Organic Farming Travel Program Marks 40 Years - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms more commonly known as WWOOF

Source: eatdrinkexplore.com
By Annie Aguiniga .

OrganicPortal NewsRoom

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms or more commonly known as WWOOF recently celebrated four decades of connecting volunteers to international organic farms. October 15, 1971 marked the first volunteer exchange at Tablehurst Farms in England.

WWOOF has created an international resource for volunteers interested in organic farming -- in exchange the hosts provide food, living accommodations and farming knowledge during each volunteer’s duration.

Founded by Sue Coopard, a London secretary, who wanted to provide opportunities for people to explore the countryside as well as support the organic and sustainable agriculture movement. As the weekend proved successful, she began organizing small farms that were willing to accept volunteers for a work-stay exchange program. Forty years later, WWOOF is now a major international volunteer program functioning in nearly 100 countries.

Recent University of California, Santa Barbara graduate Rachel Lucas spent a month as a WWOOFer in Ireland. She had heard about the program from her English professor who expressed that more and more college graduates are taking traveling time before starting their careers as a method to revert back to their roots.

“You acquire so much knowledge, do all this research but you never actually see how we get our food,” Lucas said.

Depending on the season, availability and location, volunteers are able to pursue a versatile work base and acquire well-rounded organic farming knowledge. WWOOFing has proved to be an inexpensive travel form as the volunteer only pays for transportation and extra-curricular activities outside the farms.

“We all need food to sustain ourselves, and having the experience of working on a farm leads you to understand the basics," Lucas explained, recommending the program. "It connects the human experience to our food systems which is a really important experience to link the fundamentals of life. And I ate really well!”

Visit the website below for more specific information and a list of participating countries.

More information: http://www.wwoof.org

Tip: OrganicPortal USA - Organic Clothing, Textiles, Accessories & Shoes

OrganicPortal NewsRoom

14.01.2012

TOP 3 most read news:

USA: With choices ranging from organic baby food to all natural diaper creams - Beyonce Knowles delivers!
Exercise your health in 2012: Five crazy simple ways to be crazy nutritious
Wine: how green is your glass?

Besuchen Sie OrganicPortal Newsroom Deutschland
NEW - Organic - Conferences - Events - Fairs