Sustained Growth
WWOOF – to some people, it is a dog’s bark. To those engaged with sustainability and environmental awareness issues, WWOOF stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, a program that started in England in 1971 as a weekend volunteer opportunity. The program connects farmers practicing sustainable agriculture to willing volunteers, exchanging work for food, housing, and immersion into farm life. The program has spread to over 50 countries, including Korea, since 1997. WWOOF Korea now has a total of 64 hosts in all nine provinces. In September 2011, Korea also hosted the International WWOOF Conference.
I joined WWOOF Korea in spring 2012 and worked as part of an enthusiastic, international team of volunteers at the famous Boseong green tea fields here in South Jeolla Province. Through WWOOF Korea, I have met amazing Koreans, expats and visitors working hard to keep sustainable organic agriculture alive in a country that has seen its farming population dwindle to 6% since the 1970s. I have been inspired to branch out and pursue my own rooftop gardening; learned about permaculture, vermicompost, and a variety of local foods; and been immersed in the political and economic struggles of local farmers in Korea.
Prospective participants could be worried that volunteers might take the place of regular, paid farm workers. Many farms in Korea are actually lacking workers, especially young people, for regular farm work. WWOOF Korea has been able to provide farms with much-needed help from local and foreign participants. These short-term experiences are intended to enrich young volunteers from different backgrounds and empower them to support sustainable agriculture, whether through buying local and organic products or getting their hands dirty in their own farming projects.
As with other large and non-centralized organizations, such as Couchsurfing, WWOOF depends on feedback from participants to ensure a positive experience. It is important for prospective volunteers to ask the host any questions they have before agreeing to a farm stay. Volunteers should have respect for local culture and, above all, be flexible.
The local WWOOF chapter has strong ties to another international organization, the Slow Food Movement. Slow Food Korea works with domestic producers to preserve “good, clean, and fair” food for all. In pursuit of these goals, WWOOF Korea started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in January 2014 that has since grown into a separate group, Gachi CSA.
For more information on WWOOF, WWOOF Korea, Slow Food Korea, and Gachi CSA, visit their websites:
wwoofkorea.org
Facebook: WWOOF Korea
slowfoodkorea.kr
gachicsa.com
For more information on my experiences with WWOOF Korea, visit my blog: agirlcalledsun.blogspot.com