permaculture

[jenny Nazak <jnazak@yahoo.com>]

What an excellent thread! I grew up in the suburbs, have been a gung-ho 
city-rat all my adult life. And in the past few years have had many 
enjoyable, fruitful experiences along the lines of what Glenn describes.

Most recently, I spent a couple of months on a friend's farm, helping out 
with sign-painting, marketing, cooking, and what I call "permaculture home 
ec": using permaculture principles to improve the design of household 
processes such as dishwashing, laundry, cooking, cleanup etc. 

In exchange for doing work I love, and having that work be very much 
appreciated, I got beautiful rustic sleeping quarters and all the fresh 
vegetables, eggs, pork, milk, and other wonderful local food I could eat. I 
also had enough time to fulfill my responsibilities as public-relations 
coordinator of a permaculture guild (an occupation I am able to do almost 
entirely online and by phone).

And my hosts were happy to let me hold my solar-cooking workshops at the 
farm. (BTW I timed the workshops to make it easy for my students to shop at 
the farm stand during its regular business hours.)

A huge win-win, all in all, I would say!

From what I can see, such opportunities abound. I have stayed on many farms 
and ranches over the years, and they all had one thing in common: They were 
short-handed. They needed more HUMANS!

Being small businesses and cash-strapped, family farms and ranches are good 
places to find work-trade opportunities.

City-rat though I may be, I've gotten to participate in planting, harvesting, 
butchering, marketing, and many other aspects of farming over the years. All 
without having (or wanting) any land of my own.

As a bonus: The friends' farm I stayed at recently, was located on a city bus 
line with frequent service!

Jenny

Jenny Nazak
A semi-nomadic permaculture factotum
Based mainly in Ormond-By-the-Sea, FL, and Austin, TX

Glenn wrote:

"With patience and persistence you can find ways to partner with some
homesteaders and fearless, curious, or generous farmers, and become a farmer
yourself -- city dweller, with no land, no barn, no tractor, but a stake in
the business.  Picture helping with fencing, or buying a few sheep to
supplement a cow herd, planting black beans or wheat "