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  • From: karen sutherland <karen AT rootsfarm.info>
  • To: Western Massachusetts Permaculture Guild <westernmapermacultureguild AT lists.thepine.org>, Market Farming Community Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Fwd: Roots Farm Work Exchange Blurb 2015
  • Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2017 09:21:36 -0400


Hurricane Maria on Sept. 18 devastated Dominica with its Category 5++ winds. Our farm, along with almost all island agriculture (and infrastructure) was almost totally destroyed -- mature fruit trees ripped out of the ground, more. We are cleaning, rebuilding, replanting. Huge job ahead and conditions more difficult (no electricity, fresh food shortages, etc.) Help would be a huge blessing. Please share post.

Following is our pre-hurricane description, still what we're shooting for. 



Not certified but using organic standards, Roots Farm grows diverse fruits, roots, vegetables and herbs at two lovely mountainside locations in Cochrane, Dominica for predominantly retail sales within Dominica.    Located in a rain forested area  approximately 1600-1700’ up, we enjoy a breezy, cooler climate than the coastal lands below,   Our past specialty has been Asian and other exotic (to Dominica) varieties with special culinary or healthful properties, but vegetable and herb production has proven too labor intensive and labor supply too difficult to access reliably so we are transitioning to emphasis on fruits and roots, aiming for food forest type model.   We do not raise animals for slaughter but may add chickens for eggs and manure and would love to add worms (when/if Government approves importation of appropriate species; local worms plentiful but not efficient converters) .  Most farm work is done by hand using cutlass.

Dominica is breathtakingly beautiful, mostly wild, healthy, safe.  Also, economically poor.  Great music.   Friendly, welcoming people.  Sweet clean uncontaminated air and water.  English speaking with a French/African Creole also widely spoken.  Cuisine with, thankfully, some French influence.

Roots Farm provides:

Place:  1 bedroom in furnished/equipped 2 bedroom apartment in ground floor of our house.   (The 2nd bedroom may on occasion be occupied by another volunteer or by friends)  All electric, water, cooking gas, wireless Internet connection lincluded.   For more information, including Google Earth link, see:  https://www.facebook.com/RootsFarmGuestApartment

Food:  Fresh vegetables, roots, herbs & fruits grown on farm, as available and not needed for market.  Nonfarm items your responsibility.  You'll be preparing/enjoying your own meals.

Work:  All phases of farm operation of interest and within your capacities — including planting, weeding, weeding, weeding (did I say weeding yet?), pest control (organic), trellis erection/maintenance, picking, preparation for market, help at market.  Also possible involvement in such projects as establishing poultry egg&manure capacity, vermiculture & other composting, value-added offerings (would need  local Food Handler certification).  Good carpentry skills/experience also prized.  From time-to-time, if desired, can help with household chores and dogs & cats.   Anything distasteful to you (except for Friday market prep) can be turned down as there’s plenty else to do.

You provide:

30 cheerful but serious hours work per week

fragrance free, no synthetic chemical/pesticide/etc.,

very clean, reasonably quiet presence (no loud radio/music.  Apt doesn't have tv)

There are enough local  "charmers" with ulterior motives of burglary that we will ask that you not bring newfound "friends" back "home" here with you.  If female, you will likely find that this restriction will be a handy and welcome excuse from unwanted attention (and you will get lots of attention.   Although very safe here, the constant ardency of the young men does get tiring.)

We both provide the other with: respect, care, humor, wish to help, willingness to consider differences from all sides, open honest communication and striving for win-win in all circumstances

A little more about us:  Roots Farm is owned and operated by my partner Roy, a native Dominican, and myself, originally from western MA, U.S., but living in Dominica for past 20 years.  We also are lucky to have the help of Gary, a  farmworker originally from Haiti, now living in Cochrane village.    We were just pulling out from a very difficult period where first disease (tristesia) wiped out 6-8 acres of citrus trees, followed by a few years of weather devastations:  hurricanes, ash from Monserrat, and climate change unpredictabilities and intensification of ordinary seasonal changes (probably our biggest challenge).   And then, August 27, 2015, TS Erika unleashed biblical amounts of rain and with it, landslides and massive destruction of life and property all over Dominica.  3 landslides at the farm wiped out thousands of planted vegetable and root crops, fruit trees, anthurium and reduced once lovely soil to bare rock,  We are lucky to have more land, more crops in the ground and have feverishly been replanting to try to make up some of the loss.  We sell via email subscription to eco-inns, restaurants and individuals, to general public at Saturday market at Roseau, and occasionally also to vendors or supermarkets or hucksters.  Changing market conditions represent another challenge.

We would prefer 2 volunteers, ideally (but not necessarily)  a couple, as we are too busy to be much in the way of company and you would likely want a friend with whom to explore/enjoy the island, share meals, etc.  Your stay here should be no less than 3-4 weeks but could stretch out longer.    Other schedules possible.

If interested, do some initial research re Dominica, then please email, including:

What you hope to get out of your volunteer experience and what your longer range goals & dreams are;

What is important to you as a person?  What drives you?  makes you happy?  is intolerable?

What skills, experience and interests you would bring to Roots Farm .

Anything else you would like us to know about you as a person or as potential worker.

Whether you can be happily 100% fragrance-, synthetic chemical- and tobacco-free (including ZERO fragrances in deodorant, laundry detergent, personal products, etc.)

When would you want your stay here to start and end

What else you would like to know about us, the farm or Dominica

Thanks and best wishes,

Karen Sutherland

Roots Farm Organic Produce
Fruits, Roots, Vegetables & Herbs
Cochrane, DOMINICA







  • [Market-farming] Fwd: Roots Farm Work Exchange Blurb 2015, karen sutherland, 11/17/2017

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