The Guardian Farm, located in Huyropata, is less than a 4-hour drive from Cusco and just 3 hours from the Sacred Valley. The farm runs a small reforestation, land regeneration, and natural farming project in the cloud forest, with space for up to 50 people. They also operate a volunteer program for long-term stays and are currently seeking botanists, woodworkers, and potters to join their team.
About the work exchange program
Words from your host
“We are Guardians and stewards of the earth and the soul. We are a small reforestation, land regeneration, and natural farming project in the cloud forest. We are active in our community and on our farm. Trees, plants, animals, good people, gratitude, and good experiences are our passions here.
We live in the cloud forest with a big open kitchen, dining room, and living room. The roof is tin. There are several dorms and shared rooms. Sometimes we are lucky and see the toucans in our yard, always we hear the birds – including the giant flocks of green parrots who love to fly by.
We love ethical, kind, and responsible people. We are looking for positive, independent, motivated people who can take initiative. People who can appreciate a laid-back, fun, rustic, simple homey lifestyle.
We are located in an area of Peru famous for being the main producer of tea in the country. It is less than a 4-hour drive from Cusco and just 3 from the Sacred Valley. We are trekking distance to Machu Picchu OR just a short 2-hour walk along the hydroelectric path which is just 75 minutes away by car. Being Close to Nature: Planting seeds, maintaining land, and learning about organic pest management and soil health is part of day-to-day life.
The farm currently has cats, dogs, chickens, geese, turkeys, ducks, cuy, and rabbits. We are passionate about reforestation, biodiversity, and soil health. THERE ARE BUGS! August has the most. Again, we have lots of bugs, lots. We live rustically in the cloud forest in a rural with an open kitchen, meaning there are no windows and doors on the kitchen and dining area, – it is open to the wild with a tin roof and cement floors.
We do our best by cleaning daily, each week and once a month deeply but it is seriously buggy – dangerous spiders, possums, moths, jungle cockroaches – which are MUCH LARGER than city ones, ants, caterpillars and to a few, bothersome cats. This is the reality here. Please do not come if you have issues with this, you and I will both feel better. We live in a community where many homes have dirt floors and cook over open fires.
The nature is the fanciest thing here. When I am not at the farm, Spanish is a primary language. Please speak some Spanish, be open to learning Spanish or be very ok with using Google translate. I speak English/Spanish but work with locals who speak Spanish and Quechua. Some days I am not available because I have a business abroad. I enjoy people who can share a vision and are proactive because I am juggling many projects. We teach by experience and many times we will share a YouTube video or a book.
We are followers of the Way (Yeshua) and believe in the caretaking of the earth, its creatures, and one another. We also are happy to hold space for people who want to seek the Creator and fast in nature if that is an interest. We cook great vegetarian meals. We make many basics like ketchup, vinegar, natural sodas, and sauerkraut. Often, we invite our friends and neighbors over and eat with them. The food here is wonderful and many authentic and traditional Peruvian meals are made. We also create meals from around the world: Italy, Mexico, Israel, Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, and America.
Our current projects are:
- Reforestation – Seed collecting, tree germination, and planting Pollinator Refuge. We have 500 types of butterflies + Melipona stingless bees in the area.
- Art Projects + Video Production.
- Animal Care – we love pets!
- Plant Identification.
- We are working on a book and seeking an Adobe InDesign expert.
- Small Scale Spirulina, Tea and Coffee Production:We grow spirulina, sometimes mushrooms, citrus fruits, and several exotic fruits and vegetables. We grow, roast, and prepare our coffee. We also hand-roll our very own oolong tea.
- Small Organic Vegetable Production: We have areas on the land dedicated to organic farming, the farm is over 13 hectares. We grow more during the dry season. We just completed construction on a small greenhouse to for our vegetables in the rainy season. Volunteers help us during harvest times.
- Visiting elderly neighbors and helping them.
- Cooking – we always love a great vegetarian chef coming to visit <3
- Soil Care – hugelkulture!
- Fish Pond.
- Rainy Season has limited activities mainly Tree Planting, Tree Propagation, Community Outreach, and Maintenence Painting.
- In February, during the peak of the rainy season, we do not recommend the hike to Machu Picchu (the last 2 weeks of Feb). If anyone knows about pruning trees and someone who wants to help us work on an aquaponics system we would love to meet you.
- Also, someone who wants to paint a mural. And someone who wants to help make a Kiln and likes pottery, as Peru uses a lot of clay to create ceramics on our land.
- Tea Experts, organic farming/permaculture, God-seekers, and botany people are always welcome.
Note: when you come some of the above activities may be happening actively – activities are SEASONAL – for example: you cannot pick coffee beans when there are only flowers on the coffee plant Note: No drugs or alcohol are permitted here. We are creating a space here that only plays music that makes plants grow. If you come you are agreeing to honor that during your stay. There are many studies about the effect of music on plants as well as Masaru Emoto’s studies with water.
Our bodies are made from soil, fed by plants, and mainly water. Our study is to see, how over time, only playing positive music affects the farm and us. This means mainly classical, instrumental, and holy music. Thank you for honoring that while you are here. If you feel you cannot honor this, please choose another place to volunteer.
PLEASE NOTE: It is just me running my project with some support. In WhatsApp or email please do not expect a bunch of chatty, long-winded philosophical messages. Feel free to remind me if you need a reply. Some days I am not available because I have a business abroad. I enjoy people who can share a vision and are proactive because I am juggling many projects.
We do not give farm tours to every volunteer that arrives. A full tour takes over a half day and often we do not have the resources to provide that. We generally have 2 types of volunteers: specialists and general volunteers.
Specialists generally work on unique projects that are in alignment with their education or careers. For example, botanists may help us with plant studies.
General volunteers may be experiencing their first work on the farm and the tasks are often limited to easier things like making orange juice, weeding, painting, collecting dead wood, moving rocks, and perhaps cleaning. Many things can only be taught over time and our primary education style is lifestyle based. Often we will share an educational YouTube video or a book Mindset.
This is a self-funded nonprofit with the intention of doing good. Please come with the mindset of how can we help you. We are here to do our best to provide a safe, positive, and memorable experience. Keep in mind that we are not a paid educational experience, a paid hotel, and that we have to be mindful of resources, one of which is time.
We have found a very small number of volunteers have expectations that we cannot meet, especially if you are coming with no experience. When you come we recommend just hopping into what we are doing. We hope what we are working on may inspire you to do greater research.
Fermented foods, permaculture, hugelkulture, reforestation – these topics a lifetime of study can be devoted to. We do have classes and workshops but at this time they are unscheduled and there may or may not be one during your stay. If you are a first-timer with just 2 weeks on the farm please be considerate of our time resources and be prepared to do basic tasks, sometimes without deep explanation beforehand. Like thank you, can you help us weed this flower bed or move this wood.
We are hoping people enjoy their experience because we enjoy our volunteers so we want to be clear about expectations. www.GuardianFarm.org We love our volunteers <3 We work to help create great memories. We have a full-time local crew and volunteers help them with different tasks. Our local pueblo is a lovely farming community. Many volunteers meet people in town and participate in activities including sports and festivals.”
What’s in it for You?
- Private room or shared room.
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Enjoy free access to the best events in town.
Video
Map
Accomodation offer
You might need to book a cheap accommodation on your way to Peru. If you book your stay through our website, you support hopperjobs.com to list more great and free job opportunities worldwide. Click here for booking!
Flight offer
You’ll probaly need to book a cheap flight to Perulank. If you book your flight through our website, you support hopperjobs.com to list more great and free job opportunities worldwide. Click here for booking!
Contact
Address: Establo, huyro 08701
Peru
Phone: +51 910 720 139
Contact host directly: https://www.guardianfarm.org