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WWOOF

From Ekopedia

This article is part of the
Food theme.

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WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) links volunteers with organic farmers, smallholders and gardeners.

WWOOF is an exchange – volunteers give their help in exchange for food, accommodation and learning opportunities in organic agriculture.

WWOOF organisations compile a list of farmers and gardeners that welcome volunteer help at certain times. Volunteers ("WWOOFers") can then contact these farmers and gardeners ("WWOOF hosts") to arrange a stay.

The aims of WWOOF are to:

enable people to learn first-hand about organic growing techniques
enable people to experience life in the countryside
help the organic movement, which is labour intensive
give people in the organic movement a chance to meet, talk, exchange and learn
provide an opportunity to learn about rural life in other countries by living and working together

WWOOF hosts are mainly pursuing a simple, sustainable lifestyle. Some farms are commercial producers; others practise farming as a hobby. Some farms are large properties, inherited or bought; others are smaller and have been conquered through hard work and sweat.

WWOOFers give help that is wide and variable, but includes: sowing seed, making compost, gardening, planting, cutting wood, weeding, making mud-bricks, harvesting, fencing, building, packing, milking, feeding...

There are thousands of WWOOF hosts in over 80 countries, giving amazing opportunities for travel and learning about sustainable land use.