SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The Property
The property we want to buy is more than 15 hectares. It is in a quiet neighbourhood, within biking distance of the centre of Orgiva. The finca is the whole year round blessed with an abundant, constant flow of privately owned spring water.
The land has eucalyptus, walnut, carob, nispero, kaki, sharon, pomegranate, grapes, figs, lemon, mandarin, orange trees, ... It has a lot of rosemary bushes. At the moment a local gardener is taking care of the olive, avocado and almond production, harvesting and selling. There are 80 beehives on the land who are currently run by an external beekeeper. We would love to extend and diversify to a food forest and start a vegetable garden.
The Communal House
In the center of the land, it has an old, well maintained house of 120m2. It has a living room with an open kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a small storage room.
Next to the house is a 5mx10m shed. When you step out of the house, you walk on the roof of the shed. This is a terrace with a beautiful view on the Sierra Lujar and overlooking the south and the west part of the finca.
The land has more building rights. Which means we would get permission to build multiple constructions.
We have the intention to live on the land with a group of 6 to maximum 12 adults and their children.
To comply with todays regulations, the house will have to get a septic tank installed (investment of 5.000 €)
Water
Abundance of water
1 The property has its privately owned source. For over 20 years (the time the gardener started to take care of the land) this source has been given water all year round at a minimum of 2 liter per second.
2 In autumn, winter and spring, the finca also has acces to free water from the acequia.
3 If extra water is needed in summer, the finca also comes with a pozo (drilled water well) that is owned together with 3 other farmers. This pozo is higher up in the mountains. It can be used all year round. In case of need, water is sent to the upper alberca. The transportation of this water goes through the acequia.
4 On the eastern entrance of the land, there used to be a pozo. It is no longer used. If ever needed, we should be allowed to reopen it.
Albercas (water deposits)
1 Spring Alberca (360.000 liter)
The spring is located in the northwest tip of the land. A part of the spring water goes to the Spring Alberca. another part first flows through an acequia (small, open waterway) and then through tubes to the Lower “Pool” alberca. The acequia which brings water to the Lower “Pool” Alberca, is leaking probably half of its volume. With an investment of about 3.500 €, the leaking of this Alberca could be fixed.
The Spring Alberca should be cleaned and restored. At this moment it can only be filled half way: water is leaking through the side wall.
2 Lower “Pool” Alberca (365.000 liter)
This alberca is all year round filled with spring water. It takes 4 to 5 days to completely fill the Lower “Pool” Alberca. If we would close the acequia leak, we would probably catch double the amount of water.
This alberca is used to water the avocado forest. It is close to the house, it is 30 meters long, 6,8 meters wide and 2 meters deep. Besides a water deposit, it is a great, crystal clear swimming pool.
During summer, water from the lower pool alberca can be pumped up to the Upper Alberca.
3 Upper Alberca (360.000 liter)
The Upper Alberca is filled by a, b or c:
a) pumping up water from the lower alberca (done by electricity from the grid now, a solar pump or solar panels would be a good investment)
b) water from a shared pozo (water pumped up from under the ground). This comes all the way from Cañar.
c) water from the acequia. This acequia does not flow in summer. In winter we can have as much as we want.
The Upper Alberca is used to give water to the olive trees.
4 Western Slope Alberca (non priority future investment possibility)
The western dry slope land currently has no access to water. In order to irrigate it, making an alberca close to the ruin on top would be a good future investment. There used to be an acequia going from the Spring Alberca to this western slope. By restoring the Spring Alberca and connecting a tube to it, a part of the western slope could already be irrigated. For a proper irrigation, we could build an Alberca on the highest point.
Electricity
The property is connected to the grid. Because of its location, the finca has a lot of sun hours. We investing in 4.400 W solar panels. We are waiting for our battery system in order to become more self sufficient.
Trees and gardens
At this moment the finca has a good yearly income from avocado's, olives and almonds. A professional gardener has been taking care of the property for over 20 years. He grows, harvests and sells. The finca qualifies for organic certification but the current owners never applied for it. As this certification would give us better market prices, this is worth investigating. Exporting our products to Northern Europe, might give us better prices.
The land has 500 avocado trees (Hass, Bacon and Fuerte).150 of them are young trees that will start producing in 2 years. It has more than 750 olive (Piqual & Martena) and 200 almond (Marcona) trees.
The huge property comes with a lot of other trees: eucalyptus, walnut, carob, nispero, kaki, sharon, pear, pomegranate, figs, lemon, mandarin, orange trees, .. We grow grapes, aloë vera, lemongrass, mint, strawberries, pumpkins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, melons, tomatoes, onion, prickly pear, maya-, goji-, straw-, blueberry, ...
Our intention is to expand and diversify the food forest.
We would love to add mulberries, plums, pine, pistachio, kiwi, kiwini, lychee, sugar cane, ...
Some ideas that could bring an income:
- lavender, lemongrass, mint and vetiver, ginger, basil for tea and/or essential oil
- aquaculture: rucula, spirulina and vetiver
- selling self harvesting memberships
We would like to attract persons who are passionate about making vegetable gardens.
If you are a dedicated, organic gardener, you like our vision on life and you feel the earth is calling you ...
contact us now ...
Money matters
Our lawyer and architect are currently investigating all the details of the land. As soon as we have all the facts and figures, we will ask for authorisation for agricultural tourism ...
We welcome an extra 60.000 € investment or donation. We will soon start a fundraising campaign to get there. If you are already interested to invest or donate whatever amount, please feel welcome to contact us. If you want to keep updated, please send us your details at the bottom of this webpage.
We love to share our talents and our gifts with you. The feeling of being, working, living and sleeping in this wonderful village of the Alpujarras has touched many people already. Some get really emotional when they come and see how we already live in a more connected way. We love to keep it simple. Honest. Authentic. We are aware of our imperfections, we do our best to accept them and see them for the invitations they are: invitations to grow, to become a higher version of ourselves.
We are here to help you unstress. To reconnect you to life. Life as it was supposed to be ?
We are open for your talents. We are open for your gifts. If you have one of the following skills, you are even more welcome: carpentry, organising, make us smile, accountancy, management, cleaning, cooking, gardening, being yourself, ...
You are welcome to help us build up a community ...
If you feel the call to support us, please contact us, or spread the word to those who are interested.
Lets cocreate a piece of heaven on earth. ...
