The Happy Farm is an agroecology project which incorporates regenerative and organic practices. Our farms are located within our mindfulness practice centres and communities. Volunteers and retreatants in the Plum Village Meditation Practice Centres experience first-hand the interconnection between earth, rain, sun and seed with the hand and food of the farmer.
"Inside every one of us is a garden, and every practitioner has to go back to their garden and take care of it. Maybe in the past, you left it untended for a long time. You should know exactly what is going on in your own garden, and try to put everything in order. Restore the beauty; restore the harmony in your garden. If your garden is well tended, many people will enjoy it."
Thich Nhat Hanh
The farms in Upper Hamlet, Lower Hamlet and New Hamlet use a variety of regenerative and organic methods. The Happy Farms' volunteer teams practice mindfulness in our work as part of our vision of promoting wellbeing for individual, society and the earth. In Spring 2025 the community in Deer Park Monastery in Southern California created their own Happy Farm project, inspired by the Happy Farms of Plum Village France.
Click below to listen to an episode of the Plum Village podcast, 'The Way Out is in' entitled 'Happy Farmers Change the World' with Sister Lam Hy (Sister Forest) who created the Happy Farm at Plum Village Lower Hamlet and Mick McEvoy who has been leading the Happy Farm project in Upper Hamlet for the last ten years.
Rewilding
In 2020 Plum Village, Upper Hamlet became the guardians of 20 hectares of old degraded farmland that are now rewilding and regenerating. The Plum Village Community wished to take meaningful action on home soil in the face of the Climate and Nature Emergencies. The Plum Village Community hopes that retreat guests and residents who spend time on this land can continue their journey of healing and transformation as they witness the healing and transformation of this land as it returns to oak forest. The rewilding project is supported by the Happy Farm project in Plum Village, Upper Hamlet.
Happy Farm Retreats
Every Spring and Autumn the Happy Farms in Upper, Lower and New Hamlet offer Happy Farm retreats. Also once a year the Upper Hamlet Community and Happy Farm offer a special two-week immersive retreat based centred on Mindfulness, Sacred Ecology, Rewilding and Nature Connection entitled 'Coming Home to Mother Earth'.