La Ferme du bout du monde
La Ferme du bout du monde
Volunteering area: Earth care
Continent: Europe
Location: Belgium
Availability: Available now!
Stay period: 3-10 months
La Ferme du bout du monde (FDBDM) is an eco-place for a community of residents, an agro-ecology training centre, and a permaculture farm. We are developing our food and energy self-sufficiency, as well as agricultural, craft and artistic activities. It’s a place of residence, a place to farm and a place to experiment and put into practice our efforts to move towards an ecological way of life. We regenerate the land. We cultivate self-sufficiency (in terms of food, energy, finance, etc.). We operate through shared governance. We connect the local community through initiatives and partnerships.
You will live and work on the 2,5ha farm/ecovillage site. Located in the east of French-speaking Belgium (Wallonia, province of Luxembourg), about 7km from the Luxembourg border. The place is located 4km from the Arlon railway station and 100m from a bus stop. Arlon is a town with 31000 people, with a history dating back to Roman times, and with many cultural and sports activities available. Belgium offers young volunteers a rich cultural tapestry, friendly communities, and diverse opportunities for meaningful engagement. Luxembourg is a small, multicultural country with quite a lot of nature and free public transport.
With your active participation, we consider you as part of the Ferme du bout du monde team. As a result, we expect from you a professional attitude, we seek your creativity and development, we welcome mistakes as learning opportunities, and we encourage initiative and accountability.
Our team consists of volunteers engaged in non-formal learning.
Our work is really varied and goes from taking care of the animals to engineering and trouble shooting our systems to creative, teaching and administrative and communication work. You will not be bored, ever.
During the project, there are working hours, training hours, and free time.
The working language is English, however, staff members also speak French, German and Luxembourgish.
You will have the opportunity to learn French, as well as permaculture design.
Partner project: Äerdschëff asbl (aerdscheff.lu/)
You will have the possibility to get involved in this project, based in Luxembourg, about 16km from the FDBDM. It is an innovative ecological initiative focused on regenerative living, permaculture education, and community resilience. Inspired by the Earthship concept, it was built mainly by volunteers to serve as a model of sustainable construction and circular economy. The building itself is an eco-friendly marvel, created with natural and upcycled materials and designed to minimise energy consumption through passive heating and cooling techniques. Since its inception, Äerdschëff has become a hub for environmental workshops, educational programmes, and community events, engaging people of all ages in practices like permaculture, low-tech solutions, and collaborative decision-making. This project not only promotes ecological awareness but also fosters a sense of community and shared responsibility for a sustainable future.
You will be able to try and choose different roles while volunteering at FDBDM.
FDBDM Systems Development: We consider FDBDM an open, evolving system, where systems need finishing, tweaking and where we will undoubtedly add new features all the time (e.g. rain collection, food processing,…).
FDBDM Systems Maintenance: Our animals, energy, water and food systems need regular checks and maintenance to ensure that every thing keeps on working well.
FDBDM Documentation: We are documenting the energy and general performance of our farm. We document our inputs and outputs.
Farm Garden Maintenance: We are growing vegetables, medicinal herbs and fruit in our gardens. These need regular TLC monitoring in order to regenerate the soil and enhance biodiversity. We also transform some of the food we grow, so there is seasonal preservation work to be done.
Educational Programme Assistance: We are offering workshops, trainings, and conferences to students, pupils, educators and professionals and may need assistance with the preparation, teaching materials and hosting of the educational programme.
Personal Project: We give you the opportunity to develop and implement your own personal project with a small budget. You can learn a lot through seeing through an entire project, and develop your knowledge about a specific area. This is for any longer-term volunteering (6 months).
Event Organisation and Hosting: You have a role to play in event organisation and hosting, for instance, our events with the local community.
Communication and Promotion: We do regular communications on social media about what is happening at the farm, and we would like to offer you the possibility to hone your communication skills
– Plan your own activities, initiative and schedule.
– Evaluate and give weekly feedback on your volunteering experience.
– Work in a team 30-35 working hours a week, usually from Monday to Friday: 9 am-4 pm, sometimes on weekends (with recovery time) + 2 holidays.
– Evaluation and coaching hours are mandatory and included in the working hours.
– Free time is up to you to plan, but consider that you have a place to maintain, food to cook and house mates to live with.
Website: https://fermeduboutdumonde.org/