Volunteering for a year on the farm

  • Do you want to live for a year and practice with the PlumVillage community?
  • Are you interested in organic farming?

If so, you can combine the two!

Volunteering at Lower Hamlet 

Applications are open for the 2027 Lower Hamlet Happy Farm, long term volunteering program (October 2026 - October 2027). Please apply before July 24th.

 

What is the project?

The project provides an opportunity to live for one year in a mindfulness practice centre, to learn how to apply mindfulness to work, and to build a group of happy farmers, capable of working in harmony with each other and the environment to provide healthy locally grown food for the community.

The project is one year long and starts October 2026. If your application is successful, you will be asked to first take part in the Rains-retreat. For the first three months everyone takes part in the yearly Rains Retreat, a three-month intensive time of practice with the community. In this retreat everyone follows the daily schedule and working on the farm happens during service times. It's at the end of the three months that a decision will be made the community about you staying for the rest of the year. This is based on your ability to live in harmony with the wider Plum Village Community in Lower Hamlet and within the Happy Farm team.

The bulk of the work will begin in March when we begin seeding. Our work includes a wide variety of tasks. The main duties of the farm include planning, seeding, bed preparation, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, machine maintenance and mowing. During the year we will also facilitate groups of adults visiting and working on the farm.

We endeavor to apply the principles of mindful working on the farm, nourishing seeds of joy and happiness, building siblingshood and transforming suffering. We use the breath to anchor ourselves in the present moment, stopping to listen to the bell at times throughout the day and having regular team sharing. Each session normally begins with a 5-minute sitting meditation and a brief group check-in.

Our one year Happy Farm volunteering programme in Lower Hamlet are open to women, female couples, mixed gender couples and gender non conforming friends. For men please see Upper Hamlet.

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 A typical daily schedule - 4 days a week

5.00 am Wake Up
6.00 am Sitting Meditation with the whole Sangha
7.30 am Breakfast with the whole Sangha
9.00 am Mindful farming

11.30 am Walking Meditation
12.30 pm Lunch with the whole Sangha
3.00 pm Mindful farming
6.00 pm Dinner with the whole Sangha
8.00 pm Sitting Meditation with the whole Sangha

Besides working on the farm, we take part in many of the regular hamlet activities such as morning and evening sitting meditation, community meals and days of mindfulness.  Two days a week are communal days of mindfulness with the whole sangha and one day a week is „Lazy day“, time to rest and do nothing.

Accommodation will be in shared rooms where we get to practice with the joys and difficulties of community life. Our experience is that living communally in this way leads to deeper relationships and accelerated spiritual growth. During the summer months we all camp to make space for the many short term guests who come for the big retreats.

Our work and practice is supported by living and working within a monastery setting. We have regular contact with monastics and lay practitioners and we contribute to as well as greatly benefit from the collective practice energy. We are invited to support this practice energy by living in accordance with the Five Mindfulness Trainings and by attending the schedule.

As a Happy Farmer you are:

  • able to do strenuous outdoor physical work
  • willing and enthusiastic to learn new ideas, methods and approaches
  • able to commit to one year in Plum Village.
  • enthusiastic and passionate about organic farming and want to deepen your practice of mindfulness
  • able to work well both in a team and independently
  • happy to live a simple life (e.g. sharing bathrooms, willing to camp)
  • able to respect both the farming and monastery schedule
  • able to speak English fluently
  • familiar with Plum Village mindfulness practice and have attended at least one retreat in the Plum Village tradition.
  • experienced in organic farming (optional)

Volunteering on the Happy Farm is not the same as being on a retreat. We have a responsibility, and that means that we may have to work outside the usual hours for special needs of the farm. Each Happy Farmer will have times responsible for watering the plants, which requires being on the field on the days off. While all of us have issues that we heal by staying in the mindfulness practice environment and working in a supportive team with the earth, all Happy Farm interns must be capable of taking on the responsibilities of working the vegetable garden.

Please note:

All successful applicants must have their own health insurance before coming. Visa applications and travel arrangements are the responsibility of the volunteer. Please make sure you apply early enough for a visa if you need one to start the Rains Retreat at the start of October.

 

How to apply

To make a formal application for next year please send us:

  • A letter of aspiration containing (max. 1-2 pages):
    • why you want to live and practice in Plum Village for a year and what inspires you to work at the Happy Farm.
    • Details of your experience with the Plum Village community or any relevant experience you may have of living in community or practicing in other traditions.
    • Details of your experience with organic farming
  • A simple CV / Résumé (max. 1-2 pages) with a photo of you.

Volunteers are asked to make a financial contribution of at least €2800 for the Rains Retreat. After this a reduced rate is available of approximately 400€/month, from March to September.

Email your application to:
lowerhamlethappyfarm@plumvillage.org
Applications are open for the 2026/2027 cohorts for Lower Hamlet. 

If your application is successful you will be invited to come to Plum Village for the start of the Rains Retreat October. Please note that full acceptance onto the farm team will only be given once it is clear that the applicant can live in harmony with the community, follow the daily schedule and work well within the farm team.

 

What will it bring me?

Working on the Happy Farm for a year will bring a lot of insight into farming and the ability to grow your own food. We will also provide training in mindfulness practice and how to facilitate the basic Plum Village practices.

A year working on the farm in Plum Village offers many invaluable benefits including increased self-awareness, deeper joy, increased confidence and a better ability to take care of suffering. Many have shared that their year on the farm made a deep impact on their life and that it was a life-changing experience.

Volunteering at New Hamlet

As a Happy Farmer, you will work alongside the nuns and lay friends of New Hamlet, practicing mindfulness in daily life and contributing to the growth of our community.

Your role will include working in our micro-farm and orchards of the Plum Village community - Participating in all mindful community life and events - supporting a variety of farm and craft projects.

We are looking for motivated practitioners in good physical condition (farm work can be demanding). willing to work -20 hr /week, able to work in changing weather and schedule conditions.

We are especially happy for the help of professionals (Arborists, agronomists, carpenters and crafters) to help us recover our beloved Plums Orchard and make ideas come true.

 

Practical details

Contribution: €400/month to cover living costs. Accommodation: Outdoor camping (bring your own tent, sleeping bag, and gear) or your own camper van. Dates: March to October 2026-2027

Please email your letter to New Hamlet Happy Farm: nh-happyfarm@plumvillage.org