Volunteer on an Organic Farm
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.14.08
You can't give up your day job to start that organic farm that you have been dreaming about and you don't have any land for an organic vegetable garden--but you really want to give it all a try. What to do? The answer is easy: volunteer for a week or two on someone else's. Through WWOOF-World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms--you can live the life, work the work and learn all about the organic movement. Plus you meet fascinating, like-minded people. WWOOF is a world-wide organisation, with branches all over Europe, North and South America and Africa. Volunteers are not paid, but are given meals and accommodation and valuable training in new skills.
Browsing through the listings is fascinating--there are so many people out there living on farms and in the countryside working to grow their own food, sell it, develop markets and make their way. Volunteers can go to Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii, Austria. They can work on one acre or 200 acre farms, Georgian houses, or small cottages, a stud farm in Spain, harvesting wild herbs in the south of France. Volunteering and living with a family is a wonderful way to learn about new cultures without being an intrusive tourist and at the same time you are giving back something to that country. It's really a form of eco-tourism at its best. :: WWOOF
More on Ecotourism
:: Ecotourism in Lebanon
:: Ecotourism Latin America
:: Ecotourism in Ecuador
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I had never heard of this organization until last week. One of my new co-workers did a two year stint at various farms in Hawaii. It is an established and reputable organization, and she said it was a great learning experience. Also good to know that if you have a child, you can take them with you, unlike a Peace Core assignment of other volunteer effort that has more regulations. I'm looking at opportunities now myself.
I found this link through your blog about a month ago and have since purchased my WWOOF guide and am planning an 8 month stint out in beautiful British Columbia. I am so very excited and can't wait for my adventure to begin. Thank you Treehugger for allowing me to stumble across this wonderful endeavor.