Working Holiday

Mucking in the dirt beside complete strangers may sound like labor-camp internment, but if you enjoy travel and have an interest in organic farming, green work-exchange programs offer unique opportunities.

I recently spent two weeks on a farm in the Algarve region of Portugal under the auspices of the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program. My tasks weren’t hard: planting potatoes and peas in the kitchen garden, pruning olive and palm trees and painting a new addition to the main house. I shared cooking duties with the Dutch owners and enjoyed delicious organic meals—including carrot and tomato soup, whole wheat bread and fresh fish grilled over the fireplace—at a communal table in the main kitchen. This was rural life, not tourism.

Founded in 1971 by Sue Coppard, WWOOF’s aim is to encourage people to learn about organic-farming techniques and sustainable living, while promoting cultural exchange. At present, there are over 1,000 host farms in more than 50 countries where volunteer workers can stay from a couple of days to several months. Next time you travel, why not get your hands dirty?

Resources

WWOOF International: www.wwoof.org;

P.O. Box 2675, Lewes BN7 1RB, England

For other conservation trips see:

Coral Cay Conservation: www.coralcay.org

EarthWatch: www.earthwatch.org

Eco Club: www.ecoclub.com

Global Development Research Center--Sustainable Tourism: www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/eco-tour.html

Planeta: www.planeta.com