The community economy ofthe extended farm household
of WWOOF hosts and volunteers
Elisabeth Kosnik
A flourishing grow- it- yourself/ together trend in post- industrial societies connectsparticipants through alternative and community economies- because of economicnecessity, political activism, lifestyle choice, or leisure activities. An example for this trendis the growing international WWOOF movement( World Wide Opportunities on OrganicFarms). Taking WWOOF as my empirical context, this article explores the complex socio-economic interactions between small- scale farm hosts and their live- in helpers. Bydrawing attention to alternative economic activities the article illustrates how communityeconomies constitute everyday realties that provide a multitude of resources, offeringresilience and independence that allow participants to pursue alternative lifestyles.
Introduction
Alternative economies are increasingly present in post- industrial socie-ties and post- growth discourses, as political activism and leisure activ-ities, austerity measures and attempts to increase self- sufficiency whilelessening individual dependency on the market economy. Car sharing,cloth swaps, and communal living reveal the scope of these diverse econ-omies that pool and redistribute resources and skills. Alternative foodnetworks and collective food production initiatives, such as CSAs, foodco- ops, and community gardens, in particular are gaining prominence.Taking the international WWOOF movement( World Wide Oppor-tunities on Organic Farms) as my empirical context, this ethnographicstudy investigates the complex socio- economic relationships of hostsand their live- in volunteers who share production and consumption ofresources on small- scale farms.
An organisation with an estimated 12,000 signed- up hosts in morethan 100 countries' and an unknown but certainly substantial number ofvolunteers, WWOOF emerged as a self- governed network of users. Yet,