About WWOOF India
Organic learning, cultural exchange, and rural livelihoods
WWOOF India connects volunteers with organic properties and sustainability-minded hosts across India, creating a practical exchange of help, free food, accommodation, and first-hand learning.
Learn by living it
WWOOF India is a network that allows volunteers to live and learn on organic properties and farms. It brings together hosts and volunteers, known as WWOOFers, helping each other make a healthier world.
Started on 15 August 2007, WWOOF India promotes cultural understanding through the intercultural exchange that takes place while sharing in the daily life of others.
The consultants within WWOOF India Organics Pvt Ltd have wide-ranging experience, providing farmers, growers, processors, packers, and retailers with quality, cost-effective advice and technical support across the food chain.
Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms India facilitates cultural and educational exchange by connecting domestic and international travellers with organic and sustainability-minded hosts across India.
The network includes hosts involved in organic gardening, orchards, spices, tea, and other sustainability projects across many states and territories.
A global idea rooted in practical exchange
WWOOF originally stood for “Working Weekends on Organic Farms”. It began in England in autumn 1971, when Sue Coppard recognised the need for people living in cities to access the countryside and support the organic movement.
Her idea began with a trial working weekend at a biodynamic farm at Emerson College in Sussex. The weekend succeeded, and soon many organic farmers and smallholders were ready to host people keen to work on farms in return for free food and accommodation.
WWOOF is an exchange. In return for volunteer help, hosts offer free food, accommodation, and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.
- WWOOF India enables people to learn first-hand organic farming.
- WWOOF India enables town-dwellers to experience living and working on a farm.
- WWOOF India helps improve communication within the organic movement.
- WWOOF India enables you to develop confidence in becoming self-sufficient.
- WWOOF India allows you to meet interesting people and make useful contacts.
- Development projects
- Development of certification and standards for organic agriculture
- Organic or ecological production
- Market support for organic products
- Demonstration farms
- Policy development
- Training
Support across the food chain
The strength of the WWOOF India Organics Pvt Ltd team is its wide range of skills and extensive network of organic sector contacts. Expertise includes organic farm business management, food production and procurement, protected cropping, horticulture, fruit, arable and root crop production, livestock management, financial analysis, continuity programming, product development, food hygiene and safety, quality systems, certification options, and training.
- Rotation planning
- Processing standards
- Processing operations
- Conversion planning
- Soil and fertility management
- Crop weed, pest and disease management
- Livestock rationing and feed planning services
- Animal welfare and health planning
- Soil analysis interpretation
- Forage analysis interpretation
- Farmer collective support services
- Training and accreditation
- Supplier or farm performance audit and evaluation
- Farmers groups
- Mentoring groups
- Demonstration farms
- Meetings, seminars, and courses
- Food processing, manufacturing, packing, distribution and retailing
- Food processing to meet organic standards
- Product and brand development
- Food hygiene and safety
- Quality system development
WWOOF India in Media
Articles and references
Farmville for real
The organic way of life
The samaritan with a suitcase
WWOOF for a good cause
Building bonds and gaining confidence
Guide to volunteer travel in India
Rural India tourism
The Better India feature
The Hindu feature
Condé Nast Traveller volunteering experiences
India Someday: WWOOFing in India
WWOOF India in Web
Research and organic agriculture references
IFOAM poster presenters
Consumer response to organic production
FACTORS influencing organic agriculture policies
Organic agriculture consumption document
Natural dyes and rural livelihoods
Organic agricultural products
UNESCO best practices
IFOAM wild conference
Organic agriculture and food security
IFOAM Organic World Congress