WWOOF - Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms

Lauren Drabenstott is currently studying the Masters in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. She is a graduate of New York University having completed a BSc in Environmental Studies. We hear from Lauren about the brilliant WWOOF - Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms her decision to study that particular Masters programme and why she decided to come to Ireland. If you are interested in the Masters in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development or any of our Gradaute Taught Programmes, visit: https://lnkd.in/ek-vdCj7

What's life without a little play? During my stay in South Korea, I took it upon myself to live out a long-time dream of mine: farming in the countryside! After having such an impactful experience with WWOOF - Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms in Italy a few summers back, I knew I wanted to work again with this organization. 달팽이 농장 (Slow-life Snail Farm) was an opportunity for me to be reminded of my love for interpersonal relations. While slowing down my own life, I was able to appreciate the sacrifice that goes into organic agriculture while making global friendships in the process. Of course, I was also inspired to continue my language learning journey, as I worked hard to communicate with the aunties in Korean and learn about their life journeys. Thank you WWOOF Korea for the great memories and friendships! #ROKUS #interpersonalrelations #linguistics #organicagriculture

One of the things I’ve learned over the past four decades is that perceptions can be very different to reality and if there’s a chance to try something out before you commit, you definitely should. Our dream is to be self sufficient on our own land, living a simple life and so we thought we would try it out before buying any land and jumping in with two feet! We spent just over two months on Sinde Permaculture Farm in Northern Cyprus. Irfan and Sinem welcomed us into their home from the moment we arrived. Their farm sits on 1.5 acres of land and it’s been nearly two years since they began this massive undertaking of bringing a piece of industrial farmed land back to life in addition to raising their son Ruzgar and both working full time jobs. It was incredible to see their determination in bringing their dream to life. Throughout our time on the farm we had scheduled shifts so that one of us was always with the kids. The kids had a blast on the farm helping out where they could but mostly playing with the animals and in the mud! We did a variety of tasks from managing the compost, building a chicken coup, clearing and preparing the beds for planting and a whole lot more! Everything they grow is 100% natural and free from pesticides and chemicals. They use a fascinating system called permaculture. It’s basically the opposite to the more commonly used monoculture where one type of crop or tree is planted at a time. When we look at nature as a guide there is a reason it doesn’t look like that. This is because the more diverse an ecosystem is, the more resilient it can become. Permaculture starts with observing and understanding the patterns and intricacies of nature and then applying those learnings to design our own environments. This approach extends beyond just our gardens and farms, its also about our homes, our communities and our lifestyles. We found the opportunity through WWOOF - Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms It offers people the opportunity to find organic farms that need helping hands and in exchange you’re provided with food and accommodation. You also get to learn about the local culture and sustainable farming practices. It’s a great resource! For more on the farm 👉 Project Wild Earth

I've finally got around to publishing my first piece on Medium - writing about our food and where it comes from, celebrating the farmer, and sharing lessons on homesteading. I would love to hear your thoughts and hope you enjoy reading this very special piece! 💞 WWOOF - Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms WWOOF-USA® Lenin Pena #farming #food #homesteading #wwoof #foodwriting #local

This spring, I had the privilege of volunteering on a family-operated Slow Food certified farm on the Isle of Salina in Sicily through WWOOF - Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. During my time there, I was welcomed into Island life. I learned so much about the protection of cultures and traditions through farming, organic winemaking and food preservation, the dynamics of rural European agriculture livelihoods, and a bit of conversational Italian. Being immersed in a culture so deeply-rooted in food traditions, it was inspiring to see how much Sicilian people value the stories of where their food comes from, and how they keep these stories alive through the care and preservation for the land in which they grow. As our American agricultural systems continue to become increasingly detached from our own food traditions, I hope I can incorporate some of the Sicilian wisdom of protecting farmland in the name of cultural preservation into the PNW. Through initiatives centered on food justice and education, we can create a better connected and sustainable food ecosystem. 💪 🥗