Communal Living Group, Market Garden, Orchard, Mixed Farm

Vestland

29 reviews • Updated 5 months ago

Hei! We have a productive, professional farm, with a communal, self sufficient lifestyle. Vegetables, fruit and 90 sheep. We are certified organic, and there are also some agroforestry, permaculture and biodynamic practices, The aim is to do useful work; to eat well; to learn and grow together; to make team spirit and friendship happen :) We are Erik and Julia. Erik has been a full time, certified organic farmer since 2010. Julia works outside the farm. We are typically three to five people on the farm team., and we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together. There is a big communal living area., and everybody has a private bedroom in the farm house. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The 3 main themes on this farm are: *** SUSTAINABLE (AND PROFITABLE!) FARMING *** COMMUNAL LIVING AND COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING. *** CULTIVATING A PRODUCTIVE AND ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE (as opposed to consumerism). I prefer to welcome volunteers who have a genuine enthusiasm and curiosity for all of these topics and ideally also some familiarity with this lifestyle. In my experience, these are the persons who really thrive and love it here, which of course is very satisfying and inspiring for me :) So I prefer that BEFORE you message me, you should think about how these three topics are relevant for you, and PLEASE write some words about this in your message to me :) The minimum stay is 3 weeks, but if you have very limited experience with farming and community life we require up to 6 weeks minimum stay. THE FARM EXPERIENCE YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT AND CONTRIBUTE TO: -- VEGETABLE crops (approximately 0,3 hectare or 1 acre) are grown together with FRUIT TREES (approximately 2000 apple and plum trees) in an agroforestry system based on permaculture design principles. There is both work with hand tools and with tractors. -- BUILDING / CARPENTRY / SAW MILL. We built a sheep barn in 2014 (see pictures), and a hay barn in 2018-19. Next projects are a tiny house and a garage. There is a saw mill to make building materials with trees from our forest. -- MAKING HAY happens in middle of June and again in August. -- MAKING FOOD and PRESERVES. We mill grains and bake all the bread ourselves. We also make yoghurt with local milk. In August and in autumn we start making many pickles, jams, sauerkraut, beer, cider, chutneys. The farm is normally self sufficient on vegetables, herbs, berries, fish and meat. -- SHEPHERDING. Lambs are born in the sheep barn in April and early May. The sheep are in the valley in May to early June, then they go up to the mountain at 500-800 meters (1500-2500 feet) altitude. We bring the sheep down from the mountain in September and October. THE COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE: -- The HOUSE WORK is divided equally between all adults on the farm. -- The ORGANISING WORK. I really enjoy it when the day is organised so that everybody knows when the meal times are and who is responsible for them, and that everybody knows when they are supposed to be working outside, or do house work, or when they can relax. I often do the majority of the organising work, because I am usually the person at the farm with the most experience, but the system only works if everybody on the farm is willing to take some responsibility for helping us to be well organised. So I expect everybody who apply for a Wwoof position on Orra farm to be willing to contribute to some of the organising work. -- The FARM DIET. I love to eat and cook tasty and nutritional food, and I try to cultivate a lifestyle that supports a harmonious, energized body and a peaceful mind. I find it hard to cater for vegans, but vegetarian diets are easy to accomodate, as long as you don't mind that there could also be served fish or meat (everything from the farm) on the same table. I have noticed that I have less energy and peace of mind if there is all the time coffee, sugary foods and alcohol in the farm diet, so I prefer that these items are not on the table everyday. ABOUT ME: When I am not farming, I do lot of reading, so the farm library has many books about organic farming, social activism and personal development. There is also a big section on building with natural materials, cooking books, different crafts and lots of english language novels. I occasionally play guitar or sing (there are instruments in the house), and I try to do yoga, pilates or reflexology excercises twice a week. I am also studying and trying to practise empathy and non-violent confrontation in the spirit of Gandhi and Marshall Rosenberg. So if anybody shares these interests or practices, they are of course especially welcome to Orra farm :)

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Sheep or goat farming

Forestry

Wild foraging

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Green Building

Food justice / sovereignty

Mechanics / tools / technology

Methods or systems

Biodynamic agriculture

Holistic management

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Host type

Production farm

Certified organic

Former WWOOFer

20 Hectares | 49.4 Acres

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Bedroom

Children accepted

Pets accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Erik

Member since 2014

Languages spoken: English, German, Norwegian Response rate: 77% Response time: typically within 7 days

November 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Vestland

Bergen is the closest city. There are local buses to the nearest village, and occasionally to the farm.

Reviews

Jonathan

United States • March 2024

Erik is such a caring and generous person. I had such an incredible time on his farm with him, his sheep, and other wwoofers. We always had so much to talk about! He's so cool and filled with stories, advice, skills, wisdom, and so much more. Awesome experience. <3

Brynn

United States • November 2023

I enjoyed two months on Erik's farm and I couldn't recommend it enough. It was a very formative experience for me, I learned so much about farming and communal living, and felt right at home in the company of Erik and the other wwoofers. I was able to help out on many kinds of farm projects, and I always felt like I had options of what to work on from day to day. I was also there during lambing season, a very busy but rewarding time on the farm! Orra farm is a great place for anyone seeking to learn more about organic farming, live intentionally, and experience community. I'm so thankful to Erik for having me on the farm and for everything I learned there.

Roel

Netherlands • November 2023

We stayed 3,5 weeks at Orra Farm and we loved it! We were warmly welcomed and felt at home super fast. We want to thank Erik for sharing all his knowledge and experience with us. We learned a lot: we harvested vegetables and fruits for the restaurants in Bergen, learned how to preserve, bake delicious bread and collected the sheep from the mountains (the sheep are super cute). We admire Erik for building this beautiful place in nature surrounded with waterfalls and being so dedicated to grow healthy (for both human and nature) and delicious food. He is a great cook by the way! Last but not least we really enjoyed the discussions about society and community. Good luck with all the beautiful dreams and thanks again!

Jojo

United Kingdom • December 2022

Staying at Orra is a wonderful opportunity, and one which changed the way I think about the world. Erik is a warm, kind person whose love for the food he grows, sells and cooks is evident. The farm is a breathtakingly beautiful place to stay, and a wonderful place to learn; I loved my time here over the summer and I can only recommend it to anyone!

Rebekka

Sweden • October 2021

I totally recommend Eric and his farm! I had an amazing and fulfilling time at Orra farm. Eric is an amazing host and I learned far more than I expected and not only I learned about organic farming but about things in every part of life. If you are open minded and want to learn new stuff that‘s definitely your place to be.

Eirik

United States • August 2021

This is a great farm. You will learn many new skills and you will experience a fantastic organic lifestyle. The area is gorgeous and Erik is a good guy who will make you feel at home. 10/10 would recommend.