Happy Farm Six Month Volunteer Program

This program is currently closed. However, we are looking for long-term team members and volunteers to support the farm in 2026. If you are interested, you must attend the upcoming 3-month Rains Retreat. Please contact us for more info. This page will give you some idea about the requirements for long-term volunteering.

Join the Happy Farm Community at Deer Park

Do you want to live and practice at Deer Park for a year and help start the new Happy Farm? Are you inspired by the practice, by regenerative farming, and living close to the land? 

Help build the Happy Farm community!

Program Details
Housing: Solidity Hamlet (open to couples, males, and persons assigned male at birth)

Mindful work is the foundation of the Happy Farm. We aspire to nourish seeds of joy and happiness, build siblinghood, and transform 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 farming session begins with grounding and a group check-in.

Schedule on Farm Days (Tuesday-Saturday)
5:00 am Wake Up
5:45 am Sitting Meditation
7:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am – 12:15 pm Mindful Farming
12:30 pm Lunch
3:00 pm – 5:30 pm Mindful Farming
6:00 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Sitting Meditation or Evening Activity

Day of Mindfulness on Thursday and Sunday. Lazy Day on Monday

Accommodations

Volunteers will stay in Solidity Hamlet dorms. Camping and staying in a private vehicle at Solidity Hamlet is also an option. During some busy retreat periods, volunteers may also be requested to camp. Housing for the project follows Solidity Hamlet guidelines and is limited to males, couples, and assigned-male-at-birth persons. We apologize for being unable to accommodate other genders at this time.

Volunteers will share rooms where we practice with the joys and challenges of community life. Our experience is that living communally in this way leads to great friendships and spiritual growth.

Joys of the Practice

Laying the groundwork for the new Happy Farm at Deer Park is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

We expect the farm to become part of the lifeblood of the community, opening many Dharma doors and modeling a healthy relationship to land, ecology, and human flourishing through food production. 

There will be training in mindfulness practice and how to facilitate the basic Plum Village practices.

Benefits include increased self-awareness, deeper joy, increased confidence, and a better ability to care for suffering. Many participants in the Plum Village Happy Farm report a life-changing experience. 

Living and practicing within the monastery enriches us through daily contact with monastics and lay practitioners—we both contribute to and benefit from the community’s collective practice energy.

Requirements

We aspire to establish a vibrant and stable Happy Farm community that can support food production for years to come. We are looking for applicants who can deeply support the community and want to contribute significant time and energy.

Applicants must have robust physical, emotional, and psychological health. The work can be physically and mentally challenging, requiring stamina and commitment.

Those interested in healing or personal reflection should consider a normal retreat at the monastery.

Working on the farm is very different from regular retreats at Deer Park. Although rewarding, it requires more physical work, time, and flexibility.

We have a responsibility to the community for food production. That means we may have responsibilities that require us to sometimes work outside the usual hours.

We are also responsible for contributing our practice energy to the community.

As a Happy Farmer, you:

• Have experience in: sustainable farming (particularly human-scale methods)
• Enjoy strenuous physical labor
• Want to deepen your practice of mindfulness
• Are enthusiastic and passionate about ecology and food production
• Can work well both in a team and independently
• Are happy to live a simple communal life (e.g. sharing bathrooms, willing to camp)
• Respect both the farm and monastery schedule
• Are familiar with Plum Village mindfulness practice and have attended at least one retreat in the Plum Village tradition, ideally at one of our monasteries
• Take responsibility and follow through with tasks
• Are willing to support short-term volunteers

At the core of our community is a commitment to live according to the Five Mindfulness Trainings. We also ask all volunteers to commit to the Happy Farm Agreements. These include not pursuing or engaging in new romantic relationships throughout the volunteer period and attending the mindful service and practice schedule.

Living in harmony with the community, according to the Mindfulness Trainings and Agreements, is a continuous requirement for staying at the monastery.

All volunteers are housed at Solidity Hamlet and must be either part of a couple that is applying, male, or assigned-male-at-birth.

Application Process

Please attend the upcoming Rains Retreat if you are interested in long-term volunteering.

Important Notes

• Housing: Our housing follows Solidity Hamlet guidelines.
• Time off: One or two 7 to 10 day breaks during the program
• Agreements: All volunteers must sign and follow Happy Farm Agreements.
• Costs: This is a volunteer position. There is no expected contribution for staying at the monastery. There is no compensation or living stipend. You must cover all of your additional financial needs.
• Health Care: You must arrange for health insurance coverage.

Join us in cultivating mindfulness, community, and sustainable agriculture. Help lay the foundation for a thriving Happy Farm that will nourish future generations at Deer Park Monastery.