Slaving away for years in a bleak corporate world where money reigned, Ladia Kuta decided that enough was enough. He turned his back on consumerism and started life afresh on a piece of land deep in the jungles of Lenggong, Perak.

He is now happy and at peace.

“I spent three hours each day stuck in traffic when I was in the construction business. It’s such a cutthroat industry. I longed to run away from the rat race and do something meaningful. Planting a tree makes more sense and gives more satisfaction than selling sand,” says the 37-year-old from Czech Republic, who has been in Malaysia for almost a decade now.

Hana Kutova and husband, Ladia Kuta.

After planning for two years, Kuta secured a lease on 16ha of what used to be an abandoned tea plantation from the Perak government. He moved to his new place two years ago with his wife Hana Kutova, 28, also from the Czech Republic.

“I was never a farmer but I always had a keen interest in ethno-botany, the study of how plants are used. Lots of people talk, but few actually do anything about it. We decided not to be part of the statistics. It was a significant change in our lifestyle,” he says.

Their concept is simple — to live a life that is in harmony with nature. Some call it permaculture but to them, it’s all about sustainability.

“Permaculture is a way of life. It’s not about money at all. It is essential to form a symbiotic relationship with the environment, an emotional connection with Mother Earth. We design our life around nature, not according to what we want, but what the place is suitable for,” says Kuta who cites The One-Straw Revolution — An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka (www.onestrawrevolution.net), as his main source of inspiration.

“The concept is nothing new as previous civilisations have been planting according to the phases of the moon. It’s common-sense farming. Somebody just gave it a name,” he explains.

The couple’s focus is towards developing the land in a sustainable manner, in harmony with the local environment, employing principles learned from nature. The farm is non-exploitative and non-commercial.

The farm consists of two buildings — the house and an old warehouse that is now a barn.

Among the farm’s main principles are that it be organic and eco-friendly, practises farming without pesticides or fertilisers, reduces carbon emissions by harnessing local natural resources and renewable energies (including current attempts to harness hydro-power from a nearby stream), and reduces household waste through composting, recycling and reusing.

There are two buildings on the farm: the main farm house in which the couple lives and where visitors stay, and an old warehouse that was once a tea drying plant. The warehouse is now a shelter for their animals — goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys, quails and rabbits — and there are plans to further develop it to accommodate more guests.

Vegetables and herbs are grown for their own consumption, and leftovers are given to the animals as food or made into compost. Animal droppings are harvested and made into natural fertiliser.

“Everything we do here is for a reason and everything is interconnected. Nothing is wasted as each has its own use. It’s just how you use it that makes a difference. Even weeds are a blessing as they can be fed to our goats,” says Kuta.

The goats are used to naturally clear the land as they eat practically anything, especially thorny weeds and shrubs. They hope to be able to get goat’s milk in the near future, which can be turned into cheese. Kutova makes her own cheese using fresh cow’s milk.

Tilapia are reared in a pond manually dug out by Kuta, and they recently acquired huge discarded containers which they are utilising for catfish. Kuta is currently working on another pond for haruan (snakehead).

Taking the goats and sheep out to graze.

The couple’s newly introduced homestay programme allows visitors, especially those from the city, a chance to learn more about permaculture. You don’t have to implement everything you see; practising just a few is considered positive.

Homestay at the Kuta homestead is RM75 per person, inclusive of accommodation and four home-cooked meals. The Kutas can take up to only eight guests at a time but may consider accommodating larger groups on a case-by-case basis.

“Most of our guests come here to get away from the city. They want to get involved in our day-to-day activities. It gives them a sense of pride as they have never done these things before, especially being hands-on with the plants and animals,” says Kuta.

Common activities include leading the goats out to graze in the afternoon, feeding the animals, watering the crops, checking on the fish, and basically making sure that everything is functioning well.

We were lucky when we were there as a duckling had just hatched in the morning. It’s really something to be present when new life enters the world. It makes you appreciate how everything in nature is integrated so finely.

The Kutas make it a point to crank up a BBQ on Saturday, and, if guests are feeling brave, they can dive into the tilapia pond to catch some fish for dinner.

A cosy guest room.

“It’s a chance for guests to reconnect with nature. We are recreating things we lost along the way. Our ancestors used to catch fish with their bare hands but we just go to the supermarket to buy cleaned fish,” explains Kuta.

Kuta will lead those who are game to hike upstream to a nearby waterfall where he will point out the various vegetation and plants along the way. After the hike, it’s a dip in a nearby “Jacuzzi”.

Backpackers and wandering travellers volunteer at the farm — from a few days to a few months. They are given free accommodation and food for helping out with the running and maintenance of the place. The farm can take up to eight volunteers at a time.

As the farm is located on elevated land, it can get pretty chilly. Wrapped under a blanket, we didn’t need a fan at night. Even if you’re not a morning person, try to catch the sunrise here as it’s breathtaking. Clouds often settle in the valley below, separating the farm from civilisation with a cottony white blanket.

The isolation made us feel at peace, as though we were one with nature, just the way it was meant to be.

Kuta is happiest when people he shares his knowledge with put the ideas into action.

“There’s a fruit seller in Lenggong who used to throw away spoiled fruits every day. He now composts it and sprays it as fertiliser on his lime trees.”

What the Kutas are doing is really admirable as they are making a change that not only benefits the land and community around them, but the environment as well. Kuta summarises that it is all about living a sustainable way of life — to increase biodiversity and the soil’s fertility.

“If everybody does at least one thing to live sustainably, we are on the right track to healing the world,” he concludes.

The farm is only accessible by 4WD or motorbike along a dirt road.

Contact Information:

Green technologies Permaculture project in Perak, Malaysia
Although we do not want to commercialize the farm’s production, a small disposable income will still be useful. We therefore aim to produce locally grown organic tea, honey, herbs, spices, and some meat. These will be marketed to guests and also are available to be bought directly through our website.
+60163067986/+60163067985
sites.google.com/site/permacultureperak