Živa

"Živa" is the fulfilment of Iva's lifelong dream: to escape from the city and live close to Nature!
Named after the ancient Slavic goddess of fertility, the farm in a village on "Zlatar" mountain, has been a home for our family since 2020. Having bought the old house and the land that has been untouched for over 35 years, we are slowly making our way towards self-sustainability. The food is grown using organic and permaculture principles (Iva is a certified Permaculture designer), we also gather herbs and fruits of the forest and have some animals (not for meat). In addition, Native Serbian mountain horses are being bred at the farm and are used as conservation grazers, as well as for trail riding/riding lessons. In our work with horses, who live freely outside in a herd and are not shod, we use a combination of Classical and Natural horsemanship.

Since there is a lot of work to be done, we would greatly appreciate helping hands. We can provide instruction in the areas that we are good at, eg. Iva has a BSc in Equine Sports Science, but would also cherish the opportunity to learn from you!
Living and working along us, as part of the family; immersing yourself in traditional local culture and a very different, slower, way of life; enjoying pristine nature and breathing a clean air...that is what "Živa" is all about.

Come and join us!

We would expect you to contribute an intensive 5-6 hours per day, with one day off per week. You should be responsible, hard-working, motivated and able to work both in a team and alone/unsupervised. It is important that you understand that the work is often hard and location is rural-this position is not suitable for those seeking a pampered existence and/or busy social life.
Your "free time" can be spent any way you like: hiking/cycling on beautiful trails around the farm, gathering mushrooms/herbs, swimming in a nearby lake, hanging out with us or just chilling by yourself...
In addition, if time allows we can take you to nearby destinations during your "free time/day" (griffon vulture observation, visits to nearby towns/monasteries etc.), organize visits to neighboring farms to observe/participate in traditional cow milking/cheese making process or provide trail rides/horse riding/horsemanship lessons (weight limit 80 kg) at a discounted rate.
We provide three meals per day, cca.90% vegetarian (we can make it 100% vegetarian if you prefer). Sometimes we cook, sometimes you cook yourself using the ingredients we provide. The food we use is mostly locally sourced. Unfortunately, we can not cater for vegan or other highly restrictive diets - we eat what we have around us and believe that it is much better to drink locally produced "free-range" milk, rather than drive 100km to obtain soy milk!
The accommodation is either a room for 2 in the cellar of the house or a small tent for 2 (depending on availability, the season and your choice), with a shared bathroom. Internet access available. For those requiring more space/privacy/amenities, there is an option of renting a cabin from the neighbors

We are down-to-earth , educated, hard working people, trying to live off the land and in balance with nature. We have no staff as such, just a family of four. The only permanent member living and working on the farm is Iva, while the others are coming and going on a rhythm. All are treated with respect!