Local, Sustainable Farming

The Farm Program consists of all farm related activities like: Composting, Weeding, Feeding and Tending the animals, Repair work, Mulching, Cooking, Washing, Building and Researching Sustainable Architecture, Cleaning, Watering the Plants etc.

A minimum of 6 Hours of active participation is required from volunteers to receive free meals, farm facilities and subsidized boarding costs. They are free to utilize the rest of their time as they please. 

We are a Farm community, Kitchen, Studio and Artist Residency ideal for people looking to experience a typical village life amidst nature and peaceful surroundings. We work in harmony with other small farmers of the region to build a healthy alternative where we strive to live sustainably and responsibly with each other. Ecological sustainability is the primary focus of our long term vision and as our village grows, we want to see this ideal take shape. Diversity is an important element for us and our village consists of individuals, families and an income sharing community.

We grow our own food, harvest honey, ferment local probiotics, preserve pickles, hot sauces, jams and dried products for sale in and outside the farm. The entire process is carried out by a small team (which will hopefully grow in the future) of local women ensuring sustainable livelihood means towards themselves and their families.

Our vision is to foster growth in our community and our environment through education and sustainable regenerative systems vis a vis farming and *other creative practices. Our farming design system stems from the regenerative principles of Permaculture and the patterns of nature.

Most materials used to build the project premises are natural yields from the surrounding areas like bamboo, stone, mud, thatch, straw etc or are reclaimed, upcycled, reused from things which would otherwise have been made into landfill, hence polluting the environment.

We welcome all kindred spirits who want to adapt a lifestyle of simplicity for a while alongside learning new experiences in the backdrop of a typical Nepali farm culture. We also invite artists, academicians, designers, architects, writers and all manner of creative people for a time and space away from their usual environment and obligations, to provide a time for reflection, research, presentation or production. We also allow them to explore and practice their art within our community, meeting new people, using new materials and experiencing life in a new location.

A typical day at the farm begins at 8am when farmers and workers start their day in the fields comprising our farm premises as well as their own. Everyone goes wherever there is work to be done, working where it counts and that is how work is allotted to everyone. Work at the farm can vary everyday but some things are routine like: Animals are fed (cows in our case) and milked, plants and vegetables are watered, harvest for lunch is picked depending on what is seasonal. Some of our community members work from their home as well, fermenting produce, making pickles, drying edibles or working on handicrafts. We break at 12pm-1pm for lunch and resume work after that. We call it a day at 5pm when everyone goes back to their respective homes. Tea is served around 5:30 pm on our farm premise after which everyone is free to do whatever they want until 7pm which is dinner time. We screen a movie for guests and volunteers after dinner for those who are interested to watch.

Volunteers are not required to work the entire day. A minimum of six hours of work a day is required out of them. They are free to do whatever they want with the rest of their time.

Activities In a Nutshell

Stay with us, explore the farm and the growing food forest, eat delicious, organic local food cooked with fresh produce from our kitchen garden, gorge on wood fired pizzas and fresh homemade bread, enroll for Nepali cooking classes, swim in the river or our in-house pool under the night sky, paint, write, read books from our collection, laze and bask in hammocks under the warm sun,walk through the village, milk a cow, churn butter, pickle jackfruit, pitch a tent or just sleep in all day . It’s not a luxury…it’s an experience!

Attractions in and around Gorubathan are the famous Gorumara Wildlife Sanctuary, Fafarkheti, Fagu Tea Garden, the popular destination of Lava, the ancient ruins of Dalim Fort originally built by the Lepcha Kings and the Neora Valley National Park which is 5kms north of the region . The community is placed at a distance of 90 km from Kalimpong, 96 km from Darjeeling and 59 km from Siliguri and 72 kms from the IXB and is accessible by shared taxis, buses and private vehicles.

We also like to have fun, relax, watch movies, play some music and just hang out. So come join us and see what life is like at the Petrichor Community!