Educational exchanges in sustainability

WWOOF
WWOOF stands for WILLING WORKERS ON ORGANIC FARMS. This website is a wwoof program for the USA that is based primarily online. CLICK HERE to check out the fun.

How WWOOF works:
We compile a list of hosts that, from time to time, welcome volunteer help. When you join WWOOF, you get access to that list of farms, in this case our searchable database.

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 fertilisers, 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 practising Permaculture or Bio-dynamic growing methods. Some farms are commercial producers, whether full or part time; others are alternative co-operatives or communities.

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, typing, packing, 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. We suggest a fair exchange is 6 hours or 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.

Do NOT arrive at a host's address without having arranged your visit with them beforehand.