Homesteading in Northern Spain (Galicia / Asturias / Cantabria)

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and have lived in northern Spain homesteading (living a self-sufficient lifestyle as much as possible in the countryside) for about 6 years. Now, I am looking to join forces looking for people who have been seriously pursuing this lifestyle, be it expats (from any where in the world) or the native Spanish. I would be interested in joining an established community or even as close neighbors engaged in cooperation and mutual exchange for synergy - and to cut out the middle man in these chaotic times. If you know of such a community or are interested in such a collaborative work, I would like to hear from you.

BTW, I rule out "intentional communities" which are solely based on the people who just rely on their intention and will power (often an expression of selfishness). Often, those involved do not have the necessary requirements (a good mix of knowledge, experience, life skills, resources, as well as impulse control and ethical / moral underpinning) necessary for developing trust and cooperation, and long-term individual and social maintenance and growth.
I have been renting (country house and land) to keep the option of easier relocation in case the opportunity arises, realizing that the social (socioeconomic including cultural) aspect of permaculture is essential in the long-term maintenance and growth of this lifestyle, in addition to the more tangible aspects of land and physical location.
I currently live in Galicia and prefer northern Spain mainly because of water concerns (last year there was serious drought in most of Spain).

Cheers

Hi Miguel, welcome to Permies! Congratulations on your first post!

Hola Miguel!
My family and I just moved from Mexico to Spain and are in search for land in Cantabria to develop a family project around regenerative agriculture and permaculture.
I'm reaching out to establish a connection. Let me know how your journey is going

Speak soon!

Hello,

We are a loose community of neighbors designed exactly as you mentioned in your post.
There are people from all around, including Spain.
The long term vision is to become as self-sufficient as possible and to depend as little as possible on the current system and society.
We live in west Asturias, around the Navia valley.
Get in touch if you are interested!

Telegram: @phroge

Thank you for your message.  I am interested in projects like yours and will check it out to see if it follows at least the ethical principles of conventional permaculture - "earth care, people care, fair share".  Please look for my private message.

Hello. I am moving back to Asturias and looking to share land and buildings with other like minded. I may have found a site near Infiesto (Oriente) but it is too big for one person and a dog. Looking for others to share. Best wishes, Mark

Hi,
I work in a shared garden as volonteer in Malaga. I've been allowed to implement a permaculture project here, which is (very slowly) in process.
Not exactly your climate, but maybe we can share failures/successes.

I also try to homestead as much as my wife tolerates, but this is a city, and most of my inputs still come from the supermarket.

Hi does anyone know of any communities living off grid or close to nature in Asturias, near Gijon but still in green areas? possibly with land to set a tiny house? thank you

Hi, Lisa.
Welcome to Permies.

I know of two communities like that in Malaga. One is a religious order of kind, the other is mostly buddist (not required) but asks 20,000 € for the right of living in a house.
There must be some community up there in the North. I'll ask my friends if they know something.

Abraham Palma wrote:Hi, Lisa.
Welcome to Permies.

I know of two communities like that in Malaga. One is a religious order of kind, the other is mostly buddist (not required) but asks 20,000 € for the right of living in a house.
There must be some community up there in the North. I'll ask my friends if they know something.

This sounds interesting. Is it still going?

Albert Flynn wrote:

Abraham Palma wrote:Hi, Lisa.
Welcome to Permies.

I know of two communities like that in Malaga. One is a religious order of kind, the other is mostly buddist (not required) but asks 20,000 € for the right of living in a house.
There must be some community up there in the North. I'll ask my friends if they know something.

This sounds interesting. Is it still going?

I think so. The second one is called IKI-GAIA and is still looking for members.

Ok, great, thanks! I started a contact with both. Let's see!

Hello Abraham,

can you please give me some contact to the first community? what religion you mean here?

Abraham Palma wrote:Hi, Lisa.
Welcome to Permies.

I know of two communities like that in Malaga. One is a religious order of kind, the other is mostly buddist (not required) but asks 20,000 € for the right of living in a house.
There must be some community up there in the North. I'll ask my friends if they know something.

Hello Jacqueline.
Welcome to permies.

They are catholic, I think, but I don't have their contact. I could ask, if you are really interested.

Hello Abraham,

Thanks alot :)
Yes please, I live in Germany, and willing to re-allocate to Spain and rent/buy a land with a small house. I believe starting in a community is the best option for me.

Abraham Palma wrote:Hello Jacqueline.
Welcome to permies.

They are catholic, I think, but I don't have their contact. I could ask, if you are really interested.

Hello Miguel,

Do you have any news or contacts regarding any communities in the area? Iam quiet interested

Miguel Romero wrote:Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and have lived in northern Spain homesteading (living a self-sufficient lifestyle as much as possible in the countryside) for about 6 years. Now, I am looking to join forces looking for people who have been seriously pursuing this lifestyle, be it expats (from any where in the world) or the native Spanish. I would be interested in joining an established community or even as close neighbors engaged in cooperation and mutual exchange for synergy - and to cut out the middle man in these chaotic times. If you know of such a community or are interested in such a collaborative work, I would like to hear from you.

BTW, I rule out "intentional communities" which are solely based on the people who just rely on their intention and will power (often an expression of selfishness). Often, those involved do not have the necessary requirements (a good mix of knowledge, experience, life skills, resources, as well as impulse control and ethical / moral underpinning) necessary for developing trust and cooperation, and long-term individual and social maintenance and growth.
I have been renting (country house and land) to keep the option of easier relocation in case the opportunity arises, realizing that the social (socioeconomic including cultural) aspect of permaculture is essential in the long-term maintenance and growth of this lifestyle, in addition to the more tangible aspects of land and physical location.
I currently live in Galicia and prefer northern Spain mainly because of water concerns (last year there was serious drought in most of Spain).

Cheers

Jacqueline Bashta wrote:Hello Abraham,

Thanks alot :)
Yes please, I live in Germany, and willing to re-allocate to Spain and rent/buy a land with a small house. I believe starting in a community is the best option for me.

Abraham Palma wrote:Hello Jacqueline.
Welcome to permies.

They are catholic, I think, but I don't have their contact. I could ask, if you are really interested.

Hello. I was trying to find information about the other community, without luck. It seems it is no longer a community but a rural lodgement. Communities like these do not last long.

Another option that has been suggested to me is to volonteer with some friends who have a permaculture farm.
Here it is their website: https://bosquehumano.org/permaculture-practise-in-malaga/
It is located in Coin, a small city not far from the beach, featuring a mangoes orchard.

The other community is found here:
https://semillamontealegre.es/news/iki-gaia-ecovillage-model-axarquia-malaga/
It is located near the village of Almayate.

Both are in province of Malaga. I don't know about Northern Spain more than you can find yourself searching the web.


Choosing where to locate is a matter of taste. I favor the south because there are more tourists living here and people are more accustomed to foreigners, but the climate is dryier and hotter, which makes farming a bit more difficult. The Eastern Coast is similar to the Southern one, but features more rain. Land prices might be cheaper in the center of the peninsula, but that's very very rural, if you know what I mean.

There's a cool project in Asturias.
https://elmandala.es/

We'll be there the coming week end for a "Low tech life" gathering.

They seem to be well established and I'm sure they know the local projects and opportunities.

Hello everyone. Just a quick update to let everyone know that my situation has not changed much since my initial post and I am still active on the subject and have received some contacts by the private messaging system. I welcome those of you who have reached the same conclusions as I have especially through experience that it is essential to try to establish a community following natural principles (i.e, social permaculture).  This implies strict adherence to TRUTH / REALITY (natural moral philosophy through scientific investigation and experience) and is complementary to the "physical permaculure" that most people already recognize superficially. In other words, for one to be successful the other needs to be also, practicing both guided by the results (i.e., experimentally / experientially).  This approach combines physical, socioeconomic, ecological sciences and principles systemically and holistically (integratively) to best harmonize with nature, and thus underpin any chance / claim for sustainability.  Nature is after all a complex adaptive system, and true living / thriving requires integrating our lives with it deeply / systemically as social "animals" in the ecosystem, i.e., using communities based on natural scientific principles.
Otherwise, I encourage everyone to give serious consideration to the above concepts, and do your own research (including historical, especially of traditional societies most of which have been destroyed). Also include your own observations and experiments practicing rivaling concepts (from individualistic, intentional community type approaches based ultimately on wishes and intentions of individuals  vs. the integrative ecosystemic approaches where the community is organized on the basis of necessity to create a balance with nature / following natural principles i.e., as a means to serve nature, and not the goal to serve the ego).

A true community requires a deep understanding and practice of logic (i.e., natural law / law of consequences / law of harvest), which the traditional cultures practiced as "common sense" and kept them sustainable for so long, creating a natural order and relative peace, essential for their health / longevity / sustainability. Having lost this tremendous wealth (the culture tying us to nature through time, evidence of perma - culture) in most of the world, we should not be surprised at the diseased state of the vast majority of individuals in the world and our sorry state, akin to deracinated plants that could not survive long despite all artificial interventions (as in our artificial global socioeconomic system). The difficult task at hand should be obvious for those serious about permaculture.

hello Miguel,
did you find your place?
Myself is looking for homesitting for now , have you heard od any such places up north of Spain?

Miguel Romero wrote:Hello everyone. Just a quick update to let everyone know that my situation has not changed much since my initial post and I am still active on the subject and have received some contacts by the private messaging system. I welcome those of you who have reached the same conclusions as I have especially through experience that it is essential to try to establish a community following natural principles (i.e, social permaculture).  This implies strict adherence to TRUTH / REALITY (natural moral philosophy through scientific investigation and experience) and is complementary to the "physical permaculure" that most people already recognize superficially. In other words, for one to be successful the other needs to be also, practicing both guided by the results (i.e., experimentally / experientially).  This approach combines physical, socioeconomic, ecological sciences and principles systemically and holistically (integratively) to best harmonize with nature, and thus underpin any chance / claim for sustainability.  Nature is after all a complex adaptive system, and true living / thriving requires integrating our lives with it deeply / systemically as social "animals" in the ecosystem, i.e., using communities based on natural scientific principles.
Otherwise, I encourage everyone to give serious consideration to the above concepts, and do your own research (including historical, especially of traditional societies most of which have been destroyed). Also include your own observations and experiments practicing rivaling concepts (from individualistic, intentional community type approaches based ultimately on wishes and intentions of individuals  vs. the integrative ecosystemic approaches where the community is organized on the basis of necessity to create a balance with nature / following natural principles i.e., as a means to serve nature, and not the goal to serve the ego).

A true community requires a deep understanding and practice of logic (i.e., natural law / law of consequences / law of harvest), which the traditional cultures practiced as "common sense" and kept them sustainable for so long, creating a natural order and relative peace, essential for their health / longevity / sustainability. Having lost this tremendous wealth (the culture tying us to nature through time, evidence of perma - culture) in most of the world, we should not be surprised at the diseased state of the vast majority of individuals in the world and our sorry state, akin to deracinated plants that could not survive long despite all artificial interventions (as in our artificial global socioeconomic system). The difficult task at hand should be obvious for those serious about permaculture.

It seems like Oliver Goshe of the Regenerative Skills podcast, Water Stories community, and the Climate Farmers  organization for supporting European farmers in transitioning to regenerative practices is based in Catalonia:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-abundant-edge/id1199230234?i=1000689867855

I believe he shares ways to reach out on the podcast, and is the most likely person I know of to have connections to the kind of communities you seek. Best of luck.