WWOOF

Acronym for Willing Workers On Organic Farms. An meta-group of organizations world wide who keep listings of organic farms open to volunteer labour in exchange for room and board.

Farms are located all over the world: Canada, Belgium, Sri Lanka, etc.

WWOOFing started in the UK in 1971 and has since spread world wide. It works a lot like a mail order bride organization, you browse descriptions of farms and what they're looking for, and you join that country's WWOOF organization to obtain the contact information for that farm.

On a more personal note, this is something I'm considering taking part in once I'm free of my obligations in Canada. Part of my goal to have a more pastoral existence, as xdjio aptly put it. Interested parties may wish to check out http://www.wwoof.org

About a year ago, I joined WWOOF New Zealand. See the country, meet people, live the organic life - what could be better? I was travelling in NZ for 2 months, and it seemed like a good way to go. I could move from farm to farm, paying only the cost of transportation, because room and board would be provided.

I had a fabulous time. I scraped paint and picked kiwifruit and planted beans. I played with kids and was taught how to make cheese sauce by an 80+ year-old woman, introduced to me only as Grandma. On my birthday, in April, I raked fall leaves.

However, I would give this recommendation to anyone considering WOOFing: do not use it as a means to travel. Go just to work; or travel and stay on a couple farms along the way. What I didn't take into account was that farms are in the middle of nowhere. I was in a beautiful country, and all I was seeing were crops and sheep. Eventually I gave up and just played tourist. Which was also fun, until I ran out of money...