Wwoof farming: Working the soil in far-off lands

In 1971 a secretary from London referred to as Sue Coppard placed an advert within the papers. She was searching for a chemicals-free farm wherever she might pay her weekends, serving to out and learning regarding the soil.

Today her initiative has been remodeled into a huge international network, extremely regarded by those that follow these matters for its role in promoting the organic mode.

The Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms movement - usually called Wwoof - offers positions for a few eighty,000 volunteers on twelve,000 host farms in additional than one hundred countries.

The deal is easy. Volunteers - or Wwoofers - ar given board ANd lodging for an in agreement amount, and reciprocally give a try of hands.


The farmer gets physical facilitate and on labor-intensive organic farms this will create a serious distinction.

The Wwoofer gets to measure in an exceedingly foreign land and, additionally, picks up valuable information regarding growing and getting ready food the natural method.


The movement has long been acquainted to devotees however within the previous couple of years - mostly due to the economic recession - influence has been spreading.
The work word

"We ar seeing an enormous increase in interest at the instant," says Amanda Pearson, administrator at the UK-based Federation of Wwoof Organisations.


"People ar searching for cheaper ways that to travel and take their holidays, and kids United Nations agency cannot notice work or coaching see it as an alternate method of gaining expertise and seeing the globe.

"But we're conjointly seeing additional older folks on our books. we tend to have gotten lots of enquiries from men and girls United Nations agency tell United States of America they're retired however they're match and well and don't shall pay the remainder of their lives sitting by the fire!



Alain Karmitz and Rebeka Jaqua provide organic milk

"They ar all welcome. For United States of America the sole condition is that you just ar over eighteen."

If the Wwoof signifier is unchanged since 1971, what it stands for has been through 3 incarnations.

First the organisation was operating Weekends on Organic Farms. Then it absolutely was Willing employees on Organic Farms.


It got its current formulation regarding ten years past, mostly due to growing considerations regarding use of the word "work".


As Wwoof unfold round the world, the danger became additional apparent of conflict with native unions and tax authorities United Nations agency may well be but happy at seeing potential farm jobs crammed by unpaid volunteers.


Wwoof's response was to get rid of the word "work" from its title, however conjointly to worry what has perpetually been its credo: that the movement relies on a voluntary cultural and academic exchange. facilitate reciprocally for information.


"The truth is additionally that almost all of the farms in our network ar small-scale businesses activity the area people," says Ms Pearson. "Such work as they need is extremely short. they might not be ready to support paid labour."
'Our dream'


Les Costils farm in geographical region, France, provides a typical insight into Wwoofing in action.

Owners Alain Karmitz and Rebeka Jaqua have a herd of thirty milkers, and calves, and provide organic milk to an area company.


For four years they need had the help of 1 or 2 Wwoofers for eight months of the year. they need come back from all components of the globe: the United States of America, Canada, the UK, Japan, Hong Kong, Latvia then on.

"They ar lots of facilitate," says mister Karmitz, whose folks bought the farm in 1970.


"And then as a result of we tend to ar unable to depart the farm, we tend to love having folks keep from everywhere the globe. typically they have been at alternative organic farms and that we exchange concepts and strategies.


"Our dream is to show Les Costils into a sort of organic academy, wherever we are able to die our information and facilitate unfold the word."


One of today's Wwoofers at Les Costils, Mathilde Perez-Huet, could be a 19-year-old biology student from South Carolina. She runs the kitchen garden that provides a lot of of the farm's food.


The second is missioner Gehmair, 21, AN agriculture student from Oesterreich. She helps with the cows.


A third ex-Wwoofer, Nicole Hayes from Wales, is currently a paid worker.


"The whole Wwoofing expertise here impressed Pine Tree State to become a farmer," she says.


"I dreamt from the instant I left Les Costils that i'd have a life-style like this. therefore after they asked if I might return, I leapt at the chance."
Wwoofing on the aspect


There ar Wwoof farms on all continents. And if at the beginning Wwoofers themselves were mostly from the communicatory world, nowadays they're as probably to be Japanese or Thai as Australian.


Volunteers got to recognize that the price of outward travel is their own responsibility. And for several nationalities, visas are often a tangle.


US students Nicole Long (left) and Sarah MacClellan are learning on a farm at Gourin, western France

There is dialogue, too, regarding what proportion of a commitment volunteers got to be ready to show to the ideals of natural farming.


Some concern that Wwoofing might degenerate into canonised student business, with participants chiefly curious about language-learning or low cost stays in exotic locations.


But others say that if the aim is to win converts, then confining the chance to paid environmentalists is unsuccessful.


One issue to that all ar alive is that the potential for abuse. fortunately instances ar quite rare, however isn't unknown, for unscrupulous farmers to take advantage of Wwoofers as unpaid labour.


"We had Wwoofers here once United Nations agency told United States of America of another farm they'd been at, wherever they were essentially forced to figure around the clock," says mister Karmitz. "It's not what it's speculated to be regarding."


Another drawback will occur once "farmers" prove to be business people with atiny low organic holding on the aspect, and Wwoofers find yourself being asked to try to to all types of alternative non-farming work.


"Most of those issues ar self-correcting," says Ms Pearson.


"If Wwoofers complain, the national organisations investigate and if the grievance is upheld, the host is faraway from our books."


With the expansion in interest, the longer term of Wwoofing appears assured - tho' Ms Pearson believes additional changes is also to come: "What with the economic worsening within the developed world, and also the environmental issues coupled to travel, we tend to ar focusing additional and additional on Wwoofing nearer to home.


"In recent years Wwoofing has benefited vastly from budget travel and also the web, however currently it's going to be the time to come back full circle."


"When Sue Coppard launched in 1971, she simply wished to seek out somewhere simply accessible wherever she might pursue her interest within the organic mode," Ms Pearson adds. "That spirit is returning. we wish to form Wwoofing native once more."