Lena was in Wales for half a year in 2022 and helped out as a volunteer in a solidarity farm. What she experienced during that time, she describes for you here:
"6 wonderful months at Caerhys Organic Farm on the Welsh coast
My name is Lena, I'm 29 years old and after 6 years of office work I wanted to do something completely different. Through the European Solidarity Corps (ESK) and IBG I had the opportunity to spend 6 fantastic months on a farm in Wales, broaden my horizons and make friends for life.
It was one of the most beautiful, exciting and challenging times of my life and I am infinitely grateful for all the experiences I was able to have at Caerhys Organic Farm.
The story behind Caerhys Organic Community Agriculture (COCA)
COCA is a community supported agriculture (CSA). It means that there is a community whose members both contribute financially and help out in the organization or in the field. COCA CSA grows certified organic vegetables, which are harvested once a week and made available to members as a vegetable box. In Germany, the business model is comparable to Solidarische Landwirtschaft (SoLaWi).
About 13 years ago, COCA CSA was founded by a group of people who care about local and seasonal food supply for the local population. The vegetable growing takes place at Caerhys Organic Farm, whose owner, farmer and activist, Gerald Miles is also one of the co-founders and principals of COCA CSA. Since January 2022, two gardeners have been employed to take care of the cultivation of the vegetables together with the European volunteers.
From the office to the field
In the spring of 2022 I left my job and thus my life in the office and made my way to Wales.
It was a whole new world for me and I was overjoyed to move from the office to the field and from the city to the country. I really enjoyed the work. We were out every day, preparing beds, growing seedlings, pulling lots of weeds, planting new plants in the field, watering, repairing, rearranging and harvesting.
The work was always varied, never boring, sometimes very strenuous and, above all, it was always fun. Of course, this was not least due to the excellent company. We were 3 ESK volunteers and the two gardeners Alma and Juli. This troupe kept the vegetable growing going from May to November. There were also many volunteers who helped out on the farm for a few weeks and enjoyed the wonderful life on the coast with us. They always brought new topics or inspirations with them.
'Save COCA CSA' Campaign
Of course it wasn't always easy and we also had to deal with major challenges in the 6 months. The declining participation of the members and the decrease in memberships made COCA CSA difficult to deal with. The financial situation was far from good and it was not clear whether COCA CSA would continue. Of course, this news made us very sad and angry. Especially for the two gardeners Alma and Juli and the farmer Gerald it was like a slap in the face. You put so much energy and passion into this project and now it may be coming to an end.
We couldn't let that happen, so we did everything we could to save COCA CSA. We started a social media campaign with the #savecocacsa to draw attention to us. Sustainable agriculture and ecological vegetable cultivation represent an enormous added value for our system. It is a way of producing food in harmony with nature, without exploiting or destroying it. It is an investment in the future, an investment in us and the generations that will come after us. We were blown away by the amount of encouragement and support we received.
It was probably one of the nicest moments when we found out that new members had been recruited through our campaigns and that the financial situation had improved to such an extent that COCA CSA could continue to exist.
Strangers become friends
The farm consisted of a community of different people, locals, international volunteers, the two gardeners, the Miles family who lived on the farm like us volunteers, friends, supporters and partners from all over the world. It was a colorful bunch and we did a lot together, were integrated into Welsh society, laughed, danced, sang, learned a lot about organic farming and organic vegetable growing. We worked, lived, cooked together and spent our free time together.
It's nice to be part of a community, but it's not always easy. Mutual respect and understanding is incredibly important when you live in such a small space and how we spend almost every minute together. We were like a small family that was very loving and open to all of our problems, joys, sorrows and desires, whether it was at work or afterwards. We learned a lot about ourselves, grew together and experienced wonderful moments together.
Leaving the farm and saying goodbye to all the loved ones was incredibly difficult. It felt a bit like lovesickness, just with friends.
Last but not least
In any case, the ESC voluntary service has brought me incredibly much further. I learned a lot about sustainable farming, organic farming, community, alternative lifestyles, cultures, friendship, relationships and most importantly about myself. If you have the opportunity to have an experience like this, by all means do it. It's worth it!"
Volunteer with the European Solidarity Corps
You can apply for Volunteering Teams or longer voluntary service projects in other European countries via the European Solidarity Corps (ESC). There is a strict age limit of 18 to 30 years and there are a few important steps to take before and after the project in addition to registering with us or another organization. Find more information about the ESC here.