VOLUNTEERING AT GOVARDHAN GARDENS
All farms have one thing in common: unlimited
work! From that perspective, all farmers would be happy to have
countless volunteers. But for some reason, many of the small-scale
farmers I talk to are very hesitant to accept volunteers. I thought
that it would be helpful for volunteers and farmers to post some
thoughts in this regard:
Many of our small-scale farmers have very busy
lives, just to survive. Most agricultural laws are written in favor of
corporate farms, and especially ecologically sound small-scale farmers
in Puerto Rico receive very few government benefits, if any at all. In
fact, instead of receiving support, they often have to deal with more
opposition and bureaucracy. It’s easiest for many of these farmers to
just do most of the work by themselves or hire some local labor for $5
to $8 per hour. The advantage of hiring local farm worker is that they
just do what they are told to do, that they can work by themselves,
and that they don’t require food or housing. Whenever their work is
done, they go back to their place, and the work was entirely
beneficial for the farmer, plus it hardly caused any distraction at
all. The disadvantage of hiring work for small-scale farmers is that
they often can’t afford it or that simple farm workers are either not
used to ecologically sound practices (traditionally farm workers in
Puerto Rico have mostly been trained to spread herbicides and chemical
fertilizers or harvest a crop like coffee) or they can’t be trusted in
general (theft of produce is rampant in PR).
One would assume that a volunteer is an ideal
solution. But this, unfortunately, is not always the case. First,
volunteers who want to help out at farms for extended periods of time,
require housing and food. The cost for housing and food per month is
easily several hundred $$ - worth 65-100 hours of paid farm labor. In
addition to that expense, volunteers who stay for extended periods of
time generally require training and attention (which reduces the time
the farmer can focus on his work). Even if the farmer doesn’t mind the
training and the guidance or attention, the volunteer would have to do
concentrated work for at least 20-25 hours a week in order to just
break even with the expense of housing and food. Physical work in the
tropics is quite challenging because it’s most of the time either
blazing hot or rained out. While a hired farm worker is used to the
local climate and usually also glad that he found some work,
volunteers often tend to think that they are a major support just
because they help out for a few hours a day.
Many farmers are therefore charging volunteers
or interns in order to avoid any financial pressure of additional cost
of food and housing. I always avoided that at my own farm and my main
conditions were just that residing volunteers abstain from eating meat
or drinking alcohol at my place. Over the years, I have encountered
great souls whose main motivation was to really support the project,
and others who just wanted to do the minimum to stay for free and
spend an increasing amount of time at the beach. Because of these
experiences, I have stopped accepting volunteers for extended periods
of time, and instead only accept them for projects that don’t last
longer than a few days. This has worked out much better: it was easier
for the volunteers (who often over-estimate their own work ethics) and
for me – I am busy over my ears with so many diverse projects, that I
can only have people around me who know how to work independently.
However, since I do get many inquiries from
volunteers, and I do appreciate their spirit, I decided to be very
straightforward about the problems that many other small-scale farmers
have shared with me, and at the same time, I want volunteers to still
get the experience of working in ecologically sound and inspiring farm
projects around the island. In order for all parties to come out happy
with that experience, I am starting this new section on my site, where
local eco farmers can post what their needs are and what they offer,
so that there are no false hopes or misunderstandings.
As far as a stay at Govardhan Gardens goes: at
this point in time, I only accept volunteers for smaller projects (1-3
days) or make exceptions for volunteers who have a high level of work
ethics and who can work independently.
VOLUNTEERING AT OTHER ECO PROJECTS IN PUERTO RICO
Again, for all those eco farmers who are
interested to get volunteers, please feel free to post all the
required information, like how many people you can engage; the desired
type of support; housing facilities; food arrangements, etc.
The first project, I am
listing here besides my own, is that of a friend of mine, Magha
Garcia, called Pachamama Forest Garden (http://pachamamapr.blogspot.com).
Her place is still very rudimentary
and only for true eco adventurers. It’s a beautiful tropical forest
farm with a bordering river, close by Mayaguez / Anasco. At this
point, there is neither housing nor electricity available. Any help or
donations are welcome. The main goal of this project is conservation
and low impact ecological development.
In the near future, I will post more projects
of friends and farmers who have ecologically sound and inspiring
projects.
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Sadhu Govardhan is an independent thinker,
eco-organic farmer, tropical rare fruit connoisseur and
researcher. Extensive journeys for over twenty years have allowed
him to study indigenous cultures and different life styles
throughout the world.
I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone
who has helped out this project over the years. Even if I can't
acknowledge all of you individually since so many people have
supported Govardhan Gardens in so many ways, I certainly remember
every one of you. 
