AGRICULTURE
REPORT - WWOOF: World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
By Mario Ritter
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture
Report.
Recently, a listener in Nigeria told us about
an organization called World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms or
WWOOF. This organization helps people learn about organic farms around
the world by working on them as a kind of holiday.
Sue Coppard started WWOOF in 1971 in England.
She started by helping four people work for a weekend on an organic
farm in the area called Sussex.
Organic farms do not use chemical fertilizers
or poisons to kill insects that might harm crops. Such farms require
a lot of extra work. WWOOF links people who want to learn organic farming
methods with farmers who need work done. The farmers provide their visitors
with a place to sleep and food to eat. The visitors agree to work on
the farm without being paid. Taking part in the program is commonly
called WWOOFing.
At first, the organization was called Working
Weekends on Organic Farms. Later, it was called Willing Workers on Organic
Farms. In 2002, World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms held its first
international conference. WWOOF representatives tried to organize different
national groups and establish rules for WWOOFers.
There are about twenty national WWOOF organizations.
They are in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Farms
accepting visitors may also be in other countries. These are included
on a list of WWOOF independents. Farms can be listed on the Internet.
They pay about thirty to fifty dollars to be listed.
World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms includes
many different kinds of farms. WWOOF says on its Web site that the farms
generally do not use chemicals or poisons. They may be large or small
farms. They also may be linked to communities. Independent WWOOF farms
may not be completely organic.
WWOOFers should expect to work about six hours
a day, six days a week. They might be asked to care for animals, plant
crops, or do any other kind of farm work. WWOOF does not help with travel
papers or work permits. It is important to discuss all details with
host farms because workers are not paid and must know what to expect.
You can learn more about World-Wide Opportunities
on Organic Farms at its Web site, www.wwoof.org.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report
was written by Mario Ritter.
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