Basic Farm Work Volunteer Program

Everything we do on the farm contributes to the conservation of endangered species at the end of the day, every little bit of help and support received from volunteers directly helps with the conservation and saving some of the most endangered species in Africa.

You will be working alongside our permanent staff, for example, a para-vet, conservationists, rangers and agricultural specialists.

Volunteers are expected to assist in day to day tasks to help the team reach their goals more efficiently.   We will be there to mentor and assist you where needed, and get to know you better.  No special equipment is needed to bring along.

Basic Farm Work

• Development projects: rehabilitation camps, building water sources for new camps and other needed structures, accommodations etc. Visual patrols on foot: looking for objects that can injure the wildlife, like looking for wires, tracks, etc.
  
• Rehabilitation of old farmland:  breaking down of old fences, disposing of rubbish, wires and snares, vegetation control, setting up needed developments,
  
• Field assessment: field assessment is highly crucial on how many species can be kept on the land, what type of management plan is required.  Vegetation assessment will be needed on regular bases to assess the farms carrying capacity.
  
• Dam and water management
  
• Rain gauges: Good record keeping and management of the amount of rain that has fallen.
  
• Firebreaks: Help maintain firebreaks.
  
• Farm maintenance: Leaking water troughs, setting new pipelines for new water sources, dam management, and solar panel maintenance.
  
• Fence maintenance: Fences need to be patrolled and fixed where broken by animals
  
• Gardening:  Help set up & grow our garden around the tented camp & volunteer camp
  

• Basic:  General maintenance, irrigation & cultivation of Lucerne field, ensuring the success of the Lucerne growth, sowing seeds, growth, harvesting and baling.
  
• Water structure: adequate for the Lucerne as well as problems with pipes, sprinkler systems need rotation etc.
  
• Pest control: Rodent, termite and other pest control and putting up owl boxes
  

• Permaculture Design: Zoning, Sectoring, Layering, and Plant Guilds
  
• Basic Gardening: Vegetables (Annual Plants, Perennial Plants, Shrubs) Fruit Trees, Nut Trees, Water Plants, Germination, Propagation, Grafting, Tree Management, and Fungi
  
• Building Resources: Coppicing and Pollarding
  
• Energy Resources: Wind, Batteries/Electrics and Solar Heating
  
• Water Resources: Water Collection/Storage, Irrigation and Grey Water Processing
  
• Building: Walling, Fencing, Dams/Ponds, Swales/Berms and Raised Beds
  
• Waste Management systems: Composting Toilets, Composting, and Worm Farms
  

Beneficial to Wildlife

• Construct a (little) pond, Birds, lizards, spiders, dragonflies, chameleon, frogs will be attracted.  
  
• They eat insects, which harm the crops.  
  
• Create a system for them.  
  
• Provide a habitat by making little houses for them.  
  
• Construct birdhouses.  Water features.
  

• Vegetation mapping
  
• Assessment of vegetation types. 
  
• What problems are there concerning vegetation
  
• Invasive plants, what types do we have, and in which parts of the farm are they growing? 
  
• How can we eradicate these? 
  
• Carrying capacity, bush encroachment management. 
  
• How to deal with soil erosion & applying techniques to combat soil erosion
  

A normal workday is on average 8 hrs with a 2 hr lunch break.  Starting at 07:00 and ends at +-17:00 depending on what is happening the day.  Work ranges from light to heavy physical work, helping with feeding of animals, cleaning of water & feeding bowls, fencing, helping with baling of lucerne, gardening, vegetation mapping, animal observations, all day to day tasks on a working farm.

All year,  Transfers from Outjo to the farm is early mornings, before 08:00 am.  It is advised that you stay in Outjo the night before, contact details for backpackers will be given. There is transfers on most days, but we prefer it on a Thursday.

ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Etosha National Park is considered as one of of the best game viewing locations in the world. "Etosha" means in Oshivambo "Great White Place" obviously derived from the vast salt pan that constitutes a large portion of the Park's surface area.

The Etosha National Park is one of Namibia's favourite natural attractions. The park is located around Etosha Pan, a low-lying area of approximately 6,000 square kilometers which, in times of heavy rainfall, may form a shallow lake which draws vast numbers of water fowl. In other times, the lake as such dries out, but trees, grassland and pools remain, drawing a rich collection of game and birds; one of the best game viewing areas in Africa from the largest to the smallest. 

At the east end of the pan is Fort Namutoni which was built by the Germans, then attacked, taken and destroyed by the Ovambos. After retaking the fort, the Germans rebuilt it and today it is perfectly preserved, looking like a Foreign Legion fort lifted straight from the Sahara.

Other camps in the Park are Halali and Okaukeujo and the latest additions Dolomite Resort and Olifantsrus Campsite.

Around the Park there are a number of the best accommodation establishments in Namibia. These are extremely popular amongst visitors as they are located close to the different entry points to the Park.

VINGEKLIP - THE ROCK FINGER

The Vingerklip, 95 km West of Outjo is the geological leftover of a Ugab Terrace, its geological history can be read like an open book when looking at the layers of conglomerate. The Rock Finger stand on a hill top and has a height of 929 m above sea level, the rock itself is 35 metres high. Visitors are allowed to climb the hill to view the rock formation, but it is prohibited to climb the Vingerklip

Travelling westwards en route to Khorixas, is the Ugab Vingerklip (finger of rock) situated amongst the rugged Ugab Terraces. If you stay on the tarred road you will miss this. About 35 m high, this distinctive monolith has been moulded into its curious shape by erosion.

The high land has been cut down by the Ugab River, until the Canyons became only some stone pillars, comparable with the Monument Valley in America. The best known is the Vingerklip. Vinger=Finger, because it is so thin and high.

The hills of the Ugab Terrace, near the town, deserve special mention for their unusual shapes. A particularly interesting section can be found on the Setenghi property, where some of the formations have been likened to castles from the middle ages. These are made of conglomerate, and stand on the edge of a plateau that stretches for more than 80km and eventually forms the northern boundary of the Ugab River Valley.

TOURS

There are various short tours available guided by local guides, for example: Desert Tour to go and see the Desert Elephants.  More information on request.