The 20-acre permaculture site is roughly half wooded with garden spaces carved out and half is rich bottom land.

Come visit! Maybe stay.

Unique Regenerative Farming/Permaculture Apprenticeship Opportunity
Working, Off-the-grid, 20-acre
Diversified Permaculture Farm in Northeast Washington State.
In Transition to an Agricultural Land Trust/Eco-village,
Permaculture Education Center.
Long-term residency potential.
Link to Application Form

Start Living Your Permaculture Lifestyle NOW!

Is access to land preventing you from starting your own permaculture homestead?

If so, you should consider joining the Bezaleel Israel Eco-Village.

The Bezaleel Israel Eco-Village in far northeast Washington is named after the landowner, affectionately known as "BZ," who has put more than 30 years of effort into developing his 20 acres to support a self-sufficient Permaculture Community Land Trust. 

This could be your new home!

Don't let the funny name put you off. We're honoring the 30 years of work that the landowner accomplished in creating this 20-acre permaculture homestead. The land is in the process of becoming a community land trust to be preserved as a peopled conservancy for generations to come. 

His friends call him "BZ." He adopted the name Bezaleel Israel when he joined the Love Family commune more than 50 years ago. A regular at Rainbow Gatherings, Barter Fairs and Healing Gatherings over many years, BZ is an original and truly a "Jack of All Trades." All he wants in life is to help young people to learn how to survive in these times when our survival is at risk. Creating the Eco-village here is a big part of that.

It’s a small village right now, but we are linked with a growing network in our local region including the Inland Northwest Permaculture Guild, the Northeast Washington Permaculture Guild, the Huckleberry Range Community Collective, Uhuru, Friends of the Trees Society, the Permaculture Conservation Trust and others.

We are seeking new permanent members of the Village Collective.

Help is needed to keep building the infrastructure to support the Eco-village. Help is welcome in the form of skilled and unskilled labor. Casual visitors can volunteer (and learn). Folks who seriously seek permanent residency such as apprentices can earn income with the Farm Collective. Residents might have outside jobs or establish collective enterprises based at the eco-village.

We can also organize educational work parties where folks can learn homesteading skills.

The kinds of work we do involve growing food and livestock using permaculture and regenerative agriculture methods, water conservation, sustainable woodlot management, tree felling, bark stripping, pole construction, green building, timber milling, fencing, off-grid energy production, equipment use and maintenance, earth restoration, plant and tree propagation, haying, direct marketing, firewood gathering, etc.. 

We also operate the BZ Collective Farm and seed business and help is needed doing the farming. Farm collective members earn income.

The property is divided into four main sections. About 4.5 arable acres on the east end of the property is on the valley floor which is part of one of the largest peat bogs in Washington. The century-old drainage ditches have been regularly maintained making cultivation possible. Reed canary grass is the predominant species of grass there.  A lower bench west of the bottom land at a slightly raised elevation consists of about 3 arable acres with some of it deer-fenced for a market garden.  Hay is harvested from the bottom land and the lower bench. The upper bench (approx. 1 acre arable) consists of a small dwelling with attached year-round greenhouse, solar power and wood./solar hot water, a 2000 sq. ft. shop, a 22' x 54' hoophouse, a duck pond, a swimming hole, an orchard (3000 lbs. yield) and a market garden plot. There is a flock of ~30 Ancona ducks. The property has never been commercially logged as have all the surrounding properties and is blessed with aprrox. 9.5 acres of mixed species woodlot. 

The farm is off-grid and has power provided by solar panels to charge the battery banks and, when needed, gasoline generators. As we increase our solar capacity, we can decrease our fossil fuel use.

The land has extensive gravity and solar-pumped irrigation infrastructure with adequate water for large plantings and is well suited for small numbers of livestock to be raised for sale and sustenance. 

The main limitation presented here is our far-north location. That makes for a short growing season and harsh winter living conditions. The level of self-reliance required is not for everyone, but the land is productive and much infrastructure is in place. New arrivals will need to be self-sufficient and meet their own shelter, energy and much of their own food needs. 

We align closely with the principles of the International Peasants’ Movement
viacampesina.org
and Peasants for Climate Justice
peasantsforclimatejustice.org

There is potential for a small number of people to move into permanent residency here. There is a suggested structure for joining as a permanent resident which is like an apprenticeship program. The permanent residents make up the Village Collective.

Interested??

Let us know by answering two short questions on our application form.

Link to Application Form

Visitors please make arrangements in advance.
collective@bzfarm.org

The future is uncertain. For those interested in finding a place to put down roots and ride out the storm, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

We are looking for mature, responsible, non-violent, communicative, compassionate, debt-free folks who have experience in regenerative agriculture, have a firm grasp of permaculture principles and practices, experience in collaborative group living and a love of voluntary simplicity and Earth care. Anyone with those qualifications can apply for temporary or permanent residency. We highly encourage interested young people to apply. IMPORTANT: The pursuit of cultivating those values to your life and livelihood and to illustrate by example their benefits to the greater society must form the central core of your being and fuel your underlying motivation.

Potential residents should have had experience with or eagerness to try simple, rural, outdoor-oriented living and the work ethic that goes along with it and be prepared to provide your own shelter in a place where the climate can range from below freezing in winter to summer temperatures as high as one-hundred degrees for days at a time (RV, travel trailer, yurt, mobile tiny house or fully equipped outdoor camp). Various potential income sources exist.

Link to Application Form

Thank you,

The Bezaleel Israel Village Collective and the Permaculture Conservation Trust Board of Trustees

Can you financially help establish the Bezaleel Israel Eco-Village? 
Yes (click me)
Not at this time.