Most of us have heard the line “follow your dreams”, but what if once we get there, once we achieve the dream, we realise it’s not actually what we want or its not how we thought it would be. What if we could step into the dream and give it a try? Sort of like sample it before really going for it. Well that’s exactly what we did.
We have been dreaming of living on a farm for years now and it’s a serious consideration once we’ve finished Project Wild Earth. We found a way to try this out without having to buy the land and commit. We spent just over two months on Sinde Permaculture Farm in Northern Cyprus. Irfan and Sinem welcomed us into their home from the moment we arrived. Their farm sits on 1.5 acres of land and it’s been nearly two years since they began this massive undertaking of bringing a piece of industrial farmed land back to life in addition to raising their son Ruzgar and both working full time jobs. Despite the naysayers, they had the courage to follow their hearts. It was incredible to see their determination in bringing their dream to life.
Throughout our time on the farm we had scheduled shifts so that one of us was always with Jack and Charlotte. The kids had a blast on the farm helping out where they could but mostly playing with the animals and in the mud! We did a variety of tasks from managing the compost, building a chicken coup, clearing and preparing the beds for planting and a whole lot more!
Everything Sinem and Irfan grow on the farm is 100% natural and free from pesticides and chemicals. They use a fascinating system called permaculture. It’s basically the opposite to the more commonly used monoculture where one type of crop or tree is planted at a time. When you look at nature as a guide there is a reason it doesn’t look like that. This is because the more diverse an ecosystem is, the more resilient it can become. Permaculture starts with observing and understanding the patterns and intricacies of nature and then applying those learnings to design our own environments. This approach extends beyond just our gardens and farms, its also about our homes, our communities and our lifestyles.
The way our food is produced plays a large role in the conservation of nature. Perhaps it’s time to rethink how we grow food, to shift from a system that works against nature to one that works with nature.
Irfan and Sinem told us that the surrounding farmers don’t quite understand what they’re up to or why, but over time are becoming more intrigued. The interest seems to grow by the day as the farmers’ way of life becomes more challenging each year as the soil gets degraded and the price of fertiliser and chemicals continue to increase. They’re also increasingly reliant on government subsidies, but what happens if that taps turns off one day? Irfan and Sinem hope to show, by example, that there is another way. They’re actively trying to grow a community of permaculture farmers and continue to learn from other farmers all over the on a daily basis!
We found the opportunity through the Wwoofing website (Worldwide Opportunities for Organic Farming). It offers people the opportunity to find organic farms that need helping hands and in exchange you’re provided with food and accommodation. You also get to learn about the local culture and sustainable farming practices. It’s a great resource! To see more of our experience on the farm click here.
We loved our time volunteering on the farm. It was great to experiment with our dream and test it out, rather than buying a plot of land and crossing our fingers it’s all going to work out! Although Leah had some prior knowledge of permaculture, this hands-on experience deepened our appreciation and love for it! Many of the techniques and wisdom come from Indigenous peoples around the world, and so it’s amazing to see this knowledge made accessible to everyone. Today, people all over the world are implementing permaculture designs in various cultures, climates, and environments. It’s an incredible and universal system that can be tweaked for different ecosystems and circumstances. The longer we stayed on the farm, the more we discovered the intricate layers of permaculture. It’s a field that is both simple and extraordinarily complex, encompassing a wide range of areas within a self-sustaining system. You really can go wild with your imagination!
So the big question is… Do we still dream of having a small farm one day? Absolutely, but we now understand that starting from scratch demands complete commitment, with several years of dedicated effort needed to establish a solid foundation before you can achieve any real flexibility again. There are obviously still ways to do this but it’s made us ask ourselves honestly – are we ready to commit to this right now when there are still a lot of different things we’d like to do before setting down roots? Our dream is to still have a small plot of land and be self-sufficient but the specifics of when and where are yet to be determined…
