WWOOFING may not be a term that most people are familiar with, but this type of tourism has grown exponentially in recent years. An increased awareness in sustainable practices, a demand for slow tourism and a growing interest for unusual and unique experiences has led to the growth of the WWOOFING industry. But what is WWOOFING?
This article explains what is meant by the term WWOOFING, why it has grown, how it works, its benefits and drawbacks, and some of the most popular WWOOFING destinations.
What is WWOOFING?
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOFING is a form of homestay tourism in which volunteers (known as WWOOFers) help out on an organic farm in exchange for free food and accommodation. No money changes hands between the host and the volunteer.
WWOOFING is popular around the world, particularly in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada and many European countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. It is especially popular with young people on gap years and working holidays.
WWOOFING is also popular with budget and long term travellers as it provides the tourist with travel opportunities at a reduced cost.
WWOOFING definitions
The academic literature is not well developed in the area of WWOOFING. There are a few key studies (e.g. Deville, Wearing and McDonald, 2016; Cronauer, 2012; Greenman, 2012) and a couple of books that have chapters covering the topic of WWOOFING (e.g. Transformational Tourism: Host Perspectives and Transformational Tourism: Tourist Perspectives). But on the whole, there is relatively little research on WWOOFING.
There are, however, several printed guides that take a more practical approach. These include The Practical Guide to WWOOFING, How to WWOOF: A brief guide to WWOOFing all over the world and Wwoofing Eh?. These are useful guides for anyone who is looking to take part in a WWOOFING project.
WWOOFING has been framed as an alternative form of tourism, providing a deep cultural exchange and the opportunity for hosts and tourists to learn from each other. It facilitates slow travel and is often classified as a form of volunteer tourism.
Some organisations are reluctant to define WWOOFING as a type of tourism. This is due to its commercial nature and the perception that tourists may not be dedicated and serious workers.
Based on the available literature, WWOOFING can be defined as follows:
‘Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOFING) facilitates a deep cultural exchange between farmer and tourist in the form of a working relationship within the context of the tourism industry. The benefits of WWOOFING are reciprocal: the tourist has an authentic cultural and meaningful experience; facilitating slow tourism or a working holiday and the farmer is provided with free labour to undertake their agricultural work.‘
History of WWOOFING
WWOOFING originated in the United Kingdom in 1971, when London secretary Sue Coppard set up ‘Working Weekends on Organic Farms’, giving city dwellers the chance to spend weekends in the countryside helping on organic farms. The name later changed to ‘Willing Workers on Organic Farms’ and then to ‘World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms’, reflecting its international growth.
With a love for the countryside, The scheme set up arrangements between farmers and people living in urban areas that allowed people to escape to the countryside on the weekends for free in exchange for their labour on the farms where they would stay.
What started out as a weekend project, turned into something much more over the coming years. Farmers realised the business potential that was gained through offering WWOOFING opportunities and many more farmers started to run such projects.
Today, WWOOF hosts can be found in more than 130 countries around the world, with national WWOOF organisations in many of them.
How does WWOOFING work?
There is no single global database for WWOOFING, and as such it is difficult to accurately measure the size and scale of the industry. Instead, those who want to become WWOOFERS must register with the WWOOFING network in their country of choice. Here they pay a membership fee to gain membership to the WWOOFING network in that country.
The WWOOFING network then allows for farmers to be matched with volunteers. The farmer will provide accommodation (and usually food), and in exchange, the tourist will provide labour.
In countries without a national WWOOF organisation, individual host farms can be listed through WWOOF Independents.
The tourist will continue to work on the farm for an agreed amount of time, providing labour as requested by the farmer.
Most WWOOFING establishments will have on site accommodation for their workers. Some farms will have many workers and these will often have a purpose-built building(s) where tourists stay. Smaller farms may simply have a spare room in their house where the tourist sleeps.
Some farmers will provide food and other hospitality arrangements also.
Working hours differ depending on the placement, but WWOOFers typically help for around four to six hours a day.
Most farms will require their WWOOFERS to stay for a minimum of a week. Stays can range up to a few weeks or even months. The length of stay may also be affected by visa rules.
Video: How WWOOFING works
Benefits of WWOOFING
WWOOFING can have many advantages to both the tourist and the host. Here is a list of some of the main benefits.
- A deep cultural exchange is facilitated
- Tourist has an authentic experience
- The tourist can develop new skills
- Opportunities for camaraderie
- Chance to make new friends
- It looks good on a tourist’s CV
- It allows the tourist to see parts of a country away from the usual tourist trail
- It saves the tourist money
- It facilitates a slow tourism experience
There are, of course, also the obvious benefits to the farmer, whereby they save money on labour.
For more information on the benefits of WWOOFING and other voluntary work, see this guide to the benefits of volunteer tourism.
WWOOF horror stories
Unfortunately, there are also some WWOOFING horror stories.
There are many stories of farmers with unrealistic expectations, poor hygiene, unsuitable work requests, exploitative behaviours and so on.
It is important, therefore, that tourists do their research as much as possible before committing to a WWOOFING project. However, it is never possible to know in advance what will happen during every WWOOFING experience.
The problem is that there is no regulation of the WWOOFING industry. Rather, it relies on an implied code of conduct. Therefore, it is liable to abuse by either party (the farmer or the tourist). WWOOF organisations encourage volunteers and hosts to agree expectations in advance and to report problems.
WWOOF destinations
WWOOFING occurs all over the world, but it is more prominent in some countries than others.
Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the USA, France and Italy have some of the largest numbers of WWOOF hosts, with hundreds or even thousands of farms listed in each.
Below is a short summary of the WWOOFING industry in some of the popular destinations.
WWOOFING Australia
WWOOF Australia was established in 1981 and is 100% Australian owned and run.
WWOOF Australia promote WWOOFING as an opportunity to leave the tourist trail behind and see the ‘real Australia’. WWOOFERS can visit places that are off the beaten track and have a grassroots experience with the locals.
Australia can be an expensive country to travel in, so WWOOFING enables tourists to save money on travel expenses and to prolong their travels. It is particularly popular with young tourists who are taking a gap year. Note that, since December 2015, volunteer work such as WWOOFING no longer counts towards the ‘specified work’ needed to qualify for a second or third Working Holiday visa in Australia, as this work must now be paid.
There are a range of WWOOFING opportunities in Australia ranging from working on plant farms in the Northern Territory to helping out in vineyards in Western Australia and taking care of alpacas in New South Wales. This post on the Matador website gives a good overview of the top ten WWOOFING opportunities in Australia.
You can find more information on the Australia WWOOF website.
WWOOFING New Zealand
Similarly to WWOOF Australia, there are a wide range of WWOOF opportunities in New Zealand.
This website suggests that many backpackers take part in a WWOOF programme while travelling in New Zealand, and it is certainly popular there.
Like Australia, New Zealand can be a very expensive country to travel in, so WWOOF provides travel opportunities for those who may otherwise be unable to afford to travel in New Zealand.
WWOOF opportunities in New Zealand include working with organic produce on vegetable farms in Wanaka, feeding, herding and milking cattle in Marlborough and weeding, planting, processing almonds in Eastland.
You can find out more information on the WWOOF New Zealand website.
WWOOFING United States of America
The WWOOF-USA Host Farm Directory lists organic farms and gardens across the country.
Any farm, community or garden project using organic methods that would like to participate in a cultural and educational exchange may join the program, which is open to any tourist over age 18.
WWOOF farms in the USA offer a variety of WWOOF opportunities including growing vegetables, beekeeping, building straw bale houses, working with animals and making wine.
There are farms in all 50 states, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
You can find more information on the WWOOF USA website.
WWOOFING Hawaii
Hawaii is a popular destination for WWOOFING due to the islands’ alluring beaches and volcanic landscape.
There are many WWOOF listings across the Hawaiian islands – a large number for such a small landmass.
WWOOF Hawaii is available all year round but opportunities may vary depending on the main season for the crops that they have. Winter (November-April) is most popular for those who want to get away from the cold. Summer is popular with families with school children.
WWOOFING programmes in Hawaii will typically include tasks which involve harvesting fruit, planting vegetable plants, perennials and trees, caring for livestock, digging irrigation, working in greenhouses, composting and light maintenance of grounds and buildings.
You can find more information on the WWOOF USA website.
WWOOFING Spain
WWOOF Spain offers WWOOFERS the opportunity to work on one of hundreds of organic farms using organic methods in search of sustainability.
WWOOFING in Spain is popular amongst long term travellers in Europe.
Spanish WWOOFING offers tourists the opportunity to work on farms harvesting olives, weeding and taking care of livestock, amongst other responsibilities.
You can find more information on the WWOOF Spain website.
WWOOFING France
WWOOF France offers WWOOFING opportunities on well over a thousand farms across the country.
Common WWOOF opportunities in France will include responsibilities such as feeding the chickens and collecting eggs; feeding and walking dogs and caring for other animals, such as cats and donkeys; gardening work (planting, weeding, watering, harvesting etc) and working in greenhouses. WWOOFers may also be allocated jobs working in fruit fields or in vineyards.
You can find more information on the WWOOF France website.
WWOOFING Italy
WWOOF Italia is an association which was founded in 1999. WWOOFING is very popular in Italy, allowing tourists to experience an authentic and culturally immersive Italy.
Italy is a particularly popular WWOOF destination due to its spectacular landscape and culinary delights. There are many personal anecdotes found online of people’s WWOOFING experiences in Italy including Diana’s account of WWOOFING in Basilicata and Gabi’s story of her experiences WWOOFING in Liguria.
You can find out more information on the WWOOF Italy website.
WWOOFING Portugal
Portugal is another destination that is popular for WWOOFING. There are a range of farms in a variety of sizes. Farms generally either focus around plants or livestock. There are also many vineyards in Portugal that WWOOFERS could be based in.
There are several blogs describing a typical day in the life of a WWOOFER in Portugal, such as Nomads Nation and No Filter.
You can find out more information on the WWOOF Portugal website.
WWOOFING Japan
Another expensive country to travel in, Japan is a popular choice for WWOOFERS. There are WWOOFING programmes all over the country.
Japan has a successful WWOOF industry, and this was recognised in 2018 when WWOOF Japan received an award from The Organization for Urban-Rural Interchange Revitalization. The competition and the award associated is called “All Right Nippon”. (Nippon means ‘Japan’ in Japanese.) Through this award WWOOFING in Japan was recognised as a new style of sustainable tourism.
You can find out more information on the WWOOF Japan website.
WWOOFING India
WWOOF India was started in 2007 by Harish Chander Tewari, a member of SEWAK, which is an Uttarakhand-based NGO promoting organic agriculture and local handicrafts.
There are more than 200 farms based in 16 states across India, providing WWOOFING opportunities on tea and coffee plantations, spice estates, fruit orchards, and vegan agricultural communities.
Many of the WWOOFERS who visit India choose to do more than their 4-6 hours of work each day to help the local community. Volunteers will often donate items such as street lights, pumps and benches, for example. Other WWOOFERS help with maintenance work or help to sell their hosts’ organic products. Some WWOOFERS volunteer to teach English to local children.
You can find out more information on the WWOOF India website.
WWOOFING: Conclusion
WWOOFING has grown considerably since it began in 1971, and it remains a popular way for travellers to experience rural life, learn new skills and travel on a budget. However, the lack of formal regulation means that some negative experiences do occur, and careful research and clear agreements between hosts and volunteers are important. With careful planning and management, WWOOFING can bring advantages to both the tourist and the host, as well as the wider economy, society and environment.
WWOOFING: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about WWOOFING.
What does WWOOF stand for?
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It began in the UK in 1971 as Working Weekends on Organic Farms.
How does WWOOFING work?
Volunteers join the WWOOF organisation in the country they want to visit, contact host farms, and then help on the farm for a few hours a day in exchange for free food and accommodation.
Do WWOOFers get paid?
No. WWOOFING is a voluntary exchange – WWOOFers receive food and accommodation in return for their help, but no money changes hands.
Can WWOOFING count towards an Australian second-year visa?
No. Since December 2015, only paid work counts towards the specified work needed for a second or third Australian Working Holiday visa, so volunteer work such as WWOOFING is not eligible.
Where can you go WWOOFING?
WWOOF hosts can be found in more than 130 countries, with popular destinations including Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Japan.
WWOOFING: Further reading
If you found this article on WWOOFING useful, these articles may also be of interest:
- What is slow tourism?
- Homestay tourism: What is a homestay?
- What is rural tourism?
- The benefits of volunteer tourism
- The problems with volunteer tourism
