Volunteer on an Organic Farm in Taiwan
We invite you to volunteer on an organic permaculture farm at Ananda Suruci, a beautiful Eco-village, surrounded by tropical fruit farms in southern Taiwan. We are a non profit spiritual ecological center, aiming to be of service to the surrounding community; with organic farming and educational activities. We especially need energetic volunteers who have some farming experience.
Ananda Suruci includes an Organic Farm, a large Retreat Center which hosts Yoga & Meditation retreats, youth camps and spiritual conferences. In November 2015 we completed the construction of our new Yoga Wellness Center which holds regular Yoga Detox Retreats and other wellness programs.
Volunteers usually volunteer 5 days a week for about 4-5 hours per day. All food and accommodation is provided. Volunteers can stay for a minimum of 21 days and up to several months.
The project is supervised by a yogic monk, Dada Yogananda. He is originally from England and is a qualified yoga and meditation teacher with 25 years experience. Dada has traveled widely, working in USA, Uganda, Japan and Mongolia before moving to Taiwan.
Jobs at Ananda Suruci are varied and depend on the season. During the winter we grow most of our vegetables and in the summer we mostly focus on caring for the fruit trees etc. Jobs in the farm involves planting, harvesting, mulching, weeding, making compost, irrigating and cutting grass etc.
We also produce jam and pickles and have a part-time bakery. Cooking for staff & volunteers, cleaning, light construction, repairs and beautifying our space is also a welcome help.
Volunteers with farming, carpentry, plumbing, electrical maintenance, baking, food processing and vegetarian cooking experience are especially welcome.
We have 2 shared bedrooms with attached bathrooms and hot water (one for females and one for males). Up to three volunteers stay in each bedroom. Sleeping mats, pillows and bedsheets are provided. Volunteers are requested to bring there own sleeping bag, if possible. There is also a common room with open plan kitchenette, bathroom and sitting room with WIFI. An automatic washing machine is also available exclusively for volunteers.
Our food is taken collectively and is sentient vegetarian (vegan is possible too). We don’t eat eggs, onion, garlic and mushrooms. But don’t worry, because our food is very nutritious & tasty. Unfortunately we’re unable to accommodate volunteers observing a raw food or fruitarian diet.
Organic farming can be physically hard work, especially in the tropics. We are open for anyone interested to work in a spiritual environment, and expect that you will respect our spiritual norms and values during your stay. We maintain a healthy life style, including a vegetarian healthy diet, no smoking, no alcohol, no drugs. Only sentient vegetarian food is served on our premises and it is a requirement that the volunteers, while they are in our compound, refrain from smoking and using any alcohol or drugs.
IMPORTANT: We especially welcome volunteers who are hard working, punctual, considerate of others, can clean up after themselves and are ready to embrace a farmer’s lifestyle i.e. early to bed and early to rise. If this doesn’t describe you, then maybe you should consider another host.
“I stayed here for 1 month and had an awesome experience. The centre is in a beautifully peaceful location on a river, near mountains, in the lush green countryside.
I’m grateful to have learned a lot from the wonderful staff, who’ve formed a welcoming family-type atmosphere. (Thank you Dave, Sophie, Pete!!) The food provided was fantastic… healthy, vegetarian and delicious.
The work I did was fairly varied… harvesting, planting, mulching, pruning, cleaning and helping with building projects. There was always a staff member on hand to explain the tasks being asked of volunteers and supporting us when necessary. If you’re interested in permaculture, sustainability, community living and/or vegetarianism I can highly recommend this project!”
Much love,
James, UK
“I highly recommend going here. I was here for 4-5 weeks and felt like such a different person coming out… it was an incredibly formative experience on my end. I learned a lot about permaculture and farming techniques, vegetarian and vegan cooking, spiritual practice, and overall how to live a better life. I found myself with a lot more energy than I normally have here, and the vitality I felt amongst all the workers here motivated me to doing my best in all that I did. It was a fantastic break from the city life that was well needed, and might have pulled me in the direction of the countryside a bit more… I’ll never forget the nights we had around our lodging eating dinner and sharing stories, the days spend tending to the gardens and working in the detox camp, and all the wonderful people (and animals) working and volunteering there to make this group truly a memorable one. I really want to come back in the future, so look out for that! “
Nick, USA
“Great atmosphere and a variety of work to do on this farm. The food was lovely and there was a great selection of reading material to look through in your free time. Great for your yoga as well!”
– Mark, UK
Our stay at this eco farm was one of the best volunteering experiences so far. The accommodation is nice, the food is great and work is not difficult.
Everything is taking care of, the people are nice and organized. Working around the vegetable farm and orchard was always different from the previous day which made it a very pleasant and educational experience.
– Vedran & Daina, Croatia
“I stayed at this project for two months and can highly recommend … it is well organised with professional staff to advise as to what needs to be done …. my background is in restoration and renovation so I was involved in the upgrading of the volunteers accommodation which is now very comfortable … The food is plentiful and healthy … the surrounding countryside is very beautiful with numerous places to cycle to….. (the Taiwanese people are the friendliest race on the planet!)”
David, UK
“I really loved to stay here. It is such a beautiful place in nature. I got to know wonderful people and had a lot of fun! I extended my stay as long as I could, still just 18 days instead of 12 and I wished it would have been longer….The food was super delicious and very healthy and at the weekends, we went to Tainan or to places in the region so it was never boring. I wouldn`t like to miss this experience so thanks to everyone who made that possible! :)”
– Vera, Germany
“I was with this program for 3 weeks and I can say is that it was an amazing experience. I learned so much from all the people working there and made good connections with the other volunteers. The accommodations were comfortable (and got a fresh coat of paint while I was there!), the food was excellent and nutritious and the work schedule allowed enough time for yourself during the day and weekends. The area is beautiful and can be experienced on the bikes that they have there. Tainan is only 1 hour away if you want to take a break from the country side for very cheap. Such nice people coming and going through this place.”
– Nick, Caymen Islands
“We spent 2 weeks at the farm and we learnt a lot about permaculture and healthy food. Talking with Dada always was interesting and the environment was great! Highly recommend!”
– Dario & Barbara, Argentina
I had a wonderful time at this peaceful place. The food is plentiful. The accommodations are good. The staff is fun and easy-going. The scenery is serene and relaxing. Plus, I was able to meet amazing volunteers. I highly recommend this place!!
– Angel, USA
We can accept volunteers all year round, depending on availability. Just let us know ahead when you would like to come.
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