Network gives urban volunteers a taste of organic-farm living

A group that goes by the acronym WWOOF connects urban volunteers interested in natural food production with organic farms in need of help. Business is booming.

Author: Dany Mitzman
Deutsche Welle
25.01.2010

Ezster Matolcsi and her huband Fabrizio Romagnoli, a couple with two small children, run an organic farm called the Azienda Agricola Angirelle. It lies in the hills outside Bologna, Italy.

The two have been hosting volunteers from the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farm, or WWOOF, for the past four years.

The WWOOF network was set up in England in 1971 by a London secretary named Sue Coppard; she wanted to create a way for city people to experience the countryside and support the organic farming movement at the same time. Volunteers – called wwoofers – offer their services in exchange for free board and lodging.

For young people travelling on a budget and interested in learning about the organic lifestyle, it’s an opportunity to see the world, meet new people and gain a very practical, non-academic education.

“If you go as a tourist in a foreign country, it’s difficult to know how people live. So in this way they can really understand our lives. And of course we get a lot of help, but also company. It’s nice to have people around here,” Matolcsi said.

Italy a popular destination

Today there are branches of WWOOF all over the world. Just as people’s awareness of organic foods has grown in recent years, so too has their desire to learn more about it, resulting in the network’s booming popularity for over 40 years.

One of the most popular WWOOF destinations in Europe is Italy, where there are over 300 affiliated farms. According to Matolcsi and Romagnoli, the region is popular among young people who want an experience abroad that offers an alternative to monuments and museums.

New Zealand wwoofers Anton Skerlj-Roversand and Rhonwyn Halstone are staying with Ezster and her family; so far they have pruned chestnut trees and built a new fence. After a heavy snowfall, they spent their time helping Ezster sort herbs to make infusions and peel chestnuts to make jam.

“We do try to go places where we’ll hopefully learn something,” they said. “We’ve learned cheese making, we’ve learned how to make bread with natural sourdough, we’ve even done a bit of construction.”

Halstone and Skerlj-Roversand chose the farms they have stayed on from a list provided by WWOOF, according to the area they want to visit, the types of farms they are interested in, and whether the hosts speak some English.

They have volunteered on at least ten farms over a period of several months; two them were in France. One had a traditional old farmhouse and just one hectare of land; they planted new-season potatoes, garlic and

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Throughout the year, City Farmer welcomes visitors to our Demonstration Garden. This group from Taiwan looks up at our web cam during a tour with Maria, our garden ‘Bug Lady’. Even in January there are many things to see including kale and swiss chard, still green and ready to eat. The visitors are part of a large organization representing over 100 organic farms in Taiwan. Last week, city planning students from Korea came by.

Our web cam. You never know who will be in the picture.

More Urban Ag, originally uploaded by drippin_pitch.

Fulong is a town in Northern Taiwan.

See larger image here.

Urban Agriculture, originally uploaded by drippin_pitch.

City gardens in Fulong, Northern Taiwan.

See larger image here.