11 Things to Know Before You WWOOF
After volunteering for five days on an Argentine chacra (small farm) — complete with ultra fresh meals and a bit of farming work in a picture perfect setting — I’ve learned a good bit about WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). In retrospect, there are a few things I wish I would have known before going.
If you’re considering volunteering on a farm, read this first.
1. It’s Not All Farm Work
While we spent most of our time weeding the garden, preparing meals, and cleaning up, there was more to do at our farm than just garden and clean. Several people taught English lessons and the week after we left volunteers started making herbal remedies and building adobe bricks.
2. Volunteering on a Farm Doesn’t Always Mean Free Rent
A lot of people assume that if you volunteer on a farm you will get room and board. This isn’t always the case. Because we only stayed five days and worked 4 hour days, we contributed for meals and our room. Another couple on the farm was staying for several weeks, but didn’t want to work 8 hour days so they paid for food. Farming isn’t always lucrative, so even if you work for months with long hours you may still be asked to pay. In Argentina this could be $2-$10/day if you work full time; we paid about $20/day for room and board.
3. You Don’t Have to Work Long Hours
Because some farms don’t need all the volunteers they have at one time, or if you are paying for part of your stay, you don’t necessarily have to work long 8+ hour farming days. If you want to spend part of your time on the farm relaxing or hiking around the area, look for a WWOOFing experience that will allow you to pay a bit. And as Kimberly mentioned in her post, at our chacra everyone got weekends off.
4. You Can Stay for Weeks or Months
Because of timing with the rest of our trip in Argentina, we were only able to stay 5 days. I wish we could have stayed longer. Some people on our farm had been there a month and had no plans to leave anytime soon.
5. The Longer You Stay the More You’ll See
It may seem obvious that if you stay for a longer period of time you will get to see how the farm changes throughout the seasons. For some reason I thought this would only happen if you stayed months, but people who had been on our farm only a week were excited to see how much the basil grew. And even in our time there the newborn kittens opened their eyes.
6. The Accommodations Vary
We stayed in a private room on the farm, while others slept in tents. A WWOOFer from a nearby chacra told us his farm didn’t have electricity.
7. Fresh Food is Incredible
Kimberly and I participate in CSA farm shares and shop at farmers markets, and when I was little I managed to grow a few ears of corn and a couple of potatoes one summer. But there’s something different when you’re helping grow the food you eat. It tastes so much better.
8. The Area Around the Farm Matters
We were lucky to be within hiking distance of a national park, lake, and waterfall. The nearest town was also within walking distance and there was a larger town (El Bolson) reachable via bus, taxi, or hitchhiking. If you’re thinking about WWOOFing, I would definitely recommend considering what else is in the area.
9. The People (and Animals) Made Our Experience
If we had just been on a farm by ourselves, the experience would have been completely different. Getting to know the other volunteers and the family who owned the farm made our time so much better. If you’re thinking about WWOOFing find out who else might be there.
Also, our farm had three adorable (but slightly mischievous) dogs, two cats (and three newborn kittens), and three horses. It was so much fun to see these animals interact with each other and with us.
10. We Spoke in English
Because they other volunteers were from English speaking countries the farm owner spoke English, we spent the majority of our time communicating in English.
11. Start with the WWOOF Website
I visited the Argentina WWOOF site when considering volunteer and farming options, but I wasn’t sure how helpful it would be and I didn’t want to pay the membership fee to find out. Instead I spent hours reading blogs and Googling “volunteer Argentina”. That’s how I eventually came across Chacra Millalen. Turns out, everyone else we volunteered with had found the chacra through the WWOOF site. I would have saved a lot of time had I used the WWOOF site in the first place.
Overall, the number one thing to ask yourself before you choose a volunteer program is “why do I want to do this?” Your answer, be it “I spent all my money and need to live for free until my plane ticket home” or “I want to know how to garden” or “I want a different experience,” should help you figure out what type of farm you want and how long you want to stay.
This is an awesome post! How prevalent do you think english-speaking farms are?
Good and very helpful points you make here.
@Austin - My guess (based on talking to others) is that most volunteers at the farm will speak English. The farm owners are more likely to speak only Spanish, but probably know a little English.
Great tips, thanks Elizabeth!
I spent around a month WOOFing in New Zealand, and I’d recommend it to anyone as one of the best ways to really get to know a country. As well as traditional farms, I also worked in an orchard and on an organic vineyard.
Awesome! I’m glad I ran across your site. My girlfriend and I have been considering WWOOF’ing in Argentina for a few weeks this coming December, but we were a little unsure as to how reliable and reputable WWOOF is. Reading your site has cleared up a lot of our questions about the organization and the experience as a whole.
@Dirk - Have an amazing time WWOOFing in Argentina. I’m glad we were able to help sort through some of the mystery of it all.
Quero ir para o Sul da Argentina com o trabalho voluntario,sou tecnica em meio ambiente no Brasil, todavia nao tenho muito dinheiro para tambem pagar a cotização do wwoof, como faço para saber contatos de xhacras que recebem voluntarios?
Gracias!
Thats great. I cannot wait to do it.
2 QUESTIONS PLEASE:
1. Can you apply for a number of farms in one country?
2. Is it possible to learn say French if you do it in France?
@ Deise - My Portuguese isn’t great, but it sounds like you’re looking for a WWOOF experience that doesn’t cost much. Volunteers at Chacra Millalen, where we volunteered, didn’t have to pay anything if they stayed and worked on the farm a certain amount of time. The best thing to do is contact individual farms and ask if that’s possible. Buena suerte!
@ Sahara - I believe you can apply for a number of farms, but I’m not sure how it works in France specifically. I’m sure you can learn/practice French if you stay on a farm where most people speak French. Tell the farm owner that’s what you’re looking for.
To Sahara: In September I returned from four months of wwoofing in France and returned to the States equipped with a surprisingly decent grasp on the French language. Although I am far from fluent, I can comprehend a lot of spoken French and am able to express myself in French, albeit simply. What I discovered is that you must be willing to practice and perhaps embarrass yourself (speaking wise) to learn and grow but I highly encourage it!
When you go through the WWOOF website you have the option to contact official WWOOF farms do not charge for food and board, but there is also the option to view independent farms, and those are the ones that might charge.
I would recommend visiting a few farms during your stay if you have a desire to get to know the country and culture within it. It also give you a chance to meet more people, and have different types of experiences. I contacted several different farms and am so glad I got a chance to really get the full experience! (besides, some farms may not be as they seemed initially and if you are having a hard time, or really feel like its not right for you, many hosts are understanding and won’t mind you leaving prematurely)
overall, AMAZING ADVENTURE!!
Hi there!
Thanks for your awesome tips, very useful! you might not have the answers to our question but we are stumped. A couple of days ago we payed the wwoof website our membership fee of $38 to a Pi-Chen Chiu Huang! and they have not yet sent us the list… we’ve sent them numerous emails! Did you hear of anything like this on your travels?
thanks again
Sophie and Dean
@ Sophie and Dean- I have not heard anything like your predicament. Did you pay the regular site or a specific country site? My guess is that they don’t send you a list rather they give you access via a user name and password to a list stored online. You could try contacting the main WWOOF organization instead of the region/country specific one you contacted.
Sophie and Dean - Did you guys every get your list of hosts? I just submitted my payment as well and received the same message that my fee was sent to Pi-Chen Chiu Huang, so I did a quick search and stubmled upon your post.