Date of entry Updated Apr 2013  Organic Gardener for Food Growing A great opportunity for someone with a passion for organic food-growing to set up a synergistic eco-business in a forming EcoVillage Location La Palma, Canary Islands There is a golden opportunity to set up the food-growing side of a small
collective of complementary eco-businesses which will form the economic
back-bone of an EcoVillage in formation. The business will mainly consist in coordinating the growing a wide variety of vegetables & fruit in the large & already fertile gardens &
selling their produce & derivatives.
This is an ideal job for a very enterprising person (or couple) who has a
passion for organic food-growing much personal initiative, an
adventurous spirit, a good head for business, loves physical work in the
open air & of course would be willing to relocate to a very
beautiful location, preferably as member of the forming EcoVillage. Preferably bilingual in English & Spanish & with Integral Permaculture
qualfications (Diploma standard ideal) plus experience in either
setting up a business or organic vegetable growing or both & very
flexible + willing to learn. As with any start-up business, you will also need some savings in order
to start the business, although this would not entail starting from zero
as the Association that has been running the farm has already invested
considerable resources in all the basic infrastructures, saving you a
great deal of time, money, market-research & local traditional as
well as the most up-to-date needed knowledge & contacts. Single person option can be quite minimalist in terms of investment (depending on whether they wish to also buy a land-share), and the environment is also well-suited to families, given a larger investment (to buy larger shares of the eco-village that already have houses on them). Most small businesses start up with much voluntary work and
some gradually evolve to very profitable. This one is potentially
very profitable especially in terms of a TBL analysis. Of course exactly how profitable any business becomes and how quickly
depends mostly on the personal skills, experience & other inputs
from the person/s. The outside circumstances for this one are very good (we actively need
such a business here in fact, which is why we are advertising this
opportunity), and the economic climate although quite uncertain anywhere
now, is also most favourable to exactly this kind of initiative. Employer This is a self-employed start-up business opportunity
working in partnership with other small eco-businesses on site To apply for this opportunity please send your CV with introduction email saying * why you are interested in this opportunity * how you fit the person specification * what initial savings & experience you will bring to the project to hola (at) 8thLife (dot) org The person who will support you in this work is Stella, the coordinator of the project, you can contact her via email on hola (at) 8thLife (dot) org you are also welcome to phone her for more information on (0034) 697 590 185 You will be fully responsible for all food-growing activities but able to rely on
high-quality support and local expertise in setting up the details, as
there are people who have lived on site for over 10yrs you will be able
to draw on for expertise & support, as well as many local contacts
with many more decades of the same. The EcoVillage aims to be (as well as a community & beautiful &
healthy place to live) a small eco-business nursery where synergistic
eco-businesses can thrive & grow within a safety-net of mutual help. The business can be a stand-alone investment or be combined with buying a
share of the farm (either immediately or gradually) where it will be
based. See 8thlife.net for EcoVillage information The previous local experience and work to date of the Association make this a much lower-risk start-up than any other equivalent effort, but of course all new businesses are risky propositions. All basic training will be supplied through the GaiaSis Programme that we run in conjunction with the NodoEspiral of the Permaculture Academy (the first part on-line, then on site) but you will already have considerable drive or experience at least in one of the areas required. In terms of existing resources, there are six large gardens of very fertile land available, some complete with irrigation structures, in sub-tropical climate so able to grow a wide variety all year round - this is really an organic grower's dream. All basic facilities are in place (see EcoVillage specs on www.8thLife.net) and the gardens comes with a big chicken-tractor structure to easily clear, fertilize & keep pests under control in the 6 gardens in two month cycles (chickens pass once per year) and a good additional low-effort organic compost-making system. The overall design is of an integrated (permaculture) farm where the animals as well as the forest-gardens are very efficient & complementary parts of the system, combining with the vegetable gardens in healthy & productive ways which mimic natural systems. We already have an Animal Husbandry person in charge of the animal systems, and you will be working closely with them. There are also some wild-foods opportunities to harvest which would be a great complement to this business. Thank you for your interest in this job and for being an evolutionary butterfly |
Self-Employed >