What is WWOOF?
WWOOF is a world wide network - It started in the UK in 1971 and has since become an international movement that is helping people share more sustainable ways of living.
WWOOF is an exchange - in return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.
The Aims of WWOOF are
- To give you first hand experience of organic or other ecologically sound growing methods,
- To give you experience of life in the countryside,
- To help the organic movement which is labour intensive and does not rely on artificial fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides,
- To give people a chance to meet, talk, learn and exchange views with others in the organic movement,
- To provide you with an opportunity to learn about life in the host country by living and working together...
The Farms
WWOOF hosts are mainly pursuing a simple, sustainable lifestyle. Many are practicing Permaculture or Bio-dynamic growing methods. Some farms are commercial producers, whether full or part time; others are alternative co-operatives or communities.
How WWOOF works
WWOOF organisations compile a list of organic farms that from time to time welcome volunteer help. When you join a WWOOF organization, you will be sent a copy of this list. It is then up to you to contact the farms that interest you and make your own arrangements with them.
Volunteering
The help you give your host will be wide and variable, including sowing, making compost, gardening, planting, cutting wood, weeding, making mud-bricks, harvesting, fencing, building, packaging, milking, feeding.
The help you give is an arrangement made between you and your host. You should negotiate beforehand with your host so that you know what they expect from you and the sort of volunteering you are happy to do.
The volunteering involved should not be exploitative of either WWOOFer or host. Often hosts themselves work long hours 7 days a week, and may expect you to do likewise. A fair exchange could be 6 hours of solid help per day, 6 days per week, with a full day off each week to relax and explore the area.
Remember that it takes a lot of energy and forethought for hosts to welcome strangers into their home. Your work is in part a repayment for their commitment to making your stay possible.
