Disclaimer: Voluntouring.org is not affiliated with WWOOF

At Voluntouring.org, we believe in promoting inspiring initiatives related to travel, cultural exchange, and sustainable living. In this article, we are sharing information about the WWOOF movement because we appreciate its values and its impact on the world of eco-volunteering.
However, we would like to make it clear that Voluntouring.org is an independent platform and is not affiliated with WWOOF, nor is it part of the WWOOF organisation or its official network. (Also, it does not provide WWOOF memberships or access to WWOOF host listings).
The name WWOOF and the acronym World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms are registered trademarks of the WWOOF organisation. Our intent is solely to inform readers about this movement, not to misrepresent or suggest any formal association.

For official information about WWOOF, we invite you to visit the official website: www.wwoof.org

What is Wwoof?

Wwoof is, first of all, an acronym.

It stands for: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.

Some people translate it differently: Willing Workers on Organic Farms. But the philosophy doesn’t change.

How it started

Wwoof is an international movement, born many years ago (in the 70s) by a London citizen who had a passion for the countryside and, I suppose, ecological lifestyles too.

Every weekend she would leave the city where she was living and working, to go and help some local farms in the outskirts of London: not only she wanted to breathe some fresh air, but also to learn the skills of the farmers, and to help those small ecological businesses which she thinks needed support, especially against big corporations.

Of course, I’m partly speculating – but it’s clear her motivations were rooted in a love for nature, a passion for learning, and a desire to support local, ecological communities. (You can find more info about her on this wiki page).

Unsurprisingly, WWOOFing became a growing trend. Many people started to temporarily leave the city to go and WWOOF in the countryside.

One of the best platforms for learning while travelling

It also became eventually one of the coolest tools for travellers, too, so that they could get hosted for free in exchange for their voluntary help, wherever they went.

The typical wwoof deal would be 4–5 hours of help per day in exchange for food and accommodation.

But every nation has few differences in values, rules, and subscription prices.

While WWOOF remains one of the most well-known platforms for organic farm volunteering, other independent networks (like Voluntouring.org) also support similar values, offering diverse experiences and projects beyond just farm work.

The benefits of Wwoofing

The volunteers, called “wwoofers”, earn so much more than just free food and accommodation:

• A nice experience in a lovely countryside place.
• The possibility to learn new skills and get job training
• If you wwoof abroad, you can learn a new language
• Meeting new friends and very interesting personalities
• Living a “bucolic” lifestyle, which most of us can only fantasise about.
• Being exposed to new interesting values and ecological ideas.

Sometimes it just gets you: you will choose to live on the farm or eco-community… forever! (It’s true… it happens!). For many, these temporary adventures turn into something more permanent. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say that WWOOF changed their life — and I can say the same.

A powerful way to change your life

They say Wwoof has “the power” to change people’s lives. It surely changed my life a lot, and I would say for the better.

I was often depressed when I was living in the city, where I was spending my life just thinking of business, money, career, material possessions, etc. etc. but wwoof helped reinforce my character and gave me new tools for life.

To find out more about what wwoofing is, you can visit the official website: http://www.wwoof.org

Different realities

I would just add that what was more valuable to me was acknowledging the existence of different alternative ways of living, many of which are listed in the OFFICIAL Wwoof database (eco-communities, self-sufficient farms, off-grid places, tiny homes…).

The Western economic homologation and the capitalistic globalisation sure prevail today, but thanks to WWOOF, I discovered a movement of people and other eco-groups that are trying to design different social systems and experimenting with sustainable ways of life.

I have much hope in the Eco-villages movement, which I discovered thanks to the official WWOOF. It’s not a “perfect world”, but it’s a nice direction to follow.

Years ago, I produced a short film in Italian (with English subtitles) during my WWOOFing adventures in Italy. It’s nothing special, but it can give you an idea.

I hope you will give Wwoofing a try, and that you will have an inspiring adventure!

Here’s where you should go to become part of the wwoofing movement.

Have you tried WWOOFing or something similar? Share your experience in the comments or write us a story — we’d love to feature it!

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