• Life On Land
  • Sustainable Cities And Communities
  • Zero Hunger

Permaculture & Eco Farming Experience

location
1 - 16 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Excellent 4.8  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Excellent response rate

Highlights

  • Learn about permaculture principles, new skills and have a hands-on experience in agroforests (food forests) and organic regenerative farming. The new way of agriculture!
  • Take care of all the farm animals and learn about composting and soil improvent, a healthy plant starts with good soil
  • Live in an international community and gain friends for life

Highlights

  • Learn about permaculture principles, new skills and have a hands-on experience in agroforests (food forests) and organic regenerative farming. The new way of agriculture!
  • Take care of all the farm animals and learn about composting and soil improvent, a healthy plant starts with good soil
  • Live in an international community and gain friends for life
  • Live in a beautiful and peaceful environment, surrounded by mountains, forests and waterfalls, far away from stress and city life
  • Experience the outdoor activities in the region, enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding and many more! Or visit and explore Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis and Búzios during you free time

    • Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Families
    Groups

    About the program

    We invite you to join our eco project and have a real hands-on experience in agroforestry, organic farming, bioconstruction and sustainable community living.

    We are a young family that, in the beginning of 2020, left the city life behind to start a green self-experiment in a countryside in Brazil. As we follow the Permaculture principles, our goal is to learn together, share our experience, produce food and enrich the biodiversity of the land.

    This volunte

    About the program

    We are a young family that, in the beginning of 2020, left the city life behind to start a green self-experiment in a countryside in Brazil. As we follow the Permaculture principles, our goal is to learn together, share our experience, produce food and enrich the biodiversity of the land.

    This volunteer program is a real hands-on experience in agroforestry and organic regenerative farming. Also, it is a way to stay away from the hectic world, live in an international community and reconnect with nature.

    As a volunteer within our volunteer program, you will stay in the newly renovated and very comfortable guest house. It has 3 bedrooms - two of them shared ones, each with two single beds and one single room, one bathroom, a well-equipped kitchen with a beautiful dining area, a cozy living room and an outside terrace. The guest house is about 20m away from our main family house.We also offer an accommodation for a couple or single traveler in a separate room with private bathroom and a kitchen.

    On working days we lunch all together and there are supplies to make your own breakfast, dinner and meals on weekends. Also, cleaning your own room as well as to participate in tidying up of the common areas of the guest house will be one of your responsibilities. In your free time you can relax or do some hiking, explore some trails and waterfalls or visit the city of Nova Friburgo. On the farm we regularly organize game nights, cinema sessions or campfire.

    Location:

    The MAARA eco farm covers 30 hectares and is situated in the beautiful mountains of the Atlantic Rain Forest (a bioma much under pressure, only 7% of the original forest still exists), close to the Três Picos National Park, in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro.  The place is very quiet and peaceful. The center of Nova Friburgo is about a 25-minute drive from the site. Public transport to Nova Friburgo is just a 15-minute walk away from the farm and it takes about 30 minutes to get there.

    Typical day

    Volunteers will work 3 days a week and a typical workday starts at 7:30 am and ends at 5:30 pm. The activities may vary, but it might go something like this:

    7:30-12:00: Work on the farm, agroforestry or organic farming, bioconstruction or maintenance works

    10:00-10:15: Coffee break

    12:00-14:00: Lunch ...

    Typical day

    Volunteers will work 3 days a week and a typical workday starts at 7:30 am and ends at 5:30 pm. The activities may vary, but it might go something like this:

    7:30-12:00: Work on the farm, agroforestry or organic farming, bioconstruction or maintenance works

    10:00-10:15: Coffee break

    12:00-14:00: Lunch and time to rest

    14:00-17:30: Work on the farm, agroforestry or organic farming, bioconstruction or maintenance works

    15:30-15:45: Coffee break

    17:30: Free time


    Activities:

    Since we’ve arrived here in the beginning of 2020, we have implemented an agroforest, made a raised vegetable garden, built a greenhouse and planted lots of trees, transformed a conventional pool into a natural swimming pond, refurbished our sewage system into a sustainable one, and many more.  We further rebuilt two old farmhouses to suit our family, guests and volunteers to have a comfortable stay at our farm.

    Also, we opened an access road to further areas where we will make more agroforests, build a bio-constructed house and reforest parts of the land.

    Volunteers will help at the upcoming projects, such as:

    - Implement more agroforests with different objectives, one being implementing organic coffee culture

    - Build and plant a big fruit and vegetable garden

    - Redo the sewage system into a natural and sustainable one

    - Make grazing areas for and take care of the animals on the farm

    - Construct and maintain different kind of composting systems

    - Bio-Construct a house on the mountain based on permaculture principles

    - And many more!

    Free-time activities

    The other two free days of the week and the weekend are yours to explore some closest cities like Nova Friburgo or Lumiar, or stay around the farm. Some activities you can do around here are:

    Waterfalls and natural pools: on the property, within a short walking distance from the house, there is a ...

    Free-time activities

    The other two free days of the week and the weekend are yours to explore some closest cities like Nova Friburgo or Lumiar, or stay around the farm. Some activities you can do around here are:

    Waterfalls and natural pools: on the property, within a short walking distance from the house, there is a clean stream with many natural pools to cool off in hot days and a spectacular waterfall of about 40 m height.

    Hikes & bikes: this region is famous for many beautiful hiking trails with rewarding views over the mountain tops. Some of them like “Chapéu da bruxa” (Witch’s Hat), “Pirâmide” and “Babilônia” are within a short distance from MAARA. Also, some trails suit well for mountain biking if that’s your passion.

    Lake: feed the tilapias and have fun with fishing and releasing them back into water.

    It is also easy to take the bus and spend a long weekend in the city of Rio de Janeiro (3 hours by bus).

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Language Skills

    You need to speak English (basic level)

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Passport or Travel ID

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    Good physical and mental conditions.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 07:30 - 17:30

    What's Included

    What's Included

    Services by Projeto MAARA

    Hands-on experience in agroforest and organic farming.

    Workshops: We can schedule workshops with community members on crochet, native bees, agroforestry, crafts, yoga and more!

    Lunch: On working days we lunch all together and there are supplies to make your own breakfast, dinner and meals on weekends.

    Activities: In your free time you can relax or do some hiking, explore some trails and beautiful waterfalls in the area, horseback riding or visit the city of Nova Friburgo. On the farm we now and then organize game nights, cinema sessions or campfire. We will take you to some touristic sightseeing activities during your stay.

    Airport Pickup at Galeao Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport

    We can arrange a professional, English speaking airport pick-up for an additional fee - for now it is 130,- USD per trip (price depends on current fuel prices in Brazil).

    Airport pick-up is not included in volunteer program fee

    Accommodation

    As a volunteer within our volunteer program, you will stay in the newly renovated and very comfortable guest house. It has 3 bedrooms - two of them shared ones, each with two single beds and one single room, one bathroom, a well-equipped kitchen with a beautiful dining area, a cozy living room and an outside terrace. Recently, we have opened a new accommodation (room with private bathroom, kitchen and your own entrance) suited for a single traveler or a couple.

    Food & Beverages

    On working days we lunch all together and there are supplies available to make your own breakfast, dinner and meals on weekends.

    We try to grow our own food as much as possible, but every week we make a list to buy the groceries we need and do not (yet) supply from our own lands. It is very rewarding to harvest your own grown organic greens, vegetables and fruits to prepare the meals.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Galeao Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (GIG) in Rio De Janeiro. We assist you to find cheap flights to Brazil. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Brazil provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Brazil you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Brazil. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    We receive volunteers throughout the year depending on the availability. 

    If you arrive at the airports in Rio de Janeiro, we can arrange a pickup for an additional fee.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program fees

    1 week (min. stay) 349€
    2 weeks 549€
    3 weeks 723€
    4 weeks 898€
    8 weeks 1,546€
    12 weeks 1,920€
    16 weeks (max. stay) 2,319€
    Average fees 246€/week

    Program fees

    246€ per week 1 - 16 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    1 - 16 weeks

    Deposit

    The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.

    Final Payment

    Your final payment will be agreed with Projeto MAARA during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

    Meet your organization

    Projeto MAARA

    Excellent 4.8 rating (12 reviews)

    Agency - founded in 1

    Verified by Volunteer World

      Excellent response rate

    Coordinated by

    Dace

    Spoken languages: English, German, Latvian, Portuguese, Dutch

    About the project

    We left the city life behind to start a green self-experiment following Permaculture principles. Our goal is to learn, reconnect & grow with nature together.

    Meet your organization

    Here at MAARA, we are dedicated to transform a conventional farm into an ecological sanctuary for nature, animals and people to thrive. In the beginning of 2020, we left the city life behind to start this green self-experiment surrounded by the mountain stretch of the National Park of Três Picos, close to Nova Friburgo in Rio de Janeiro state.

    We didn’t know much about living and working in the countryside, but we knew that we wanted to live ecologically and socially more sustainable, searching to create a more balanced and meaningful life, connected to nature and community. Permaculture principles became our main path to follow and to learn from. Since then, we literally daily gain new skills and build new connections and - the more we learn, the more we realize how much more is there to be learned.

    Our goal is to learn together with others and to share our experience, to produce our own food and enrich the fertility, productivity and biodiversity of the land, to learn to live in harmony and respect with nature and the community around us.

    Our volunteer program is a real hands-on experience in agroforestry and organic farming. Also, it is a way to stay away from the hectic world, live in an international community and reconnect with nature.

    12 reviews · rating4.8

    Janine Zieher rating5

    2023 at Permaculture & Eco Farming Experience

    I have had a lovely time at MAARA! It is a beautiful place to stay, surrounded just by nature with all its colors and noises. I met lots of lovely people and every day was special. You feel that Dace and Robert love what they are doing. You can just feel like home during the stay in ...
    Marianne Majoor rating5

    2021 at Permaculture & Eco Farming Experience

    It was great to work together with this nice family in those magical surroundings. The volunteer house where I slept was nicely equiped and very confortable. I did a lot of work to improve the volunteer house, eg sanding the shutters and after that varnish them, etc. I also worked in the ...
    Daan De kroon rating5

    2021 at Permaculture & Eco Farming Experience

    fantastic experience to plant trees and help construct a home. Robert and his family received us in a very genuine and warm way, we were able to help planting trees and help construct a home. We learned a lot about different species and in general about life in the countryside. Definitely ...
    Bárbara Teixeira rating4.8

    2021 at Permaculture & Eco Farming Experience

    I had an amazing time at Maara! Dace and Robert are super friendly and both are willing to explain and help anytime. As a volunteer in the project, I was able to learn about agroforestry, compost and farming, and built international connections. Also, the work is mainly manual, so it requires a good ...
    As volunteer I participated in the renovation of some of the very old and neglected buildings at the project site under the skillful guidance of a Brazilian building expert. Also I took part in establishing the eco-forest, planting many different tree varieties and regular maintenance of the forest ...
    I had a great time at MAARA, learned a lot about flora and fauna. There are is beautiful and the landscape is breathtaking. It’s a privilege to live and work ...

    Location

    Americas > South America > Brazil > Nova Friburgo, RJ

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    Volunteer Abroad  >  Environment  >  Agriculture in Brazil
    Contact Dace
      Excellent response rate
    English, German, Latvian, Portuguese, Dutch

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