Newsletter #1

18 July 2020

Hello everyone,

that took a very looong time! But finally you’re getting this first newsletter from us – probably because you signed up for it on our website during the last two months.

It’s hard to believe that we launched our website only two months ago – we would never have dared to dream that so much can happen in such a short time! But let’s start from the beginning.

We had no idea what would happen when we created landcommunityproject.com, but to be honest, we didn’t expect such excitement: In the first four weeks we had over 4,000 visitors on our site, over 100 people signed up for our newsletter and we received about 50 mails from people who share our dream! Wow!

Among the first mails we received was an invitation from Janine and Paul: They invited us to the first vision meeting (which was to take place only two weeks later) of their farm project, which is currently being founded. Spontaneous as we ware, we decided to drive across Germany to Rhineland-Palatinate, in order to attend the meeting – without knowing exactly what to expect.

Just in time for dinner we arrive at the farm where the meeting is planned and are warmly welcomed by the 25 participants and some children. Our first, very positive impression is only intensified in the course of the weekend – the people who are coming together here for the first time are all incredibly warmhearted, committed and ready to start a community project.

Paul and Janine are just as warmhearted, committed, and above all ready: Both have been active in the regenerative agricultural scene for several years and would now like to build up an ambitious farm project – community run. A total of about 100 hectares of arable land are to be transformed into a lighthouse project for regenerative agriculture: in other words, a functioning ecosystem based on permaculture principles with multi-layered agroforestry systems, holistic grazing animal husbandry and bio-intensive vegetable cultivation. The highlight: the farm building (in urgent need of renovation) with the accompanying farmland already exists! Wow!

Driving back onto the motorway on Sunday afternoon we are quite overwhelmed, but also totally enthusiastic. Maybe we have to let everything sink in first and sleep on it a few nights? During the drive we catch ourselves again and again planning our move to Rhineland-Palatinate. Only two days later we realize that we can’t get out of this one – we’re totally hooked and can’t think of anything else! We call Paul and Janine and tell them we’re in: we want to be part of this project and move down there this year.

All this happened six weeks ago and since then we have become part of this newly emerging community, both in thought and action. Two weeks ago we were back in Rhineland-Palatinate  for another meeting, this time with all the participants who will be part of the project. It seems unthinkable, but already after these two meetings a strong sense of community has developed and the launch of the farm is being prepared intensively.

We would never have thought it possible, but only two months after the beginning of our search for people and land, we are in the middle of planning a farm and getting ready to move into the countryside at the end of the year! In August there will be another meeting, as well as the first rough renovation work at the farm. We will, of course, keep you posted in our next newsletter about what is happening there and how everything will continue!

Warm wishes, still from Berlin,
Helena and Valentin