Getting our hands dirty in Nepal

After a dew days in Kathmandu on June 19th, we'll be heading out to a small, rural farm in the Pokhara region with WWOOF International (Willing Workers for Organic Farms) in Nepal. The WWOOFing organization was founded to provide both a safe network for travelers to live and volunteer on organic farms throughout the world, and to give organic farmers the extra help they always need. 


It fits perfectly with my philosophy that the more money you spend as you travel, the further you separate yourself from the local people around you. I can't wait to meet our host family, and get my hands dirty for something I believe in- which is helping the world get off chemical fertilizers, and back to a more gentle, soil-healthy way of producing food.  If we all keep trying to tread more lightly as we travel, and help look after the places we visit- these are the sorts of small changes that will make this world better.
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The WWOOF Nepal Vision

- To enable people to learn first-hand organic growing techniques

• - To enable town-dwellers to experience living and working on a farm
• - To show alternative ways of life
• - To improve communication within the organic movement
• - To help develop confidence in becoming self-sufficient (for the volunteer and the farmer!)
• - To meet interesting people and make useful contacts

"Even in the 21st century, Nepal still suffers from extreme poverty. Many rural communities are unable to provide basic education for their children. Corruption is deep-rooted in society, and the emotional and physical scars of war are still visible throughout the country. There is little infrastructure, such as roads or electricity, and the quality of life for average Nepalese citizens is very low. 

Nepal is an agricultural country, and 90 percent of its economy depends on agriculture, therefore, another potential vehicle for change is the transition to organic farming. Our goal is to teach the organic concept to one farmer at a time, and they in turn they will teach others and so on. Within a 30-year cycle, we could have thousands of farmers join us to create an organic Nepal by 2040." - from WWOOF Nepal's Coordinator.