Volunteer on an Organic Farm

There are several reasons to consider volunteer programs with organizations that promote organic farming. Some volunteers wish to learn how to run an organic farming operation, so that they can start a business. Other volunteers want to take a sabbatical from their desk jobs by working outdoors for a month or longer. Still others want to provide hunger relief to impoverished people domestically or abroad, without using toxic pesticides or fertilizers to produce this food.

A growing emphasis on organic farming means that you can choose from a variety of volunteer organizations that need interns and volunteers to carry out their missions. Programs vary from a few days to a year or longer, so you can find work that meets your needs.

World Hunger Relief

World Hunger Relief began in 1976 with the goal of relieving hunger around the world in a way that conserves resources. Volunteers with this organization not only raise food using large-scale organic farming methods, but also conduct training to teach communities how to farm with sustainable methods. This is especially important in countries where toxic pesticides prohibited in many developed countries are readily available.

Interns with World Hunger Relief spend three months at the farm in central Texas. The interns receive room and board, including wholesome organic vegetables, milk, eggs, and meat that the farm produces. Interns learn every facet of a working farm, and can apply such organic techniques as crop rotation and integrated pest control to large-scale growing. For those who feel a greater call to serve, extended live-in volunteer opportunities exist in developing countries like Haiti.

WWOOF

If you are unable or unwilling to travel, Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) may have a volunteer opportunity for you. This organization matches volunteers with more than 600 local organic farms in the United States, including Hawaii and the Virgin Islands. If you don’t live in the U.S., or you desire an organic farming experience in another country, the International WWOOF Association has experiences in countries ranging from Australia to Uganda. Another benefit of WWOOF is that some hosts allow entire families to volunteer, so children can learn organic farming methods as well.

When you become a paid member of WWOOF, you receive a directory of host organic farms that need volunteers for a few days up to a few months. During your stay with the host, you will receive room and board. Volunteers with WWOOF can seek experiences that teach volunteers a specific skill set, such as beekeeping, permaculture, wine grape growing, or growing medicinal herbs. As a member of WWOOF, you can also find winter volunteer opportunities, as some hosts keep organic greenhouses.