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==Volunteering==
==Volunteering==
Volunteers choose which country they would like to visit and volunteer in, and it is their responsibility to contact the relevant organization to arrange the dates and duration of their stay at selected farms. The duration of a volunteer's stay can range from days to months, but is typically one to two weeks. Volunteers usually participate for 4–6 hours a day, learning and practicing various sustainable farming techniques in exchange for food and accommodation.
Volunteers choose which country they would like to visit and volunteer in and it is their responsibility to contact the relevant organization to arrange the dates and duration of their stay at selected farms. The duration of a volunteer's stay can range from days to months, but is typically one to two weeks. Volunteers usually work for 4–6 hours a day in return for a one day's worth of food on top of accommodation. Volunteers are expected to assist with a variety of tasks, including but not limited to; sowing seed, making [[compost]], gardening, planting, cutting wood, weeding, harvesting, packing, milking, feeding, fencing, making mud-bricks, wine making, cheese making, and bread baking.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Finz|first=Stacy|date=15 November 2013|title=WWOOF volunteers pitch in on organic farms|work=[[SFGATE]]|publisher=[[Hearst Communications]]|url=https://www.sfgate.com/science/article/WWOOF-volunteers-pitch-in-on-organic-farms-4986594.php|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Zayed|first=Michelle|date=3 July 2012|title=WWOOF volunteers help Colorado organic farms while learning the trade|work=[[Denver Post]]|publisher=[[Digital First Media]]|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/03/wwoof-volunteers-help-colorado-organic-farms-while-learning-the-trade/|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=How it works - WWOOF International |url=http://wwoofinternational.org/how-it-works/#:~:text=You%20may%20be%20asked%20to,cheese%20making%20and%20bread%20making. |website=WWOOF International |publisher=WWOOF}}</ref>

Volunteers typically engage in a variety of activities, including but not limited to sowing seeds, making [[compost]], gardening, planting, cutting wood, weeding, harvesting, packing, milking, feeding, fencing, making mud-bricks, wine making, cheese making, and bread baking.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Finz|first=Stacy|date=15 November 2013|title=WWOOF volunteers pitch in on organic farms|work=[[SFGATE]]|publisher=[[Hearst Communications]]|url=https://www.sfgate.com/science/article/WWOOF-volunteers-pitch-in-on-organic-farms-4986594.php|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Zayed|first=Michelle|date=3 July 2012|title=WWOOF volunteers help Colorado organic farms while learning the trade|work=[[Denver Post]]|publisher=[[Digital First Media]]|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/03/wwoof-volunteers-help-colorado-organic-farms-while-learning-the-trade/|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> Through these activities, they take part in the daily life of the farm and contribute to the organic farming movement.

==Grassroots movement==
WWOOF operates as a network of national nonprofit associations in each participating country. These associations are locally run, often by boards and representatives, who organize meetings and discussions to manage the organization’s activities. The structure encourages participation from both volunteers and host farmers, ensuring that various perspectives are taken into account in the decision-making process.

Unlike some other volunteer networks, which may operate as for-profit entities, WWOOF maintains its nonprofit status with the goal of promoting organic farming and cultural exchange without monetary incentives. Its focus on organic agriculture and sustainability aligns with the growing global interest in eco-conscious travel and responsible volunteering programs.


==See also==
==See also==
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* [[Agritourism]]
* [[Agritourism]]
* [[Agroecology]]
* [[Agroecology]]
* [[Ecotourism]]
* [[Forest farming]]
* [[Forest farming]]
* [[Natural farming]]
* [[Natural farming]]
* [[Permaculture]]
* [[Permaculture]]
* [[Organic Farming]]
* [[Organic Farming]]
* [[Workaway]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.wwoof.net/ WWOOF] - The Federation of WWOOF Organisations (FOWO)
* [http://www.wwoof.net/ WWOOF] - The Federation of WWOOF Organisations (FOWO)
* [http://wwoofinternational.org/ WWOOF International] - WWOOF International Ltd Association
{{simple living}}
{{simple living}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wwoof}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wwoof}}

Latest revision as of 13:10, 30 September 2024

Japanese "wwoofer" in Guinea (2014)
A WWOOF participant farm in Australia. The raspberry bushes pictured require regular weeding.
Part of a series on
Homestays
Hospitality exchange services
Hospitality for work
Hospitality for money
Home exchange and others

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF, /ˈwʊf/), or World Wide Organization of Organic Farms, is a network of national organizations that facilitate homestays on organic farms. There is no central list or organization that encompasses all WWOOF hosts. As there is no single international WWOOF membership, all recognized WWOOF country organizations strive to maintain similar standards, and cooperate together to promote the aims of WWOOF.[1]

WWOOF provides volunteers (often called "WWOOFers" or "woofers", /ˈwʊfər/) with enough experience in organic and ecologically sound growing methods to help the organic movement. They let volunteers experience life in a rural setting or in a different nation. WWOOF volunteers generally do not receive a salary in exchange for services. The host provides food, lodging, and opportunities to learn, in exchange for assistance with farming or gardening activities for the host.

The duration of the visit can range from days to years. Workdays average five to six hours, and participants interact with WWOOFers from other countries.[2] WWOOF farms include private gardens through smallholdings, allotments, and commercial farms. Farms become WWOOF hosts by enlisting with their regional organization. In countries with no WWOOF organization, farms enlist with WWOOF Independents.[3]

History

[edit]

WWOOF originally stood for "Working Weekends On Organic Farms" and began in England in 1971.[4] Sue Coppard, a woman working as a secretary in London, wanted to provide urban dwellers with access to the countryside while supporting the organic movement. Her idea started with a trial of working weekends for four people at the biodynamic farm at Emerson College[5] in Sussex. People soon started volunteering for longer periods than just weekends, so the name was changed to Willing Workers On Organic Farms. Eventually, the word "work" caused problems with some countries' labor laws and immigration authorities, who tended to treat WWOOFers as migrant workers and oppose foreigners competing for local jobs.[4] (Many WWOOFers enter countries on tourist visas, which is illegal in countries such as the United States.[6]) Both in an attempt to circumvent this and also in recognition of WWOOFing's worldwide scope, the name was changed again in 2000 to World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Some WWOOF groups (such as Australia) choose to retain the older name, however.

Volunteering

[edit]

Volunteers choose which country they would like to visit and volunteer in and it is their responsibility to contact the relevant organization to arrange the dates and duration of their stay at selected farms. The duration of a volunteer's stay can range from days to months, but is typically one to two weeks. Volunteers usually work for 4–6 hours a day in return for a one day's worth of food on top of accommodation. Volunteers are expected to assist with a variety of tasks, including but not limited to; sowing seed, making compost, gardening, planting, cutting wood, weeding, harvesting, packing, milking, feeding, fencing, making mud-bricks, wine making, cheese making, and bread baking.[7][8] [9]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms". WWOOF. Federation of WWOOF Organizations. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  2. ^ Smithers, Rebecca (22 April 2011). "Want to be a wwoofer?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  3. ^ Madden, Jacon (16 June 2010). "WWOOF your way around the world!". CNN. WarnerMedia. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b "History of WWOOF". WWOOF International. WWOOF International Ltd Association. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  5. ^ Coppard, Sue (7 March 2006). "Good lives". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  6. ^ Tanenbaum, Michael; Kopp, John (6 July 2017). "Stopped at Philly airport, French students tell of full-body searches, mysterious injections". PhillyVoice. WWB Holdings, LLC. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  7. ^ Finz, Stacy (15 November 2013). "WWOOF volunteers pitch in on organic farms". SFGATE. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  8. ^ Zayed, Michelle (3 July 2012). "WWOOF volunteers help Colorado organic farms while learning the trade". Denver Post. Digital First Media. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  9. ^ "How it works - WWOOF International". WWOOF International. WWOOF.
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