WWOOF
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, that is, it consists of a group of farms that promote an experience of cultural and educational exchange in organic farming farms, in order to support this type of agriculture and sustainable ways of life. The exchange is based on a non-monetary exchange, the volunteers support with the tasks in the farm and, in exchange, receive accommodation and food, while learning more about sustainability in contact with nature.
More Details
Requirements
In most farms volunteers must be over 18 years old and there is no maximum age limit, however in some countries it is possible for younger volunteers to join the program if the guardian issues a statement.
All requirements must be verified, as each country has its WWOOF organisation that defines the rules. The farmers also might have some specific requirements, which will be always stated in the call for volunteers.
Duration
WWOOF volunteering is a programme of volunteering and cultural exchange and, therefore, volunteers do not work on a full-time, but about 20 to 30 hours a week and there is the possibility to negotiate these hours with the host farm, as well as the total duration of the stay.
Some farms define a minimum stay of 2 weeks and in others there is no minimum or maximum limit, however it is important to take into account that a longer duration is more beneficial for both the farmer and the volunteer, instead of spending 2 or 3 days per farm.
Destinations
WWOOF is spread over several countries, however some countries do not have a representation, yet. We advise you to check out the map on the official website bellow to find if your country is part of the programme. On this map you can also find the farms that are registered and ready to host volunteers.
Costs and Support
To find host farms in different countries, it is necessary to create an account and pay a fee to the WWOOF of the country you want to volunteer in. This quota varies between countries, for example, in Portugal this fee is 20€ and lasts for two years, however a WWOOF Portugal account is not valid in another country and volunteers have to create an account for each country where they want to volunteer. Depending on the type of trip, this option can be a little expensive, so we advise you to visit the Workaway page as this might be a more economical option.
Regarding support, the farms that host volunteers offer accommodation and food during the volunteer period, always in the form of goods and never monetary. During research, you will always find this information in each call, as well as the type of diet that the family in the farm carries, which sometimes it is vegan and vegetarian.
Application
There is the possibility to search for the different farms that receive volunteers without creating a WWOOF account. This will allow you to understand where the farms are located, what type of support is offered and the tasks. To contact the different farms, read comments and send a request to volunteer with them, it is needed to create an account and pay the fee.