WWOOFing Your Way Around The World

Written by Nick Palmer

WWOOFing is about travel and learning and making a differance!  WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It is a group of organizations that works together as a team to help people gain more knowledge of ways to develop an improved sustainable way of living.  The organization began in 1971 in the United Kingdom.  Since then, they have expanded their team to over   100 countries across the world.  There are now over 900 farm hosts across Canada and becoming a volunteer on Organic Farms is a way to learn  about WWOOF and how to develop your own sustainable living practices. Offering a wide range of accommodations, to those who volunteer and assist the organization,  WWOOF gives people from all over the world an opportunity to gain experience with organic farming and gardening, and to assist organic farms and gardeners with a variety of different tasks they are working on.

Those that volunteer, contact the organic farms that they wish to stay at, and make living arrangements with them.  WWOOF organizations charge a small fee to the host of the organic farms and volunteers to assist in the development of the  WWOOF.  The hosts and volunteers negotiate how many hours they are going to spend on the daily tasks set out for them.

The hosts of WWOOF use ecological and sustainable methods on their land to grow organically and they give experience to volunteers that are interested in learning more about the benefits of organic growing.

People from overseas with a basic understanding of English or French can also participate with WWOOF.

Director of Earthwalk Eco Centre Garnet McPherson endorses the Wwoof program as a hands on educational opportunity. “ We have had Wwoofers come from not only from North America but from Europe and Asia, Africa and South America.  They have worked on our sustainable agriculture demonstration gardens, our green building projects, in our eco education centre and our eco media centre where we develop teaching resources about healthy and sustainable living. It has been a great experience for us to have all these young people who really want to learn and to make a difference come to the centre to participate in what is going on at Earthwalk.”

Volunteers can learn, share and participate with any tasks that the hosts need assistance with.  You can stay up to a minimum of 1 week or 2 weeks depending on the compatibility and needs of the host.  Some people stay for up to 3 weeks and then move to another host to give them a variety of learning experiences. 

WWOOF is designed to provide individuals from around the world an opportunity to help the organic movement, gain practical experience of organic farming and gardening, and to network with other people passionate about assisting the organic movement giving them an enriched experience.

There are many organic farms that accept volunteers all year round for these energy exchange programs. Spring is a great time to become involved with WWOOF, but many will also volunteer in the winter season as well.

WOOF is dedicated to raising awareness about ecological solutions to issues the environment is facing, and by gaining  community support from people who share a passion for sustainable growth of organic food, and resources, they are making a positive impact on the future for generations to come.

Those interested in participating in the Wwoof program can contact Wwoof Canada.