The Sunrise Farm in Kathmandu Valley is a really tiny one. It covers only the space around a house where, many years back, a Nepalese family of farmers started practicing permaculture. Their desire for a sustainable lifestyle motivated them to develop a system that would allow them to harvest most of the crops they need for daily use.

Permaculture is a widespread practice in Nepal, as the relief of the country creates the proper environment for it. There is even an association that brings all these little farms together, offering support and training for the farmers that are interested in upgrading from normal agriculture to a more sustainable way of living.

We stayed with the family at the Sunrise Farm for a week, together with other volunteers. The work happened to be little as the time when we were there was less busy for farmers. But we got to help a bit in the garden and understand what permaculture is about, interact with the other workawayers and get to know the family.

The best part of the experience was probably the food. The owner’s wife, a mother of three children, cooked wonderful and tasty local food for us every day of our stay. Occasionally, we helped in the kitchen and sometimes were invited to cook dishes from our home countries.

We got a deeper understanding of permaculture when a small reunion of farmers visited the Sunrise Farm during the time when we stayed there. The visit was part of an organized tour that included visiting other farms and we were invited to join them.

The one week at the little farm passed quickly, but we were happy to have experienced the time with a local family and share moments of their daily lives.

In the following days, we would explore more of the surroundings and get a chance to walk for longer on the old streets of Kathmandu.