REGENERATIVE FARMING / PERMACULTURE

Position: Farm Manager / Permaculture Coordinators
Organization: O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE

Location: Shawnigan Lake, South Vancouver Island, BC. Housing: optional on-site accom or bring your own tiny home (see below)

Join our diverse team of talented, passionate, and dedicated professionals in a creative, hardworking, some-times fast paced, regenerative farming/permaculture Demonstration Site and Education Center. We are located on beautiful 25 acre farm in Shawnigan Lake, BC. OUR ethics run deep in the decolonizing work of working to continuously understand how farming and ecovillage living is needing to adapt and learn different ways in these days of challenge & change. This position is for someone who sees that their role, and farming in general, is part of a larger picture of regenerative living/learning with all elements of life inherently interconnected. This position is a great opportunity to someone who has been working and learning within the permaculture/regenerative farming field. You will be working with a team of other coordinators at OUR onsite school and will meet teachers, guest presenters in programs, and participants from all over the world - and be inspired!

Your strengths will be in being able to focus on the farm systems while working within an multi-stakeholder team who are working on a variety of projects across the site. You will have access to onsite accommodation if you wish and/or can apply to bring your own tiny home or other appropriate 'home' along with you. You are welcome to bring your own business potential and/or work with taking on the onsite business which have been functioning already onsite and will have a ready-made customer base,

OUR ECOVILLAGE:

OUR is just beginning to celebrate the village's 25th Anniversary and starting March 21, 2024 there will be ongoing celebrations/ activities/ themed projects which will bring lots of returning Villagers, groups, and local to international visitors. We honour the thousands of people who worked tirelessly to create the precedent-setting work that has been made possible out of what seemed impossible: with 'lawful' permaculture (including a unique land use zoning and ownership modeling), alternative wastewater treatment systems, earthen/strawbale buildings....and food/farm systems galore! With a deep tie to the Quw'utsun Peoples teachings and allowance to be 'good visitors' on the traditional territories - we follow the path of Peacemaking & Restorative Justice. We are a farm, protected park space, educational/research center and there is an allowance for 10 homes onsite. Additionally, we have accommodations for glamping/ dorms/ private rooms for guests and a Zero Mile Meal Eatery to share in the bounty. OUR team has been teaching Permaculture Design courses for over 2 decades and Ecovillage Design certificate courses since 2015.....with a very wide variety of food/farming/food as medicine events and we bring teachers from all over the world. We are a Non-Profit 'Community Services' and multistakeholder Cooperative. So many perks for those on OUR team ~

The Role:

Coordinator and maintain all aspects of the Farm/Garden and support the Farm/Garden Coordinator in all aspects of the following:

• Plant, Maintain and Harvest throughout OUR 2.5 acres of gardens, food forests, and greenhouses
• Work with onsite livestock and poultry
• Work collectively with all other farm/garden program participants
• Track and document all farm practices
• Attend OUR Permaculture Design Certificate (and co-teach if you wish.)
• weeding, irrigation, and general cleaning and maintenance of farm property.
• maintain all irrigation and onsite infrastructure
• Work with community organizations on donating excess harvests to local food banks and soup kitchens.

Attributes and Skills:

• Strong work ethic and willingness and ability to undertake manual labour outdoors (preparing soil, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting)
• understanding of permaculture design as integral to all of life
• Ability to work independently as well as work cooperatively with OUR team and OUR General Manager
• Knowledge and belief of basic organic farming practices as well as composting, recycling and other sustainable practices
• Some experience in gardening or farming-related activities or eagerness to learn
• Ability to use basic farm equipment & tools.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Highly organized with good time management and attention to detail and tidiness
• Ability to observe and document detail for all growing cycle.
• Skills and aptitude for working with livestock/poultry as part of the integral farm system
• knowledge and application of the Soil Food Web framework within regenerative living
• ability to organize and even teach other team members
• Strong sense of community-mindedness

Preferred Qualifications:

• An understanding and appreciation of issues contributing to food insecurity, and a passion for increasing access to fresh, healthy food to those who have a deep appreciation of food as medicine.
• Possess a valid BC driver’s license
• Experience managing others, ideally in a farm or gardening setting
• Permaculture Degree

TO APPLY:

Please send your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest and qualifications for the position info@ourecovillage.org with the subject line: Farm Coordinator. Arrange a phone or Zoom interview and hear more about salary/contract and housing options.

Please indicate you saw this posting at FoodWork.ca.