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Tell
someone you're a WWOOFer and the chances are they'll cast
you a dubious glance and tell you, quite unashamedly,
that you're barking mad.
 You
may well be. But there will be folk who know exactly
what you're referring to, and who will happily vouch for
your sanity. They'll be aware you are part of a
network that's becoming more and more popular with travellers
worldwide who want to experience living in a country without
breaking their budget. And you don't even need a
work permit to get involved.
So just what is this WWOOFing? It's an acronym that
stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms, and involves
simple co-operation from both parties involved - the 'willing'
and able worker, and the host farmer/smallholder.
England, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Hungary, Canada,
Uganda, Ghana... when it comes to countries in which to
WWOOF, you're spoilt for choice. But the beauty
of the scheme is that no farming experience is required.
You don't even have to be an organic enthusiast.
The WWOOF organisation began in the UK in 1971 and has
many aims. The main ones are 'to enable town-dwellers
to experience living and working on a farm'; and 'to enable
people to learn first hand organic growing techniques'.
From personal experience the scheme achieves both these
aims, but also something else - the chance to live as
the locals do while saving yourself an awful lot of money.
So why get involved in WWOOFing? Well, apart from
the money saving element, it opens up a whole new way
to work your way around a particular country, or indeed
the world. You simply pay the small joining fee in the
relevant country (usually the equivalent of £10
to £15), and you'll receive a WWOOF book, packed
with details of all the farms and smallholdings which
are part of the scheme in that particular country.
You then decide in which area of the country you want
to work, and phone a host farm of your choice to arrange
your stay. It's as simple as that. Normal
procedure is to work around 5 hours a day doing a variety
of chores, and in return you'll receive meals, lodgings,
and cooperate with the family's day to day activities.
No wages are involved. So for those who relish in
different cultures, WWOOFing is a perfect opportunity.
And for those who don't have a work permit, it's even
better.
But it's not just the worker who benefits - the host farmer/smallholder
also benefits greatly. They receive the skills and
efforts of the worker, and learn about different cultures
and ideas. All that's required is that some aspect
of the host's land is organic, and there is room enough
to accommodate the worker.
And when it comes to these host farms, workers are spoilt
for choice. Pig farms, dairy farms, sheep farms, fruit
farms, everyday smallholdings - name the farming activity,
and as you leaf through the WWOOF book it'll be there.
And because it's a case of 'no experience necessary',
you can be as adventurous or timid as you like in your
choice.
But for all its benefits and virtues, WWOOFing is not
as widely known as it should be. My discovery of
the scheme came purely by chance.
I had spent almost a year travelling and working around
Australia. With only weeks until I was due to leave,
I realised I'd missed what could have been a wonderful
experience.
A fellow traveller told me of her plans to head to Darwin
for a two week WWOOFing stint. "WWOOFing?" I queried.
"Is that some sort of dog impersonation competition held
in those parts?" I was swiftly corrected, a copy
of the WWOOF book was thrust into my hands, and I read
about numerous farms on which to willingly work.
From Tasmania to Toowoomba, Alice Springs to Adelaide,
the choice was, or could have been, endless.
But all was not lost. My next destination was New
Zealand where the scheme also operates. Within hours
of stepping off the plane I obtained a WWOOF book, and
immersed myself in one of Christchurch's quieter phone
boxes in a bid to get my WWOOFing career underway.
It was a career that started well, and just got better.
Not bad considering my previous organic farming experience
was pitiful, and my green fingers were even more pitiful.
My first stop was with a host family situated on the East
Coast of the South Island. Their home could have
been lifted fresh from the glossy pages of Hello! magazine.
A palatial abode in which I had my own wing, and was given
the role of tending to their vast, colourful, and partially
organic garden. Not easy when there's a picture
postcard view to constantly distract you, a beckoning
beach at the bottom of the garden, and Rosie the garden
sheep whose efforts at being my personal shadow could
only be described as comical.
From there I spent a week with a small family whose organic
status was questionable, as were the waking hours of their
eight month old child. A joy though he was, his
early morning shrieks and cries were not welcoming to
a weary WWOOFer!
But there I learnt how to preserve apricots, I was coached
(and coaxed) into cooking vegetarian meals, ingredients
of which I never knew existed, and I realised I would
never again take a modern-day lawnmower for granted when
I was presented with the unenviable task of mowing the
family's lawn with a mower that, were it presented on
the Antiques Roadshow, would emit one of those surprised
gasps from the owner upon being told it was worth a fortune
because it's as old as the proverbial hills.
But from then on things got better. I headed over
to the wild and rugged west coast of the South Island
to the Greenslade-Yeats family. 10 days I arranged
to stay with them. Four weeks later I was still
there.
They were a family that can only be described as joyously
manic, with a home in a setting that could only be described
as amazing. Sprawling fields and woodland on one
side, a thrashing and tempestuous coastline on the other,
and all around two acres of a superb organic garden.
It had flowers and trees of all varieties, along with
a group of contented free-range chooks. It also
featured a wonderful organic vegetable patch with some
of the most succulent and delicious pumpkins I've ever
tasted, leaving me vowing never to carve, desecrate and
thrust a candle into that particular vegetable ever again.
No artificial sprays or fertilisers were used on their
land, and as a result a healthy, happy garden was in full
bloom. On sunny days I'd be weeding, mulching, and
chook tending. On rainy days I could be teaching Hannah
the eight year old daughter to bake cookies without licking
the entire contents of the bowl, or helping Rosie the
sixteen year-old daughter paint her entire bedroom black
because she was entering the early stages of a Gothic
phase. Not particularly organic chores, but excellent
and memorable fun nonetheless.
My final WWOOFing stint was with Paparoa Horse Treks,
a small company run by the Dickson-Mouat family, in a
small village called Punakaiki. Once again I was
situated on the stunning west coastline, and once again
an arranged stay of two weeks turned into much longer.
This time three months.
But while the original intention was for me to tend to
Karen's organic garden, my knowledge and passion for horses
meant I was offered the role of Trek Guide. I accepted
without a moment's hesitation.
So when not weeding, spreading compost or planting vegetables,
I could be found taking nervously eager groups of novice
riders for half day treks through some of New Zealand's
most picturesque and secluded valleys and beaches, virtually
on our doorstep.
"We've had WWOOFers from all over the world staying with
us here at Punakaiki," explains Karen Dickson-Mouat.
"Some have stayed for up to three months over the summer
season, and as a result we've made many friendships.
We really value the input WWOOFers have to offer, both
work wise and on a personal level," she adds.
From conversations I had during my travels with other
WWOOFers and hosts, I realised I was not alone in benefiting
greatly from the scheme. It's a system in which
everyone can benefit, but just how much is up to each
individual, whether they are WWOOFer or host.
Throughout all my experiences travelling the Southern
Hemisphere, my days as a WWOOFer will be the most memorable.
Not only did I learn to appreciate the benefits of organic
methods and learn some useful gardening techniques, I
also had great fun joining in the family's everyday activities,
and being given an insight into a different culture, something
I'd probably never have found had I followed the normal,
routine traveller's trail.
WWOOFing gives you a chance to step off that trail, live
as the locals do, while ripening and nurturing your organic
green fingers along the way.
Further
Information
For those of you wanting details on how to become a WWOOFer,
contact WWOOF UK at the following address:
WWOOF
PO Box 2675, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1RB
Tel: 01273 476286
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