will be sleeping in tents. People have to know that we only use compost toilet and basic Indian style showers but this happens on a mind-blowing location: we are overlooking the Himalayas from Corbett National Reserve. Our neighbours except for villagers are tigers, leopards, barking dears and amazing birds…

And the reason for this blog is not only to invite people to attend the course – people have to know that it helps us to sustain ourselves financially - but also to invite volunteers to ‘serve’ the course.

Taking the course and following the teaching is an amazing experience, but serving the course is also a powerful learning process. Everyone is welcome to do it. It is about facilitating the learning. Volunteers will be in the kitchen, streamlining participants, facilitating supply of food and materials. They are essential to the realisation of the knowledge sharing. And they are an integrative part of the eco system that will be created. They are also welcome to share their knowledge during special sessions of the PDC that are open for that.

Participants also have to know that they are welcome before the course as to understand the process of hosting the teaching, but obviously to help to create the space for it.

So this blog is a call for participants and volunteers. Feel welcome to start sharing with us your ideas, time, and knowledge.

Peace and Bliss from the hills,

The Himalayan Farm Family.

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 07:39:00 +0000

Experience at the Himalayan Farm Project

by

Lucy Horwood

Travelling halfway across India to see the person I had come to realize I was in love with two days before flying back to England is not the kind of activity I could ever have imagined happening, considering in England you would be lucky to find me contemplating a half an hour train journey for a date.

Little did I know this final mission from Kerala, stopping at Haradwar for a weeks stop-in with some sadhus and a bath by the ganges, to the Himalayas to proclaim my love for a young man called James would be exchanged for a newfangled love of a peaceful and yet quietly radical grass roots farming project nestled in the heart of a beautiful and what appeared to be endless expanse of wilderness in the northern foothills of Uttrakhand. After travelling from city to city in India the Farm was an unbelievable breath of fresh air and side-step into a natural oasis where the noises from the roads were quickly replaced with the sounds of birds as a wooded forest paved the way up a great hill away from the road . Without a rickshaw in sight and remote from the possibility that an Indian family might want to take a photograph of me with their baby –this voyage of romance was suddenly transformed into an epic and unique discovery ….

If you love the farming lifestyle and the great outdoors, then I advise taking as much time as you can to stay at The Himalayan Farm Project and become part of the community. I was welcomed with open arms to feel a part of the family from the minute I arrived. All of the day´s activities (cooking, showering, eating and farming) took place outdoors in the fresh mountain air. As soon as I arrived eggs were cracked and fried on an open fire and a cooked breakfast and tea was prepared in the morning sun. There are fantastic ideas and projects being actualized by volunteers at the farm for sustainable crops. While I was there the kitchen was being built from the raw materials of cow dung and water so I immediately got my hands dirty (and my face as I simultaneously made a face pack!). The meals were deliciously prepared from the organic vegetables grown on the farm whilst `Chiappatti´ the dog scampered around in the sun. The outdoor shower made with pieces of wood overlooked a staggering vision of hills merging into the blue horizon. In the evening a great fire was made and we the members of the farm sat around under the canopy of a starlit night and shared the peace of a days work on the farm, drinking hot rum and chai and sharing songs and poetry from the different cultures that were gathered. A journalist, and wonderful man Rajesh who has a special link with the farm shared some of the words of Rumi and introduced me to one of the greatest poets of time. James who I had travelled to see and lives at Amritapuri the Kerelan ashram shared some of the greatest contemplations and stories about Amma and her teachings, more commonly known as the `hugging guru´ and renowned for Embracing the World. I too shared some songs that I had learnt having stayed at the ashram and the couple from Germany sang some old German songs.

I developed an instant and true love for the farm and for what is created and nurtured there. I found it very difficult and almost heartbreaking to leave. I feel that there is an incredibly exciting future and scope for the farm in its capacity to bring together people who share a love of the earth and want to foster a vital and holistic lifestyle. The energy there is captivating and is a place of optimism for people that appreciate the beauty of nature and want to live in tune with it, the farm sings of a creative and subtly spiritual lifestyle that is free from the trappings of the world down below. As soon as I met Hari the founder of the farm, my heart opened to him by his love and warmth that set alight his intentions with the place which are greatly inspiring and wonderful to witness as the dream is gradually becoming a reality. I feel very fortunate to have encountered such a place and met some very special souls: I intend to return as soon as it is possible.

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 07:32:00 +0000

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee ) PRERNA YATRA

Concept and objective of Prerna Yatra

Prerna Yatra is an initiative by EDC IITR (Entrprenur Development Cell, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee) adopting the model of Tata Jagriti yatra, as the name suggests it is a journey to inspire students of IITR. A team of enthusiastic people are selected for the journey to meet with and learn from exceptional entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions to India’s challenges and the Yatra encourages the youth to unleash the hero within them. This provides a platform to the yatris for networking and sharing of ideas and the journey and experiences sensitizes the yatris with the life of the underpowered section of our society and most importantly this will motivate the yatris to take initiative and pursue their field of interest.

PRERNA YATRA REPORT

HIMALAYAN FARM PROJECT

Only with industry and effort are works done. Animals never themselves enter lion's mouth.

A Sanskrit Wisdom

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein

Following this philosophy, The Himalayan Farm project or in their terms an “experiment with nature – for nature” started as a dream. It is imagined as a space to live an organic, sustainable life close to nature and introduce a larger number of young people to a natural way of living. It is more than just an organic farm. At the very heart of it is the belief that working as a community boosts happiness.

About Role Model:

Name: Hari Pant

Background

Retired army veteran (Retired in the rank of Brigadier with 33 years of service)

Attended Apprenticeship Program in Ecological Horticulture at the Centre for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz in 2010.

Attended Course - Illness to Wellness at Schumacher College, Dartington, U.K. in 2007.

Attended Course – Reconnecting Nature with Healing, at Schumacher college, Dartington, U.K. in 2008.

Volunteer at Schumacher College in 2009 and with The Garden Project, San Francisco in 2010

Working upon alternative medication through homeopathy and foods that heal. Have been able to provide four Thermal Accupressure Beds of Korean Origin for free treatment in Community Health Center at Bhimtal.

Conceived and implement The Himalayan Farm Project

Beliefs

Avoid having a leader, Avoid abstracting, judging, and defending. There is no winning through arguments.

Honour other people’s mental models. Feel a part of the whole group. Trust in solutions which emerge from dialogue.

Be a blessing to other human beings by your actions, words and thoughts. Spread light in the lives of others.

Be the master of your life. Be confident & fearless. Live with honour.

Whatever happens in life, face it bravely and accept it as a work of cosmic forces.

Make changes in life when it is necessary. Because, good & bad exists in this beautiful world.

Mission of The HFP

The Project is an intentional community of volunteers, from consumers to producers, that intends to re-introduce the farming model as a real sustainable livelihood in respect of oneself, other people and the environment.

The Project is an experiment to demonstrate a sustainable life in practice. It is an attempt to learn how to recycle and harness natural, sustainable resources, live a simple off grid life and how to reduce our carbon footprint.

Welcome anyone who has time and energy to make the farm their home and bring with them a positive attitude, creativity and a love for nature. Everyone is welcome – to pick up the hoe – to mend the canal – to sing songs– and to tell us how to do this better.

Reconnect the people particularly urban and rural youth with nature, sustainable living and to the source of their food from farm to mouth.

Introduce the “modern generation” to the concept of sustainable organic farming techniques.

Save the future by reconnecting them with the land (Relationship with the Earth), so that the future generation contributes towards agriculture, than going for other jobs, leading to food security.

Prevent growing consumerism. “Live with the mother earth and not of the mother earth”.

Help those who are lonely and depressed by providing an opportunity for holistic community living and providing space for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Achievements

Has created a space for Indian and global volunteers to live with nature and nurture Mother Earth.

Vision

Hari Pant wants to create a platform where people from all over the globe come and learn about farming and get reconnected with the mother earth. Moreover he wants to contribute the most towards the community. The educated young people in the hills are leaving for plains in search of white collar jobs and “better living”. The aim is to regenerate interest in organic agriculture as a way of life and also to prove its economic viability, leading to food security for families in hills, who are selling their lands due to falliong out put and not prepared to “dirty” their hands.

How he found resources

After retiring from the Indian army Hari found time to practice his passion for alternative medication and started a holistic health center in his home in Bhimtal. He also worked with schools and villagers and explored the lower Himalayas holistically. Courses in UK and USA enabled him to realize the total disconnection between the source of food and actual consumption. Similar to the West, the younger generation in India was not only getting disconnected but was relishing junk food being served by out lets like Pizza hut, Mc Donald etc. The percentage of obese and sick children is alarmingly increasing in schools all over India. It was during these times that he found the abandoned farm and decided to rejuvenate it to create a model of sustainable living.

Team formation

Hari with his daughter Richa Pant found the abandoned farm land and conceived the HFP. Just at the beginning of the implementation stage, Hari met Eliott Mercier, a management student from France, volunteering in South India, in August 2011. They both realized that their vision are exactly the same and joined the league. In September 2010, Eliott went back to U.K. to complete his studies. The HFP put first shovel on the land on October 09, 2011. The very first volunteers at the farm were Gina and Keveen, the creators of an NGO called KARAKOR which runs life enriching projects all over the world. They made the web site too for the HFP.

Infrastructure development

The land in village Raila, above Dogaon was an abandoned farm in the lower Himalayas. It is an hours trek away through dessiduous forest. The only two room dilapidated traditional GOAT house in the village was made livable and ready to dwell by the volunteers and villagers of village Dolmar. They jointly worked upon a dry compost toilet and utilised natural (wood & wood chips, leaves, clay) and waste (plastic / glass bottles, old shoes and slippers etc) materials to complete it.

The kitchen was the next to be worked upon which was completed by May 2012. It is a sustainable construction using mud, wood chips, stones and chicken mesh. Volunteers started pouring in and life sparked at the farm. Today they are working upon the expansion of the farm’s infrastructure to accommodate more volunteers. The Indian volunteers do not appreciate the bare minimum living conditions and existing compost toilet. A new compost toilet with two X three hole ceramic seat from Sheetal Ceramics, Ahmedabad is under construction.

In 13 months of its existence, some of the fields in the Farm were cleared and a crop of wheat, barley, corn, ginger, turmeric, squash, lettuce, coriander, radish,. Carrots, peas, Egg Plant, Capsicum, onion, garlic and chillies have been harvested. The team could see the sprouting beds of Potatoes, peas and garlic. We could also see ginger and turmeric beds ready to be harvested and onions sprouting, which would be transplanted after 3-4 weeks. . The fields were being prepared for plantation of the winter crops.

During the monsoon months of July, August and September the volunteers transplanted 66 saplings of fruit trees like avocado, lemon, lime, banana, guava, leechi, mango, sapota (cheekoo), grapes, orange and malta, besides some bamboo plants. The Farm is currently not in a position to sustain itself and majority of the food requirements like groceries, spices, and fruits are purchased from Haldwani, which is 26 Km away from Dogaon. From Dogaon to the Farm, the supplies are brought by the volunteers on back packs.

Technology Used

“Green”- that’s the term which suits the technology used at the farm. The farm is completely made of either natural or recycled products. The kitchen walls have been made up of layers of bottles which provide insulation from the heat and cold cycles. The toilet wall is made mostly of interwoven conifer leaves which have been thickened using layers of mud. The human waste is converted into compost which is utilised as manure in the farm. Everything is given a second life at the farm through its innovative utilisation.For example, cigarette packets are used to make nursery for the plant saplings. The pine cones which are in abundance in the mountains are plastered with clay and dried, and then used as replacement for bricks.

Projects:

On-going

Currently the volunteers are working to create a new three whole ceramic compost toilet, wormiculture, compost making in piles, and upon the methods of pesticide less agriculture wherein they use alternate pattern of crops (ginger and potato / peas and garlic) to prevent pest attacks on the crops. Moreover, they are experimenting upon the yield and quality of the crop if the farm bed is covered with moisture retaining materials (hay, dry leaves) or left open to the atmosphere i.e. left uncovered. The bed is prepared in a unique fashion in which the bed once prepared can be utilised for more than once. The soil is dug upto 60 cm after which it is filled with 20 cm of manure and then covered with 40 cm of fresh soil.

Future prospects

As the locals of villages near by practice chemical farming and are not open to the ideas of organic farming, composting toilets and sustainable constructions, volunteers speak to children in schools and younger generation about protecting nature to protect themselves. Elder people are curious and a bit suspicious of the teachings. In particular they are surprised about Western volunteers not only working in the Farm but even carrying large loads of groceries, fruits, wood planks and beams being carried uphill on backs. Contacts with schools are being established by so as to make an impact at the root level and encourage the future generation for taking up farming activities. 45 children from Don Bosco School were the first visitors to the Farm. Most of these children had not seen milking of a cow or buffalod earlier. Next were six children from SECMOL, Ladakh. We hope that such interaction continues.

The Farm is completely off grid. To solve the energy shortage at the farm a mini hydro power plant is to be set up against the stream flowing through the mountain. Bass consultancy team from IIM banglore has prepared a detailed report about this and other aspects to make the Farm a self sustainable. The implementation of this report requires a lot of finances and the Farm is unable to arrange that.

The Farm has won an award of Rs. 4.00.000 from Mahindra Rise Spark for setting up solar lighting system.

The Farm has three milk animals, two buffaloes and a cow. There are plans to produce Cheese in the near future to support the earnings at the farm. The infrastructure is being developed to take the farm to the next level in which more volunteers can contribute.

Impact

Social Impact

The social impact of Himalayan Farm Project can be viewed in following ways :

Develop as an experimental farm centre for low cost organic agriculture and center for holistic healing.

Share ideas and learn about traditional farming and seed saving techniques with the local farming community.

Attract youth from across the country to expose them to a unique sustainable way of living and caring for their planet.

Inspire young people locally and elsewhere to consider organic sustainable farming as a vocation.

Hence, both directly & indirectly, it promotes Sustainable Agriculture, Collective/Community living along with helping hill community to generate sustainable livelihood.

Economic and political impacts

The farm presents a partially self-sustainable picture of organic agriculture. Owing to the short period of its establishment it has not affected the economy and the politics of the region. The project has gained recognition in the media both in India and abroad. In 2013, a girl from University is arriving for the summer program and is funded by the University. The Farm has been covered by India Today & Aspire Magazines

Cultural impacts

The place is a ground for cultural exchange with people from different nationalities coming to the farm and exchanging ideas. People despondent of the city life come as volunteers and in the meantime also try to understand the Indian culture. They perform folk songs and dances and practice yoga and meditation. Thus it is a place of spiritual unity in spite of the existing cultural diversity. Indian techie volunteers from Mumbai, Banglore and Delhi has been arriving for a week, as they are unable to get
long leaves.

Environmental impacts

Due to the strict rules in the community for forest conservation and sustainable farming, the processes carried at the farm are not adverse to the surroundings. This can be judged by the better forest density of the farm than the surrounding mountains. The volunteers had done a lot of planting during the last monsoon.

Financial Model

The farm is still struggling in its sources of fund generation. Eliott Mercier is developing a system to generate revenue streams for financial stability. Richa is exploring partnerships and collaborations to create a sustainable revenue stream. Meanwhile the volunteers contribute for their daily expesses of food to keep the Farm functional. The Farm serves only vegetarian wholesome food.

The HFP is concerned about future revenue for financial stability and are looking for support in terms of knowledge and resources. Most recently in 2011 they had a student consulting group of IIM, Bangalore advise them on future growth plans and financial management.

Recommendations For Development

There is very much scope for expanding their interest areas. Already they have covered areas of farming, organic building, mind – refreshing activities like yoga & also as a consultant in Social Media. Also they are planning for Generation of Electricity by establishing a small Hydro-power plant.

Here we would like to suggest that in future they should concentrate more on harnessing solar as well as wind energy as the location of the farm is suitable for utilizing these renewable energies.

Hence in future we want to see them totally free. Widening the circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it’s beauty.

Welcome Heal The Soil!

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 05:22:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

We want to introduce to you Heal The Soil, our new partners. It is thanks to their amazing network and will to spread the movement of permaculture that we are able to host the PDC in May!

Heal The Soil is based in Auroville and develops a Community Supported Agriculture in the village of Kotakarai. Their farm serves as a learning centre for all the new techniques developed around the world and a point of meeting between international volunteers, indian volunteers and locals. We encourage all of you heading south to volunteer for their brilliant cause. One can really experience permaculture principles and apply them on the gardens that are part of the community supported agriculture. They also have a wide range of courses happening on their site and one can really benefit from the best teachings.

Bookings for the PDC in May happen through their web page (end of this page http://www.healthesoilcsa.org/permaculture-design-course-2012--2013.html). They are helping us in logistics, networking and knowledge sharing. They are like big brothers! Consider them as your brothers also : )

http://www.healthesoilcsa.org/

The network of projects sharing the same intention is growing thanks to their work!
We are grateful to be collaborating with them.

Peace and Bliss,

The Himalayan Farm Family

PDC May 11th - June 3rd

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 07:24:00 +0000

Hello friends,

From May 11^th and for 3 weeks, we are hosting a PDC. The 21 day Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course will be conducted in the internationally accepted manner. Ben and Matt who started Panya project in Thailand http://www.panyaproject.org/ will cover every major topic in Bill Mollisons: Permaculture: A Designers Manual & includes the following & more:

~Philosophies & Ethics of Permaculture

~Permaculture Design Principles

~Patterns in Nature- How they apply to design

~Methods of Design- Turning damaged landscapes into productive, healthy landscapes

~Climatic Factors- How to design within your climate where ever you are

~Trees and Forest Systems- How to mimic nature in your design

~Water- Catchment, usage, importance & conservation

~Soil- Minerals, micro-organisms, erosion prevention & soil creation

~Earthworks- Shaping the land to achieve our design goals

~Aquaculture- Fish & water plant production

~Natural Building- Cob, adobe, Wattle & cob, compressed & rammed earth & more!

~Community Cultivating- Strategies for community development

~Urban Design Systems- Designing for density

~Animal Systems - Understanding the role livestock plays in design

But the course is not only about teaching. It is about doing the experience of community living as well as simple living. It is a participatory process where teachers, assistants, participants, and volunteers create an eco system as to understand at an experiential level the meaning of permaculture.

The course is now for 540 usd (offer stands for 2 more weeks, then 630 usd, there are discounts for NGOs and projects carrier please contact us) this includes food, accommodation and teaching. Accommodation is basic and the last people to come will be sleeping in tents. People have to know that we only use compost toilet and basic Indian style showers but this happens on a mind-blowing location: we are overlooking the Himalayas from Corbett National Reserve. Our neighbours except for villagers are tigers, leopards, barking dears and amazing birds…

And the reason for this blog is not only to invite people to attend the course – people have to know that it helps us to sustain ourselves financially - but also to invite volunteers to ‘serve’ the course.

Taking the course and following the teaching is an amazing experience, but serving the course is also a powerful learning process. Everyone is welcome to do it. It is about facilitating the learning. Volunteers will be in the kitchen, streamlining participants, facilitating supply of food and materials. They are essential to the realisation of the knowledge sharing. And they are an integrative part of the eco system that will be created. They are also welcome to share their knowledge during special sessions of the PDC that are open for that.

Participants also have to know that they are welcome before the course as to understand the process of hosting the teaching, but obviously to help to create the space for it.

So this blog is a call for participants and volunteers. Feel welcome to start sharing with us your ideas, time, and knowledge.

Peace and Bliss from the hills,

The Himalayan Farm Family.

Inspiring story from a Swedish volunteer

noreply@blogger.com (toortoth) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:09:00 +0000

A Blog post from Lovisa, a previous volunteer from Sweden, who stayed here in October/November 2012.

Hi everyone out there / Namaskaar!

In the moment of writing this, it’s the middle of winter in Sweden. The weather forecast right now tells us that it will be even colder here in February and March, and we’ve already had 3 months of winter! So this winter season, all together would then have last for 6 months. I’m not sure how I have been able to get through it so far, and if I’ll manage to keep my mind cheerful through the last months of winter, or maybe I am?

In the summer of 2012 I did a walk called “Camino de Santiago” in the north of Spain. For you who have not heard about this walk before, it’s a 800 km long walk from the French side of the Pyrenees, all the way to Santiago de Compostela in the northwestern part of Spain. I had a lot of time to think there and I met a lot of very inspiring people, in different ages and with different ways of looking at life. I could write about this forever, but that’s not what I meant to do, but it was there, during that walk that I decided to go to India to volunteer. I wanted to put my hands in the dirt and do something where you can see a result, directly.

Then, a while after I got home, I found the Himalayan Farm project on the internet and got in touch with Hari, one of the inspiring founders of the farm. The first impression I got of Hari when emailing with him was wonderful and real. I never doubted a second weather to go to the farm or not, because the kindness and helpfulness Hari showed me through those emails was something I had never before come across. Thank you for that Hari, I felt very safe when traveling alone to India, knowing I could call you or people you knew in Delhi if I had any problems.

Spending time on the Himalayan Farm was for me very emotional. It had a lot of ups and downs and I really appreciated, at least now when I have a better perspective of it all, all the feelings that ran through my body during the three weeks I spent there. I think that I went to the farm in a period of my life when I was searching for something, but I didn’t know what I was looking for. I wanted to find a new path in life and being at the farm for three weeks, among people that also were searching for something or had already found it. To say that this was inspiring is not enough. I don’t know what words to use, I guess you just have to be in that particular moment, in a special moment of time to experience it. The Himalayan Farm is a place of magic and a place were you can find yourself, develop yourself and question yourself and the choices that you make in life. The nature and the astonishing surroundings also really helped me finding my new path in life, and this has helped me keeping my mind cheerful when getting back to Sweden’s winter cold. Thank you so much everyone.

Here in Sweden, I’ve continued eating healthy vegetarian food, as we did on the farm, and I’m now planning to do an even longer walk from my doorstep in Sweden, down in Europe, with reaching Santiago de Compostela as a goal. The plans are not set in stone yet, but it’s supposed to be an ecological and environmental walk for the beautiful planet we live on and must take care of. The plan is to live cheap, only travel by foot, hopefully volunteer along the way and not waste the earth and its resources in a none thoughtfully way. I’ll write about it too.

So this was a blogpost from me to all of you considering to volunteer at the Himalayan Farm. I hope I now have convinced you to travel there and do this. It would be something you would do for yourself, all living beings and nature. It’s an amazing thing to do and everything you can do helps! Don’t think about it too much, just do it and I’m sure you won’t regret it.

LOVE and HUGS from Lovisa, volunteer from Sweden.

Workshop on Bengali Style Mud Building Mid February

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 06:42:00 +0000

Dear all,

I hope this message finds you in the best of health.

As I mentioned in the previous blog, we are hosting a PDC in May 2013. Everyone is welcome to participate in it, if you are interested please send us a request on himalayanfarmer@gmail.com and we will send you the details. We have space available for 25 participants only, and Heal the soil, partnering organisation is taking care of most of the bookings, so hurry up!

The course itself is going to be fun, but another fun part is going to build the place for the event. We are extending our infrastructure. And for this we will be working with Mama ji, a local eco architect who is working only with mud. He is actually respectful of the Bengali style mud building, an ancestral way of building houses. There is no addition of hay, or dry materials; it is just about working with massive blocks of mud taken out straight from the ground. We have been checking out his previous buildings and this is amazing and fascinating. I myself am so intrigued about the process even though he explained to me how it works.

We will start working with him by Mid February, and the building process will take about a month. We agreed on making this a workshop so Mama ji will only lead us through the building process. We are to learn how to do it. This will be a time when we need hands and spirits, a time where we will also be allowed to be creative in the design of the building (everything is to be decided but the technique used). So everyone is very welcome during this time, to help and learn and get hands dirty.

On the other hand, we are now in the process of installing solar panels; Andy (Germany) has been working in Auroville for more than a year and has extensive knowledge on the subject. In a week time, we will have one computer on the farm, and we will be able to charge a few devices. We obviously do not want to overload the farm with too many electronic devices, but this was a decision to be taken as to keep people in touch of our progress. If you want to come and learn about solar installation you are very welcome, it will be part of the work for the coming month.

Well, time coming is going to be quite busy in terms of knowledge sharing, and energy input. People vibrating with those words are welcome. The farm is your farm, your home, a place where you can do whatever you feel like doing. I am here, doing things, and learning from people, and sharing my ideas because this place is all about creativity and inventiveness. It allows people to open up and to discover amazing skills about themselves. It allowed me to realise I could actually do something meaningful.

And I want to share that with as many people as possible.

Come and join your farm.

Peace and Bliss,

Eliott

PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE- May 2013

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:49:00 +0000

Dear friends of the Himalayan Farm,

I hope you had a fulfilling time with your loved ones and I wish you all the most wonderful for the coming year.

Winter is beautiful here, sky is clear, light is magical, one feels cold outside but so warm inside.

Christmas and new year's surrounded by sweet souls, and loving hearts what more can I wish for.?

We have been blessed (again!) with a new partnership. We are now collaborating with Heal The Soil, an NGO based in Tamil Nadu, which is organizing PDC (Permaculture Design Course) in India and abroad. They picked us our farm for the next course in May 2013, http://www.healthesoilcsa.org/permaculture-design-course-2012--2013.html.

The course is a great opportunity for people to understand better what permaculture is and to have first hands on experience. It is a 72 hour curriculum very complete that will be led by experts from their team. We are very excited about this coming event and would like to invite people to join.

We are already actively working on making a beautiful environment to welcome our participants. Not that the farm is not incredible already, but that we care for everyone who comes to discover our little patch of paradise.

We are providing with the location and team of workers and Heal The Soil will deal with all the concerns related to the course itself. If you wish to attend or simply want more information please contact both of us.

Please check Heal The Soil website to understand better what you will be introduced to, and then send us an email on himalayanfarmer@gmail.com.

We will surely send you all the information you need to have. Just so you know there is space for 25 participants, so do not hesitate to book in advance if you are tempted by the experience.

For all the others, you are very welcome anytime on the farm, to help us, to create.

To be part of an inventive movement.

I mean, why not?

Peace and Bliss,

Eliott

AN UP DATE ON HIMALAYAN FARM PROJECT

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:52:00 +0000

APPEAL BY BRIGADIER HARI MOHAN PANT

( RETIRED )

FOUNDER TRUSTEE THE HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION

People in most parts of the developed world are victim of an unconscious disconnection with nature. They do not know anymore the source of their food. They buy and generally eat their ready to eat foods prepared by using chemical fertilizers and pesticides from supermarkets. slowly but surely agriculture has been / is getting monopolized by large multinational corporations such as DuPont or Monsanto etc. The extensive and unrestricted use of pesticides and genetically modified crops/ foods ( GM crops / foods ) are now responsible for a variety of physical and mental ailments in the Western countries.

In India too, over the years use of large scale chemical and fertilizers coupled with degradation of the environment have affected mental and physical health not only in cities but in villages too. Due to large scale felling of threes and forest fires each year, there has been widespread degradation of environment especially in the State of Uttarakhand. More farmers in the country are dying with cancer due to use of chemicals than any other reasons. The disease results in families forced to borrow, then selling initially their jewellery and later their land too for treatment. The sufferer goes to heavenly abode but the family gets deprived of what ever little they had possessed.

It is now no secret that thousands of people all over the world including India die from pesticides related diseases every year and trends shows exponential increases. Furthermore, those corporations make it impossible for small farmers to be beneficial by fixing prices so low that only economies of scale can compete.

As a result, Indian farmers too have rejected organic farming and are using chemical fertilizers and pesticides increasingly. The small farmers have no option but to sell their meagre land holdings and migrate to urban areas in search of better pastures. According to the Government of India, the urban migration has reached more than 25 million each year. It is also a fact; countryside is getting deserted and land abandoned or sold to little concerned corporations or large scale farmers. According to the press reports in Hindi language news paper DANIK JAGRAN dated 07 November 2012, in the State of Uttarakhand, having borders with Nepal and Tibet, a total of 1066 villages have been declared non habited. This report is based on the statement of Shri Indu Pande, who is currently planning Advisor to the Government and ex Chief Secretary of the Government of Uttarakhand.

Considering the above scenario, and realizing the impact on the marginal farmers, food security, and over all health of the farmers and consumers of chemically supported food, a pilot project named The Himalayan Farm Project has been created, under the ageis of The Himalayan Foundation Trust, to test the validity of sustainable organic food model. The success of the pilot project in lower Himalayas gives ample confidence to implement the project at another place (s). Therefore to covert the pilot project in to a well planned sustainable organic venture, a trust has been created - namely The Himalayan Foundation on 05 December 2012.

The Himalayan Foundation aims at re-empowering the farming model as a real sustainable and beneficial livelihood option with the following broad based objectives :--

(a) To create an all volunteer community that aims to be an experiential learning center exploring sustainability,. food security, shared community living and act as a school for sustainable living providing space for cross fertilization of ideas for rural, urban and international youth..

(b) To encourage local youth to reconsider organic sustainable farming as a vocation.his would also surely but gradually slow down urban migration while rehabilitating the now fallow lands, more so in the hills of Uttarakhand.

(c) To offer an opportunity to national and global urban youth to reconnect with nature, rediscover their source of their food from farm to fork and a platform for individuals to emerge as leaders and innovators in the field of organic agriculture/ horticulture and sustainable living .

(d) to promote use of sustainable energies including solar, wind and micro hydal.

(e) To provide holistic healing and basic medical facilities, where none exist to day. The statement of India's Union Rural Development Minster Jairam Ramesh on Friday, 16 November 2012, candidly admits that in many parts of India, public health system does not exist. I quote " To day the single most important reason for rural area indebtedness is expenditure on health. We all know that the health system in India has collapsed. India is unique country in the world where the health expenditure is private expenditure.- Jairam Ramesh"

In order to progress the above objectives, I request to all my relatives, friends, well wishers and others interested all over the world, to please contribute / donate liberally to create a unique place; The Himalayan Farm Project, an all volunteer farm project. All contributors / donors are also requested to continue interest in the project and to motivate younger generation to participate as volunteers.

Peace & Eternal bliss;

( Brigadier Hari Mohan Pant ( Retired)
A soldier turned farmer

Hands, hearts, and ideas are welcome to settle the Himalayan Farm!

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 07:01:00 +0000

Namaskar!

Hope this message finds you all in the best of spirit and health!

A little update on the situation at the farm:

We have started working on the new infrastructure. We started with the 2 new composting toilets. This should be done by mid November. We are working with wood, stones, pine corns, sand and clay, the design and location have been agreed upon the community members and the holes for the poles have been dug already. Clay is being collected and wood is on its way for the infrastructure and we will have everything worked out quite soon. We would appreciate the help of a carpenter or an architect who would be willing to take over the project (at the moment, Paul (Ireland) and Peter (Australia) are responsible for the development, they have experience in building and carpentry). All other people are welcome to get hands and feet dirty and to learn how to build their own house with just organic materials!!

We will then proceed to the extension of the kitchen (by mid-november, end-november). We would certainly require the help of a plumber as to install a tap in the kitchen and a tap and tank area next to the existing toilet where people can easily do their washing without having to bend (Indian do not mind, but our international volunteers get quite tired of bending for a long time). During this process, we will have to cook in open space, and we hope to be done as quickly as possible with the process.

We will ask the help of a builder of Dogaon (the village down below) as to show us how to build a rocket stove oven with four standing cooking spaces. They have developed interesting building techniques with concrete; we will just go through the same process using mud bricks (someone who knows any technique is obvisouly welcome to lead this project). If no plumber comes (which we hope will not happen : )) then we will also require the help of a plumber from Dogaon. Here is also an opportunity to learn and share with the locality!

We will then work on our kitchen extension (December); which consists of a new dining space and the closing of the existing kitchen. If everything goes as planned we will be able to start working on the new house by January. Again carpenters, architects, plumbers are very welcome those coming months as to lead the projects. Then all other people are also very welcome, we will need to carry, help and think together.

We are also working on better community systems and now each volunteer is assigned with a daily mission apart from the communal work. Furthermore, weekly mission have to be done. We are trying to put the systems on rails so that everyone coming can easily take over the work. There is obviously a lot of garden work in parallel and a lot of work as to embellish the community space as well as the path leading to it. We will also repaint the temple in the coming days. All creativity is welcome!

Again we need to say that there is no leader up the hill. Only co-thinkers-doers. When you come you are required to think for the community in a way that will smoothen all processes and future developments. This is how we learn the best, and discover abilities about ourselves that we did not know we had. So please come with this desire of discovering yourself, unimagined abilities that you have. And please know, that we are to make mistakes and learn from them!

Hari is tired and gave a lot of his energy to build up what exists today and that is beautiful. We owe him to take over, we owe life to take over such a beautiful adventure where people can discover themselves and interact in a way they did not know existed. Obviously, he is not giving up at all as he is feeding on love (I am serious this is amazing) and giving unconditionally gives him incredible energy! But we are to take over and build up a chain of solidarity, because we are the next generation, and we owe it to life.

I will be going in Rajasthan soon as to present the project to a few universities. There is a good opportunity for us to work hand in hand with last year students in agriculture but also in sustainable engineering. There is also a chance for us to be sponsored by the government to build up a greenhouse in December. I will also visit Barefoot College in Tilonia, and Shikshantar in Udaipur. I hope to come back with more people to hold workshops and help us in our developments.

We want to become a real learning centre and so anyone who has been working on a certain fields of work connected to holistic healing (health, community living, permaculture, water conservation, renewable energies, organic building techniques) is very welcome to join us and we will make sure that there is time space for him during his/her stay to share with the community his/her knowledge.

Please come and join us in this movement of life, this movement of sharing. Come and share with us what you know and what you don’t!

With love and bliss from the Himalayas,

Eliott

The Himalayan Farm Project featured in cheapflights.co.uk blog!

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:34:00 +0000

Please have a look at the article that was written about the himalayan farm project

http://news.cheapflights.co.uk/volunteering-with-himalayan-farm-project/

And leave us your comments!

Thanks to cheapflights.co.uk for raising awareness about our activities!

Peace and Bliss to you all

Starting to extend our infrastructure! The HFP Needs from a carpenter!

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 03:41:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

We are going to start building new infrastructure! We are looking for a carpenter! Anyone interested in this field of work, or who knows someone who would be, please share the word!

It has been has been not so long since we last wrote on this blog but it seems like a whole life has passed by. I can imagine that you have felt the same that we actually have some similar relationship with time it was yesterday that we began to realize how many things have actually been happened in these past few days!

So please give me this chance to share with you what happened recently concerning the Himalayan Farm Project, this enchanting human adventure.

It has been a week that we are 12 volunteers, not including the 4-member family that lives with us! So being 16 in a space that was designed for 10, we are obviously a little bit squished, but this is delighting. With a light and warm heart, some sleep in the dormitory while others pitch their tents on the hill. Nothing can prevent us from sharing.

From afar, the Himalayan Farm Project may appear to some a utopia, something that gathers wandering souls. In reality, our team is now composed of a statistician, a chemist, a yoga teacher, a painter, a professor in English literature, an expert in organic building, a consultant in social media, and many students studying a wide range of subjects.

Our current priority is to extend our infrastructure. We happily welcomed Manu Gopalan, Aurovillian, expert in organic growth, and shared with him for a few days. Sharing is not a powerful enough term to express what really happened on the farm during those days. We explored the land together, started with observations, then analyses, shared our ideas, and recognized how beautiful full how blessed and how full of potential this project is.

We are particularly off- grid, and our challenge is to become an example of an off-grid, self-sufficient sustainable project. To achieve that, we have created a log of all the materials/elements that surround the farm and have decided which ones to use for our future infrastructures (pine trees, pine corns, clay, lime to name a few…). We have also established our architectural priorities, and have decided to first build one 4-person house, two composting toilets, and one shower. We will then work on the extension of our kitchen. If you want to know more about our organic growth plan, you may want to check the file attached to this email.

At the same time that we have been working on infrastructure development, we have also been sowing potatoes, garlic, and coriander, and have created 2 nurseries for flowers that will enlighten the space. We decided to conduct a series of experiments about organic farming, specific to our climate, thanks to the help of Lior from Israel who is now our garden leader. We want to determine which agricultural techniques give us the highest crop yields. Anyone interested in the techniques we are experimenting with can send an email to himalayanfarmer@gmail.com

Opportunities keep on showing at our doorstep. On Sunday, we will welcome a group of 30 students in social entrepreneurship. These students are coming to learn from our venture, about what is entailed in building a simple organization that is structured around social and environmental benefits. They want to learn about creative thinking as well, and we hope to exchange ideas about what we call the "positive economy," an idea that is spreading all over the world.

We do not want ourselves to be isolated. We are physically isolated, but we are not intellectually isolated. The sharing happens on every corner of the globe! We have a partner in New Zealand who will try to send us seeds. We are also in contact with two governmental consultants in organic agriculture and they want to sponsor us with bio pesticides, and wheat seeds. We are also planning to welcome a class of kids weekly on our farm and provide them with English classes (thanks to Tanya, a professor from Delhi), a clew map initiative adventure, and music lessons (the arts are unfortunately considered as a sub subject). Our concept is to make the work more attractive, by showing to local people our approach to farming.

But our project is not only to welcome kids every once in a while. We aim at teaching (and learning) more about permaculture and sustainable agriculture, and the processes involved in understanding the earth, its cyclicality, and how to maximize its potential. The goal is to work less but provide more, through analyzing and understand in depth the components and ecosystem functions of a certain land. We are in discussion with Heal The Soil who might be holding a three week course on the farm once a year. But anyone with skills in permaculture or even without skills is welcome to join our work!

How can I tell you what is happening here?

We are in a movement of life that creates outstanding ideas. We are working hand in hand with a number of associations, and not against each other. We are developing our creative potential and trying to structure it in such a way that we are able to share our ideas with everyone. We are full of an energy that certainly comes from the feeling of being in touch with our time. We are giving our entire selves to the earth, our heritage. We have engaged ourselves on a search to find new ideas, to recycle, to conserve our water, to pay attention to our soil, and to preserve the biodiversity in our locality. We are sacrificing ourselves so that our children, and everyone's children, will be able to experience the beauty of the Earth. We agree with Saint Exupery, when he said that ‘The earth does not belong to us, we borrow it from our children’ and pledge to honor the Earth through our work. Our whole effort is based on agriculture, and intends to respect the carrying capacity of the earth, so that she fills us up physically and emotionally.

I cannot lie to you, this movement will never be complete without your engagement. The only way to increase the breadth and depth of our efforts is to have your support, intellectual and financial. We need your donations to sit in sustainability, we need your presence on site to bridge the gaps between our two worlds. Because in reality, we are all dependent on the health and beauty of the same Earth. We see our project as part of a global trial of redemption, a way of working to rebuild a healthy and beautiful relationship with nature.

We can ask for help , because we believe in the poignancy and importance of this work, because we believe in it here and around the world. In this moment, as I write these lines, I have goose bumps, and an enjoyable sensation of being connected to myself and to the world.

So here I am pledging that anything you are willing to donate, financial or personal, will be shared amongst everyone, and help to build a healthier and more harmonious present and future. And I wholeheartedly invite every one of you to come visit and see and help in the work that is being done here!

Hope that this was not too boring, and that you will keep on reading our developments, I wish you authentic relationships and sweet expressions of your individuality.

Peace and Bliss from the Himalayas,

Eliott Mercier - Himalayan farmer also ; )

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 17:17:00 +0000

SEMINAR ON ECO AND SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
OCTOBER 06 TO 08, 2012

Dear friends & well wishers of the HFP,

As you are aware the mission of The Himalayan Farm Project is to re-introduce the farming model as a real sustainable livelihood, in respect of oneself, the other and the environment.

The Farm is based on a hill right before the Himalayas, surrounded by reserved forests from all sides and completely off the grid. We have welcomed a stream of volunteers in last 11months from all corners of the globe. We do not have enough accommodation and we are crawling under an increasing demand that we cannot satisfy due to a limited capacity: we can provide only 8 beds at any time.

We now need to create additional space for volunteers and farm animals, besides spaces for common work and additional farm related activities. We are looking to expand our infrastructure with only organic techniques.

Eliott Mercier our patron volunteer from France / London is arriving by end September. Manu Gopalan an Eco Architect from South India / Auroville is arriving on October 6 and will be leading the seminar on ecological and sustainable construction.

Volunteers from all corners of the globe are welcome.

Volunteers having camping equipments are requested to send an email about their arrival and are welcome to arrive even without confirmation of space.

Volunteers requiring sleeping space may please send mail to <himalayanfarmer@gmail.com> and are requested to contact at phone 0091 (0) 9412085542 for confirmation of sleeping space.

Light and Eternal Bliss,

The Himalayan Farmer
“The earth does not belong to men; men belong to the earth.”
~ Sri Aurobindo
* Check out our brand new website www.himalayanfarmproject.com
* Join The Himalayan Farm Project on Facebook (click here)
* Read my latest blog (click here)
* Discover our work with the Bhagirath Pande Charitable Trust (click here)

Monsoon News from the Himalayan Farm Project

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Hello friends and well wishers !

This is an update about the current situation on the farm. The monsoon period used to be almost sure from June 15 to September 15, with some pre monsoon rains in towards end May. However over the past 10 -12 years the weather pattern has changed a lot, and some say it is due to climate change! Its possible that large scale deforestation in hills and mountains of Himalayan forest belt is also responsible in a big way for this erratic weather pattern and climate change.

This year we had no pre-monsoon rains in May and entire month of June was devoid of rains except in last three days of the month. The month of July and August saw very erratic behavior of monsoon. Inspite of occasional very heavy rains with large scale damage to roads and property, the monsoon has been scanty. There has been no rains for over eight days now and this is likely to affect growing crops. Most of the agriculture in India remains rain fed. Expecting a drought, the prices of groceries have already increased many fold.

At the HFP, we had prepared for the monsoon and covered the roof of the old building with tarp and it ensured no seepage of water. The approach to the farm and the farm itself is a treat to the eyes in various shades of green. We now have milk giving animals - two buffaloes and a cow.

We took advantage of the rains to plan more than 50 fruit trees including avocado, fig, grape, leechi, mango, guava, lemon, lime, orange, and banana.

The corn crop is now ready to be harvested and the turmeric and ginger are showing lush green leaves. The pumpkin vines are flowering now and we will soon have fresh pumpkins for stew and veggies.

During the monsoon we were only able to support four to five volunteers. As the monsoon comes to a close, volunteers are once again welcome. A reminder, we can accomodate only upto eight volunteers at any one time. However volunteers having tents are welcome, as there is ample space to pitch the same.

Volunteers are requested to fill the information at Calender link below and provide us information about your arrival in India, after you have booked your air ticket.

http://www.keepandshare.com/calendar/show_month.php?i=1986148

 We are still looking for someone with experience to take over the farm from Hari, who is now age 70+.

If any one from any corner of the globe is looking for a quiet place to be creative, relax, read, create music, meditate, yoga and what have you in addition to daily routine of a vibrant farm to nurture Mother Earth, this is the perfect location. Please pass this information to your friends and well wishers.

Update on The Himalayan Farm Project

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:42:00 +0000

Hello friends and well wishers ! this is an update about the current situation on the farm.
The place remains as beautiful as ever and is a treat to the eyes in various shades of green.

We are still looking for someone with experience to take over the farm. Hari age 70 +, is unable to be there on a regular basis.
Those of you who are looking for a quiet place to be creative, relax, read, play music, meditate, yoga etc in addition to daily routine of a vibrant farm to nurture Mother Earth, this is the perfect location.

The every day farm work requires self motivation. The farm now has a local family Onkar, his wife Hansa with two school going boys in grade six. The couple speak Hindi and boys are picking up English.

It is monsoon season and there have been heavy rains after much delayed monsoon. This has resulted in large scale destruction of life and property too; however the farm is safe. We had covered the roof of 100 years plus old building with two tarps of 30 feet x 40 feet and there has been no leakage of water. This ensured that volunteers have a nice sleep after a days work.
The approach to the farm and the farm itself look really beautiful in various shades of green, The nature seems to be at its best. We are in planting fruit trees like Avocado, grapes, lemon, lime, mango, leechi, guava, banana etc. In addition daily tasks to be fulfilled are: weeding, hoeing, wood collection, animals related chores and cooking basic meals, cleaning, besides weekly food runs between Haldwani - Dogaon and up to The Farm. The rest is free time. Beginning October, there would be preparation of new beds and sowing/ trans plantingtoo.

The monsoon is expected to subside towards end September. The Farm thereafter requires plumbers to lay a 4 or 6 inch pipe line from water source to the farm along with / inside the disused canal. And if we can mange a big drop, we can have a micro hydel electricity project too. Volunteers with experience in this field are most welcome.

Please note that vlunteers have freedom to initiate and complete a project, which would be helpful towards the farm and if it is with in financial means of The Farm.

This is your farm not only during your stay but everafter you have once volunteered. You are always welcome. Wishing you all a peaceful, rewarding and memorable stay at the farm with many experiences of inner peace and eternal bliss.
Hari Pant - Himalayan Farmer

Mehr als Berge und Farming

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:03:00 +0000

Mein erster Kontakt mit dem Himalayan Farm Project entstand ueber workaway.info, es war ein Ort von vielen, die fuer mich in Frage kamen. Ich begann, mit Hari Emails zu schreiben und buchte Fluege und Zuege. Ehe ich mich versah, kletterte ich ein paar Monate spaeter einen Berg im Himalaya hoch - auf meinem Weg zur Farm. Ich wusste nicht, was mich erwartet, alles, was ich wusste, wusste ich aus Emails, diesem Blog und Youtube-Videos...


Mittagessen auf dem Balkon


Morgendliche Atemuebungen

Ich bin seit etwas mehr als einer Woche hier und es ist unglaublich. Ich haette nie vorher gedacht, dass man mit so wenig so gluecklich sein kann. Denn die Farm ist tatsaechlich sehr “back to basics” - einfaches Essen, das ueber Feuer gekocht wird, kein Strom und keine Zivilisation; die naechsten Nachbarn wohnen eine halbe Stunde Fussmarsch bergab entfernt. Fuer mich als Stadtkind war das eine Umstellung, aber es ist wunderbar. Dieser Ort gibt einem die Moeglichkeit, voellig man selber zu sein und sich frei zu fuehlen.
Natuerlich ist die Landschaft atemberaubend, der Blick ueber die Berge, die Sonnenauf- und -untergaenge...aber was mich noch mehr beeindruckt, sind die Menschen. Leute aus der ganzen Welt (im Moment aus Deutschland, Israel, den Staaten, Singapur und Daenemark) haben sich an diesem Ort im Nirgendwo zusammen gefunden. Wir sind alle aus unterschiedlichen Gruenden hier, haben verschiedene Reisen hinter uns - aber dort oben leben wir alle gemeinsam. Eine solche Waerme von so vielen Menschen gleichzeitig habe ich selten vorher (wenn nicht noch nie) erlebt.

Jetzt habe ich noch gute drei Wochen bevor mein Zug zurueck nach Delhi geht und ich freue mich auf die Zeit, weiss aber jetzt schon, dass ich mich zuruecksehnen werde nach diesem kleinen aber feinen Ort da oben!

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:24:00 +0000

Fra det flade Danmark til det Enorme maegtige Himmalaya!

Eventyret startede som saa mange eventyr nu stater i denne moderne verden; igennem det uhaandgribelige internet! -Internettet forbandt et simpelt rejsende kaereste par, paa jagt efter rolighed og naturrige omgivelser, med en mand, en levevej, et projekt; The Himalayan Farm Project. Turen fra bunden af bjerget mod toppen, mod den farm vi kun havde laest om igennem forums fra internettet, blev en blandet foeelse af udmattelse ved at kaempe sig direkte op af bjergetsiden og glaedesrusen og begejstringen der steg i takt med at trafik og gade stoej blev merkant svagere og svagere lyde i det fjerne. Direkte op gik det, igennem naaleskov til vejen slog det foeste sving og en ny bjergformation aabnede sig for oejene af os, en begejstring der dog var svaer at udtrykke med 15 kilo paa ryggen og sved mellem fingerne.

Efter at have brugt to fantastiske uger paa en farm kun omgivet af den skoenneste natur, foeler jeg den samme begejstring og lykke over dette sted, som ramte mig selvsamme oejeblik, mine oejne for foerste gang, efter denne tur op af bjerget, hvilede sit blik over stedet. Det er en begejstring og lykke der ligger dybt i min foelse af farmen og projektet farmen omhandler. Taenkt at skabe saadan her et sted, at goere det muligt for alle interraseret verden over at komme og blive en del af dette sted, midt i natur med flere hundrede fuglelyde der vil foelge dig fra tidlig solopgang til den moerke solnedgang, at maerke og foele naturen der omgiver os, at plante et froe, at vaere saa isoleret fra hverdagens, ja jeg har lyst til at kalde det strabasser, taenkt at lave mad over ild, fra det brande du selv har hentet og hugget, at spise det mad der gror og vokser sig stort omkring dig, at nyde den sidste aften sol, de sidste timer af doegnet under aaben himmel hvor den lysseblaa himmel og solens sidste blaeret farvespil bliver afloest af maanen og stjernene omkring den, alt imens du sidder i godt selvskab, og spiser dig igennem et maaltid af indisk madkunst!

Kaere Hari, kan jeg skrive, men i virkeligheden er det jo direkte til dig, danske laeser der sidder netop i dette oejeblik og laeser denne 'blog' jeg skriver til. Hvordan kan man beskrive et sted og en oplevelse med saa store ord at det ikke blot lyder patetisk og ligefrem overdrevet? Jeg vil ikke give mig i kast med for mange fylde ord, men i stedet proeve med simpel dansk underdrivelse at forklare at dette sted for mig og min vidunderlige kaereste har vaeret det helt rigtige sted at opleve og maerke os selv i naturen, samtidig med at have maedt spaendende, inspirende mennesker. Hari, der saa og sige styrer farm projektet er en ekstrem spaendende og laererig mand, med en masse godt at byde paa. Han er spirituelt taenkende interlektuel mand i halvfjerserne, sund og rask som var det han bedste alder. En mand der har dedikeret sin tilvaerelse til andre, en inspirende sjael man ikke kan andet en beundre. Taenk over livet og taenk over hvad du bruger det til. Hjaelp hvor det hjaelpes kan, og overvej om Himalayan Farm Project ikke er et sted alle burde opleve.

Tak til alle der har givet os dette eventyr.

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:31:00 +0000

My last days in India

Nach einem halben Jahr quer durch Indien brachte mich ein devotee Amma's auf diese Farm. Ohne Vorahnung und Selbstrecherche, wo sich diese Farm genau befindet, wie es dort aussieht und was auf mich zukommt, vertraute ich voll und ganz meinem Freund und meinem Gefuehl, dass das der Ort sein wird, wo ich meine letzten Tage in Indien verbringen werde.
Beide, mein Freund und mein Gefuehl, lagen richtig mit diesem Ort. Mitten in den Bergen, umgeben von Wald und Gemuese Gaerten -fernab von jeglicher indischen Hektik- liegt die Himalaya Farm. Genau nach dieser Umgebung sehnte ich mich, um einen wunderbaren Ausklang von meiner Indienreise zu haben. Neben der taeglichen Arbeit bleibt genug Zeit fuer Selbstverwirklichung. Arbeitszeiten gibt es auf dieser Farm nicht.
Chandan, mit seinem very very little English, ist ein sehr natuerlicher Mensch. Wir kommunizierten nur mit einigen Worten auf englisch und hindi und bekamen trotzdem bahod acha -very good friends. Diese Zusammenkunft lehrte mich, dass man nur wenige Worte benoetigt, um Freundschaft zu knuepfen.
Und zu guter letzt Hari... einer der herzvollsten Menschen, die ich bis jetzt getroffen habe. Seine Hingabe fuer die Mitmenschen ist wirklich unglaublich... mit voller Aufmerksamkeit und Empathie. Mit seinem breitgefaecherten Wissen, seiner unermuedlichen Kraft und Hingabe ist er definitiv ein Samariter der heutigen Welt. Dhanyawad Hari!!!
Zusammengefasst will ich sagen, dass die Himalaya Farm bestimmt wieder von mir aufgesucht wird, sollte ich in Indien sein.
In diesem Sinne...
sundra moments @ Himalaya Farm

Thomas Hinterleitner - Austria

Want to learn how to build your own house?

noreply@blogger.com (Himalayan Farmer) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:40:00 +0000

A friend of the HFP, Stephen Morris is coming to the farm to boost current work on the old farm house. He will be leading a rebuilding effort using MUD, glorious mud! Come get your hand muddy. We will be mixing, ramming, building from the 18th of May to the 15th of June. This is his guest post inviting volunteers.
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The HFP needs volunteers to rebuild an extension to the old farm house – an essential part of the rebuild before renovations to the main building roof can begin. The Rammed Earth style of building will be used onsite, which involves compressing a damp mixture of earth that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel and clay, sometimes with an added stabilizer, into an externally supported frame or mould, creating either a solid wall of earth or individual blocks.

Stephen Morris, an Agricultural Engineer from the UK, will be leading and supervising the build for the duration of the project. He has been involved with training workshops in rammed earth buildings and its methods with NGO’s and other groups for a few years now, mainly in the south of India.Training will be provided onsite and you will be supervised during the build, so don’t feel shy if this is your first time. For those of you with prior experience in alternative methods of building, this could be a great opportunity to dive in and get your hands dirty and see in a project to completion.

For a visual feel of what is involved, click on this link to look at an album photographs from the last build, in the Nilgiris.

Other activities, farm and non-farm related…
Helping around the farm is encouraged in your spare time or if you need a break from the building.
Evenings are spent around the camp fire chatting and making music so bring an instrument along if you play one!
Walks through the forest early morning or late evening with Stephen, a jungle man at heart.

Interested?
Want to be part of the team?
Write us an email with a short description about yourself and why this project interests you, then send it to Stephen at s.p.morris62@gmail.com

For more details about the project read on…

 Where: At the farm, Himalayan farm Project, Uttarakhand
 When: 18thMay-15thJune 2012

 We’d love to have you for the whole duration of the build, but understand that it might not be possible for everybody to take time out from your daytime jobs. A minimum of 10 days, plus two days for travel would be ideal to get the most benefit out of being here.
Please send us a confirmation of your participation by the 3rd of May at the very latest, for planning and team preparations.

Email Steve at: s.p.morris62@gmail.com

Cost: Travel expenses to the farm are borne by the participants themselves. We do not charge anything to stay on the farm and to participate in this workshops; however, we (the farm volunteers) have collectively decided to contribute Rs.200 to help this newly created project, that is not as yet self-sufficient.

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:50:00 +0000

Mmmmmmm freshhhhh green salad :)

Chapati our farm dog

Current situation on the farm

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:29:00 +0000

Himalayan Farm Project Movie

noreply@blogger.com (The Himalayan Farm Project) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:01:00 +0000

This is a movie explaining the mission and aim of establishing the Himalayan Farm Project. It includes interviews, music made at the farm and every day life. It was beautifully shot and exquisitely edited by Carmel (aka Dark Fantasy) and Roya.