World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms

[Reesha]

WWOOF is an organization dedicated to linking willing and voluntary farm workers with organic farms in need of help all around the world. Each country typically has a sub-organization and you pay a small amount (around 20 USD) to be able to access the contact information for that country's farm "hosts". Some farms are strictly vegetable and fruit growing, some are animal production, some are horse rearing etc. There are larger production farms and small self-sustaining family farms. There are farms with the typical mod cons and farms entirely off the grid without even electricity.

I discovered this opportunity just one short day ago... already I have a trip to Sweden for two weeks in March lined up! The family replied to my inquiry very promptly-- they are a small sheep/goat and vegetable farm in southern Sweden near the Baltic Sea and are very excited about accepting my help so early in the season. I'm one plane ticket away from solidifying this-- but I have to wait til pay day on December 1st. Tickets are only about $500 out of Chicago, so I'm very excited.

Anyway, for those who always wanted to travel and experience a culture from the inside out, I think this is a great opportunity. You certainly have to be willing to get your hands dirty on a farm, but in exchange you get room and board. As mentioned above there are many different kinds of farms but they are all some level of organic. I wanted to find an experience where I would be living and spending my time with a family. I got it: 2 parents and 5 sons with two exchange students on this lovely farm!

http://www.wwoof.se/typo3temp/gc_gallery/67/_194.jpg

If I'd known about this opportunity, I would have been away every summer! I love traveling-- but it's the expense of feeding and housing myself that is always an impediment. This solves the problem nicely, especially since I love rural areas and farm work.

http://www.wwoof.org

:o

[Trekhawk]

That is so cool!
I look forward to hearing all about it after you return.

I read an article about this and it featured a guy from Switzerland I think who came to a farm in Tasmania (Australia). He liked it so much he came back to live and start his own farm.:)

[Biciclista]

yes, me too. i wish i'd heard of this 40 years ago. of course they weren't doing it then. please come back and tell us about all your adventures.

[shootingstar]

Presumably you are bringing your bike? :D
Well, maybe you can give Maidei a tour there, before or after send-off to TE members in Norway? :):rolleyes:

Hope that works out for you. Farm work is hard work but it would be an experience of a lifetime. My partner was a weekend part-time farmer for 10 yrs. He had a full-time job in city. Had 50 cattle, some pigs, chickens and veggie garden. Grew hay.

[tulip]

That is very interesting. I visited an organic farm/institute in France some years ago. I wish I had inquired about internships and such. Good for you for being brave enough to check it out! Let us know how it goes.

[Reesha]

I adore farm work-- it's just incredibly satisfying to me. I don't mind shoveling animal crap or hauling water buckets. I found peace in weeding the lettuce patch each day in summer '08. I just miss it! City life can be pretty oppressive sometimes so I think I've found my summer solution.

I contacted a family in Belgium about 5km from Brugge where I used to live about spending two months with them in the summer. I will DEFINITELY bring my road bike for that! Imagine sprinting down the pijpeweg!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/161150647_df27180b98.jpg

I'm just so excited to have discovered this... and I'm glad it's become really well developed. I wanted to alert my fellow ladies so that others can participate in this amazing opportunity :)

[arielmoon]

I would be interesting in something like that if there was a vegetable only farm! :)

[Biciclista]

there are lots of vegetable only farms; in Italy for example, there are acres and acres of grapes, or olive trees....

[OakLeaf]

I don't know that it's possible to farm organically/sustainably without animal inputs, though.

Anyway, it sounds like a WONDERFUL opportunity! :)

[Reesha]

Yes, there are a large number of vegetable only farms, particularly where they only eat vegetarian or vegan foods. I subscribed to the list called "Wwoof Independents" which includes countries all over the world and many of them are fruit, vegetable and honey only. I'm open to animals as well.

I really recommend that you check out their site!

[papaver]

We've got an initiative called the fruit and veggie bank. You monthly pay a fix amount (depending on how big your family is), and you weekly go to a farmer where you receive a basket full of veggies and fruit. You never know what you are going to get. The great part is that this way you discover new or forgotten veggies and fruit. It's cheap too!

For kids and teenagers there are 'working holidays' where you can stay on a biological farm, it's quite a success.

[Atlas]

I met a wooffer when I was traveling in British Columbia. There are so many opportunities. I had sort of forgotten but now this might be the solution to the traveling my partner and I want to do.

[MillieNZ]

My SIL came out from Portland a few years ago and WWOOF'ded her way all round NZ and had a great time. Some of the places suited her more than others, but she met lots of people and still in contact with one of the farms now.

[Biciclista]

it seems to me that there is a real possibility of abuse here though. I hear all you guys saying how much you adore farmwork, but really, cutting wood and weeding and picking in the hot sun is not easy or fun.

[OakLeaf]

"Abuse?"

Obviously there's an element of trust involved on both sides - it seems to me that someone who invites a stranger into her home is taking at least as much risk as the one who's leaving her own home.

Basic safety rules apply here as everywhere - have a working cell phone (easy to rent one or buy a cheap prepaid local phone, if you have a US phone that doesn't work in the rest of the world; if out of cell range, rent a satphone which is still far less expensive than paying for meals and lodging), have a return ticket and keep that as well as your passport secure; get references before you go; trust your instincts if something doesn't feel right; have scheduled check-ins with someone at home. But that's no different from any travel.

No one said the work is easy. You're the only one saying it isn't fun... Agritourism wouldn't be the enormous business it is in the world right now if people weren't enjoying their experiences.

[Reesha]

Well, there are no binding contracts here. You can leave if the situation is not good and you should register your complaints with the national Wwoof organization. I saw on my Wwoof independents site a list of hosts that have been suspended for complaints pending investigation.

I think you are right, but many bad situations are probably avoided by asking numerous detailed questions. There's also lots of good advice on the sites about how to avoid dire situations including making emergency travel arrangements, getting the proper insurance, finding out the necessary travel and visa requirements.

One thing that supposedly comes up often is what to say to customs as you enter a country. If you say you are volunteering on a farm it has made some customs officers suspicious enough to bar a person from entering. You're supposed to say that you're on holiday basically. I know I'll be saying that when I'm arriving in Copenhagen in March (because essentially I am).

[Biciclista]

you are certainly right that things could go south from both directions... I did a "family stay" in Sicily once that has probably jaded me for life...

I'm hoping to hear first hand here the experiences of people who have done this because despite my cynicism, I would love to hear good news.

[MillieNZ]

One of the main things that concerned SIL about WWOOF was concern about who she'd be staying with . However one of the highlights of WWOOF (in NZ that is) was how secure she felt at the places she stayed and the quailty of friends that she made through the farm stay.............. some of the places didn't suit her as well becuase of the work involved however she never made any negative comments that she was free labour of anything like that ????

she only had a positive expeirence so all good for WWOOF in NZ anyway :)

[Biciclista]

I also believe staying with english speaking people would help too.
Even though I was in Italy studying the language the language barrier made things a lot tougher.

[Reesha]

Typically in their descriptions they describe what languages they speak fluently or well... in Nordic Europe English is almost always on the list. I'd do all right on a farm where Dutch or French are the only languages but only because I have enough of a foundations that it would be easy to catch on.

[OakLeaf]

Just in time, here's another piece from the NYT (http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/travel/escapes/23agritourism.html?sq=agritourism&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all), with links to three US farms that emphasize the -tourism more than the agri-.

Also, a portal (http://www.agritourismworld.com/index.php?sid=11165820) site that features more diverse opportunities (but probably less screening) than WWOOF.

[Reesha]

See, when I think of agritourism, I think strictly of paying guests staying on farms for the pastoral setting. I see that some can actually contribute to farm activity, but I'd rather not skim the surface of it. I'd rather get deeper into it I think.

What I'm doing is one kind of tourism I suppose, but it feels more like a cultural exchange and volunteer work.

[Reesha]

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/tending-the-farm-stand-in-southern-france/?ref=travel

This is another great article about Wwoofing/agritourism.

[shootingstar]

What I'm doing is one kind of tourism I suppose, but it feels more like a cultural exchange and volunteer work.


That's what it sounds like. Do let us know of your experiences next year!

[Reesha]

I am looking forward to sharing-- hopefully I'll get a new camera and take loads of pictures of everything. I'll just keep it on me while I'm working 8')

[Reesha]

Ooooo I just had a thought. I'm leaning heavily toward spending the summer in Belgium as I need to brush up on my Nederlands and many of my friends/host family members want to see me on the weekends and spend time with me.

So, I'm thinking about getting myself a folding bike that can travel with me to Europe that I can use to get back and forth to the train station from the farms.

Does anyone have any experience bringing a folding bike with them on a plane? I will obviously inquire in the folding bike threads, but methinks it's probably a bit easier than a full size bike.

[Reesha]

Also, found this amateur documentary on Wwoofing that's actually pretty explanatory and nicely done. It's called 'Because There Are Goats'

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/user/RobinMoore#p/u/4/1nzgT9tLRpU

(You can find the other parts on this person's channel)

[Trek420]

Here's a bike tour of Oregon permaculture/organic farms:

http://www.commoncircle.com/schedule/routes-permaculture-tour

[Reesha]

It's official: I'll be spending two whole months in Bruges, Belgium on a self-sustaining family farm-- two parents, four kids, horses, cows, donkeys and goats with an extensive garden. Also-- cheese making! Woo!

[Biciclista]

wow, cheesemaking too! that's awesome. with a folding bike!