2
July
2008
Derry Nairn is an enthusiastic WWOOFer from Ireland who is currently conducting academic research into the movement’s use of internet technologies. Derry has been a WWOOFer in New Zealand and Japan. Derry would like to survey hosts and WWOOFers and use the collected research to develop a prototype interactive webspace. If you are interested please visit the following site: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XIZuL7CYN5m_2fgUaX4dnHyg_3d_3d
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30
June
2008
WWOOF Bulgaria Fundraiser 15th - 25th AUG
LILI FESTIVAL Bulgaria - www.lilifestival.org
FREE Festival and camping in the beautiful Stara Planina mountains.
Eco workshops for 3 days
Traditional Music art and dance workshops for 3 days
Eco workshops for 3 days
Organic farming, WWOOF Bulgaria,
Low budget solar water heating systems, eco building, preserving of food, solar water stils and the use of herbs.
Bulgarian singing and dance workshops
Eco art workshops
If you are traveling to Bulgaria then come along and enjoy.
If you would like to take part in this festival e-mail
wwoofbulgaria@hotmail.com for more details on how to take
part. Thanks. Kindest regards, Catriona
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26
April
2008
by Simrit Malhi 
When I first quit my job in Bombay and realized my true purpose lay far away from the craziness of the city, I was excited but still a little anxious. I knew I needed to be out in the great fields and farms of the country; that hard work, fresh air and healthy food was what I needed. But where to find it? For all practical purposes I was still a city-bred PR professional with no experience in farming whatsoever.
MY first WWOOF experience was, however, incredibly easy to come across and arrange. I stumbled onto the concept of WWOOFing on the internet and felt very lucky when I realized that WWOOF India had only just started that same month. Within a few weeks, I was being driven down from the airport to the eco-resort which was to be my home for the next three months. I immediately connected with Phil and felt safe and confident about my decision to go there. My hosts went out of their way to make me feel at home – I was given a scooter for travel, a home of my own a little away from the resort and a tiffin for my dinner every evening. It helped that the food was amazing and that there was another volunteer living with me (whom I am still very good friends with).
After a day or two of rest, I was put to work. Since it was an eco-resort and worked only seasonally, everything had to be started from scratch. I was put in charge of the landscaping, upkeep of the gardens and of planting the new vegetable gardens for the kitchen. As time went by, I started doing other odd jobs – eventually helping out with construction (using only natural materials), putting up the tents – even making paper lamps! The work was fun; I enjoyed getting my hands dirty and learnt a lot through real practical experience. I would work during most of the day, with a break for lunch, and leave at sunset. I do think, however, that it might be a good idea to discuss your timings with your host before you arrive. I did feel a little uncomfortable asking for a day off and verifying my hours.
Anyway, after the initial month – things got easier as the resort 
started getting guests. I got my own gorgeous bamboo hut to live in (in the shape of a ship, with its own sunset deck upstairs!) and could avail of all of the facilities of the resort. I could eat off the menu and use the swimming pool in my time off. All in all I had a great experience; I am still in touch with my hosts and will continue to share a special bond with them. I also learnt that most hosts open up their homes to give someone else a chance to learn, rather than really needing the extra help. I know for sure I wasn’t the best gardener ever and made many mistakes, but I was always encouraged and supported. I am aware that not all WWOOFing experience can ever be the same, but for sure, you will come away having gained many new experiences…I learnt enough to be confident of my new job of managing a farm and home stay in Kerala! I eagerly look forward to my next WWOOFing experience and would recommend it to anybody interested in taking care of this wonderful planet of ours.
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18
April
2008
There are many reasons to be organic, which affect us from micro to macro level: our health, society, the environment - indeed the Planet.
Organic agriculture builds up soil life and fertility, structure and water retention; whereas ‘conventional’ (high tech, high input) agriculture can lead to salination, and diminishes soil life and structure as well as its range of minerals and trace elements, resulting in soil erosion, less robust animals and crops, and eventually decreasing harvests.
Organic farming encourages the availability of herbs, trees and a wide range of plant life to provide animals with the necessary minerals and vitamins. (NPK cattle will do anything to get at Bio-Dynamic grass growing in the adjoining field!).
Organic agriculture is far less oil hungry so has a more secure future and a lower carbon footprint.
Organic agriculture provides more employment than conventional agriculture, which relies more on costly chemicals and heavy machinery. Thus organic methods support stable rural communities rather than exacerbating the drift to the towns.
Organic farms and holdings are more suited to providing food locally as they tend to be smaller than high tech farms. This means reduced transportation and fresher, more sustainable food supplies.
Chemical farming is responsible for much pollution of the waterways.
High tech agriculture has led to a decrease in wild life, whereas organic, mixed farms provide suitable habitats which encourage biodiversity - plants, insects, birds, animals - and a far healthier, more beautiful and balanced environment.
Organic food contains superior nutrition (minerals, vitamins, trace elements) to conventionally produced food and none of the pesticide, fungicide, herbicide and hormonal residues. Moreover, organic agricultural workers are not harmed by contact with chemical sprays and dips.
Non-organic chemicals added to manufactured food (binders, improvers, dyes, etc.) often cause allergies and hyperactivity.
Organic food production encourages the breeding of sturdy varieties of crops and animals most suited to local conditions. Seeds can also be saved and swapped to develop particularly successful lines (unlike GM and F1 hybrid varieties where seeds are sterile so must be purchased annually).
Animals fed GM (genetically manipulated) food suffer from diminishing health and fertility - though this is not widely reported in the media. Research into the impact of GM crops on bees, worms and other vital creatures has also been widely neglected.
Aggressive corporate agribusiness is damaging our health, our food, our countryside and fellow creatures, and rural societies throughout the world. Only organic farming and agriculture working in harmony with Nature can turn the ship around and save the world from ultimate destruction.
The Organic Movement transcends nationality, age, sex, religion and social group, and unites those individuals who care for the earth as if they were members of one large family.
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17
April
2008
WWOOF Kazakhstan
We first made contact in 18th October 2006. Lately in the 25th November 2006 we have received the Starter Kit. By the date of 8th March 2008 we launched the website of WWOOF Kazakhstan. The web-address is http://kazakhstanwwoof.narod.ru. The website was recently updated with lately received recommendations. At the moment we have three hosts in Kazakhstan. I myself trying to find people interested in agriculture, eco-gardening and international exchange. As it is new for the country, the people find it interesting.
The prospective work of WWOOF Kazakhstan will cover following objects:
Find new hosts.
Gather, collect and analyze the interesting spots and highlights of agricultural field of Kazakhstan. This information will be placed on the web-site.
WWOOF Kazakhstan
Zhandos Aitymov
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17
April
2008
WWOOF Romania
WWOOF Romania is proud to announce that our website is now online www.wwoof.ro We have three host farms currently accepting volunteers until the fall, and we are currently seeking out other hosts. WWOOF Romania is the result of the efforts of several farmers and volunteers over the span of the past few years, and we are proud to say we are not part of the International WWOOF community. On our site, we’ve posted links to host farms in the area (South Eastern Europe), as well as WWOOF international. Let us know if anyone is interested in any sorts of collaboration or partnerships.
Sincerely,
WWOOF Romania Staff
Ed Klaunig, Ramona Duminicioiu
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24
March
2008
VATICAN CITY - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware
genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins.
So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of “new”
sins such as causing environmental blight.
The guidance came at the weekend when Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, the
Vatican’s number two man in the sometimes murky area of sins and
penance, spoke of modern evils.
Asked what he believed were today’s “new sins,” he told the Vatican
newspaper L’Osservatore Romano that the greatest danger zone for the
modern soul was the largely uncharted world of bioethics.
“(Within bioethics) there are areas where we absolutely must denounce
some violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through
experiments and genetic manipulation whose outcome is difficult to
predict and control,” he said.
The Vatican opposes stem cell research that involves destruction of
embryos and has warned against the prospect of human cloning. Girotti,
in an interview headlined “New Forms of Social Sin,” also listed
“ecological” offences as modern evils.
In recent months, Pope Benedict has made several strong appeals for the
protection of the environment, saying issues such as climate change had
become gravely important for the entire human race.
Under Benedict and his predecessor John Paul, the Vatican has become
progressively “green”.
It has installed photovoltaic cells on buildings to produce electricity
and hosted a scientific conference to discuss the ramifications of
global warming and climate change, widely blamed on human use of fossil
fuels.
Also listed drug trafficking and social and economic injustices as modern sins.
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Old
Sloth
Envy
Gluttony
Greed
Lust
Wrath
Pride
New
Genetic modification
Carrying out experiments on humans
Polluting the environment
Causing social injustice
Causing poverty
Becoming obscenely wealthy
Taking drugs
- By Philip Pullella
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22
February
2008
There was no passion in pizza for Jake Matilsky. So he left Portland, Ore., in 2002 to pursue his longtime love: photography. Scrounging together the money he had saved while delivering tomato pies, Matilsky, then 19, backpacked around Ireland.
He met an art teacher there who had a darkroom. The two made an arrangement: In exchange for four hours of work on the teacher’s organic farm, Matilsky could live and eat with the family for free, and use the darkroom to develop his photos.
“I was traveling as cheaply as I could, and it sounded like a great setup,” said Matilsky, now a 24-year-old undergraduate at Columbia University.
Matilsky was quickly transformed from a landscape photographer into a soil-tilling, manure-transporting farmhand, and he spent a week helping to reforest County Claire. But after five days of planting trees, Matilsky’s hosts abruptly asked him to leave. He had eaten a loaf of their organic bread without first asking permission, he says. The bread came all the way from Galway. Read more…
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11
January
2008
The Evolution of WWOOF in India
Harish Tewari WWOOF India Director
sewak1@rediffmail.com www.wwoofindia.org Organic agriculture concept is not new to India , Mahatma Gandhi pioneered organic agriculture through constructive programs in several locations in India. A protagonist of self-reliance, he taught his fellow workers about composting and farming based on local inputs. In hilly regions, tribal areas and other marginal regions, many small farmers are de facto organic producers. Out of necessity they have turned degraded lands into productive organic systems that meet local needs. Growing environmental consciousness and fears of health hazards of conventional food has spawned domestic consumption of organic food. Expansion of domestic markets is leading to the surge of organic producers attracted by premium prices. In India to ensure rural development Society for Employment Welfare and Agricultural Knowledge ( SEWAK) in Uttrakhand ( formerly part of U.P) state was established in 1992. Punjab, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh states then dominated in agriculture production figures through adopting chemical farming methods. Conventional technology development being expensive, farmers of Uttrakhand working in an agricultural context of extreme marginality could not afford or buy. Agricultural approaches emphasizing technology packages which generally require resources which most of them had no access. Thus SEWAK focused on such farmers and convinced them to preserve their rich heritage of agricultural traditions. They were found suitable for designing model organic production systems for whole India because their traditional crop rotation in or mixed cropping patterns could easily facilitate the management of pests, diseases and nutrient recycling. Could its strong high quality production base of vegetables, tea, some spices, rice & ayurvedic herbs be exploited for exports as organic products ?. To find answers to such questions ,SEWAK in Nainital is involved in training programmes and documentation of indigenous agricultural practices . This year (2007) SEWAK ngo envisaged to set up WWOOF India. Mr Andrews of WWOOF New Zealand (www.wwoofinternational.org) provided the start up pack and help in developing Indian website www.wwoofindia.org. Mr Carl of WWOOF Independents (www.wwoof.org) provided the host list. Last but not the least Mr Regmi www.wwoofnepal.org gifted the Indian website to SEWAK. The website was officially launched on 19th August 2007 by Shri B.D.Bhagat , Minister of Environment, Forest & Transport Uttrakhand State , India. With in a period of 4 months there were more than 8000 hits on our site. It shows the tremendous demand from WWOOFers as well as organic farmers. Regarding wwoofing sadly people world over have a strange opinion about wwoofers as one who just beats the buffalo at host farm .The so called volunteers do not know anything about organic farming and they come as back pack tourist looking for cheap stay / food as an alternate. To take up this as a challenge and break the bad image of buffalo beating. WWOOF India started working on a system that would provide a platform giving opportunities regarding organic agriculture knowledge, attract volunteers to work at organic farms and cultural exchange through WWOOFing in India . Earlier the volunteers were just handed over the host list pack upon receipt of the membership fee. There was a risk since there was no identity of the volunteer. WWOOF India made it mandatory to fill up membership form and attach a copy of passport , so that in case of emergency or some untoward incident the identity of the volunteer could easily be traced. To find out the real interest of volunteers questions were framed in the membership form and a brief study about the profile of such volunteers was made. The statistical details of the WWOOF India memberships is given below :1 ) Volunteers registered with wwoof India
| 15 - 31 August |
September |
October |
November |
December |
| 8 |
18 |
21 |
25 |
30 |
2) Gender
| Females |
Male |
Couples |
| 36 |
28 |
13 |
3) Country Representation
| European countries EU |
USA and Canada |
New Zealand and Australia |
Asian Countries (Japan , Korea etc) |
India |
| 63% |
24 % |
6 % |
5% |
2% |
4) Volunteers profile
| University Students |
To learn and start organic farming back home |
Researchers and Writers |
Farm workers / labourers |
Others |
| 51 %, |
19% |
13 % |
7% |
9% |
5) Total number of hosts 39 and 2 farms under process of registration 6) Number of hosts added after formation of WWOOF India - 9 The above results of the study shows that the highest number of volunteers come from EU. Many young Indian volunteers wanted to learn organic agriculture through WWOOF India. The number of female volunteers was more then the male volunteers and very few couples. Females are more serious about environmental issues and they want to learn from Indian farmers. The volunteers just do not come for fun they come for training , research and writing books and articles. Our future plans are to engage volunteers in promoting organic products from host farms and also give feed back about the host. This would lead to check the authenticity of organic products and shall prevent fraud in organic industry. This study could be an eye opener for those who take WWOOF in a lighter sense and also guide those potential volunteers who are interested or thinking of WWOOF ing in future.
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27
December
2007
Listen to podcast 
Podcast En Español
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms in developing countries, as low-intensive methods on the same land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing claim that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that in developed countries, yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, food production could double or triple using organic methods, said Ivette Perfecto, professor at U-M’s School of Natural Resources and Environment …read more
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