Farm Work Abroad

Farm work at the Permaculture and Ecovillage Institute of the Pampas in Bage, Brazil. Photo courtesy of Organic Volunteers.

Agriventure (International Agricultural Exchange Association), #105, 7710-5th St. SE, Calgary, Alta T2H 2L9, Canada; 403-255-7799; usa@agriventure.com; www.agriventure.com. Farm placements of agricultural trainees for 4-12 months in Scandinavia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, plus Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

AMS Ltd., Tel. 011-0870-7270050 or 011-07740-086555; info@fruitfuljobs.com, www.fruitfuljobs.com. Consortium of British fruit growers who pool information about job vacancies in the U.K. on this website. Most work offers include accommodation. Work permit required.

Agroimpuls, c/o Farmers’ Union, Laurstrasse 10, 5201 Brugg, Switzerland; 011-41-56-462-51-44; www.agroimpuls.ch. Swiss Farmers’ Union runs a program for trainees in agriculture horticulture and rural home economics. Must be professionally trained or have two to three years’ experience. No German or French necessary.

Atlantis Youth Exchange, Rådhusgt 4, 0151 Oslo, Norway; 011-47-22-47-71-70; fax. 011-47-22-47-71-79; atlantis@atlantis.no, www.atlantis.no. Arranges summer working guest positions on farms for 2-3 months.

Aventure Jeunesse: Work on a Farm in Australia . Well paid jobs all over Australia on sheep and cattle stations, farms, host farms and riding establishments and in rural hospitality. Departure all year round. Placements from 3 to 12 months. Must be Canadian, 18-30. Contact: info@aventuresjeunesse.com, www.aventuresjeunesse.com.

Chandler & Dunn Ltd, The Laurels, Lower Goldstone, Ash, Canterbury, Kent CT3 2DY, U.K. 011-44-1304-812612; jobs@chandleranddunn.co.uk; www.chandleranddunn.co.uk/CasualFruitPicking.htm. Casual fruit pickers required from early June to the end of Sept. (Must have BUNAC blue card or other valid work document.)

Communicating for Agriculture Exchange Program, 112 East Lincoln Ave., Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0677; 218-739-3241, caep@cainc.org, ca.cainc.org. Work abroad program in a range of countries for people aged 18-30 (some programs vary) with at least two years of practical experience in agriculture, horticulture, or equine husbandry. For winemaking, exchange participants must be aged 21-35 and have experience of at least one grape harvest.

Cultural Embrace: Work in the Land Down Under! Hospitality, farm, and child care jobs in Queensland, Australia. Wages are dependent upon many factors including the type of job and your experience and qualifications. The average wage is AUS$350/week (approximately US$270/week). An all-inclusive orientation is held at the start of your time in Australia in Rainbow Beach near Fraser Island. Most job placements include room & board. If not, you will be paid more to cover these extra costs. For more info visit: www.culturalembrace.com/5238183_24622.htm; www.culturalembrace.com.

EcoForest, Apdo Correos 29, 29100 Coin, Malaga, Spain; 011-34-661-079-950; ef@ecoforest.org, www.ecoforest.org. Small fruit farm in southern Spain (Costa del Sol) that offers a place to live at low cost (€5, €10, or €15 a day) while changing to a healthy, sustainable way of life. Working visitor program (e.g. see website) where work contributed subsidizes keep; vegan diet, all raw food.

English Gardens Ltd, Ebulula Cad, Caglayan Sitesi A Blok 1-3, Akatlar, Istanbul, Turkey; 011-90-212-351-1042; cat@englishgardens.com.tr. Working holidays, agri-tourism and work experience on organic farms in Turkey and related projects building a bridge, clearing forest, etc. Anyone with practical skills (e.g. agricultural, horticultural, landscape, gardening, technical) welcome.

Farmhands, www.farmhands.co.uk, offers UK farms seasonal student labour and provides seasonal summer jobs in the U.K.

Farm Helpers in New Zealand, 31 Moerangi St, Palmerston North, 4410 New Zealand; tel/fax +64-6 354 1104; info@fhinz.co.nz, www.fhinz.co.nz. NZ$25 (€13, $US20) membership includes booklet listing over 200 farmers looking for volunteer helpers in exchange for room and board.  There is no paid work available on this scheme.

HELP Exchange, www.helpx.net. Free info exchange for people seeking farm work and other seasonal jobs for free accommodation and meals in Australia and New Zealand. About 200 addresses in Australia and 250 in New Zealand.

Jobaroo, www.jobaroo.com, provides information about seasonal farm work and fruit picking opportunities in Australia. Jobaroo also has visa information and other useful resources for travelers and other professionals interested in living and working in Australia.

National Harvest Labour Information Service, www.jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail. Centralized source of information on vacancies in fruit and vegetable harvests and other farm work throughout Australia, especially in the busy harvest season (Jan-March) in Victoria, around Mooroopna.

New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC), www.doc.govt.nz. Runs conservation projects throughout New Zealand. Addresses and Calendar of Volunteer opportunities are listed on the website (e.g. volunteers carry out wildlife surveys and clean up remote beaches).

PickingJobs.com—www.pickingjobs.com, is the place to find interesting seasonal jobs abroad. As the name suggests, fruit picking features strongly but you can now also find work in the fields of organic farming, nature conservation, the environment and green and sustainable energy.

Planorganic.com, www.planorganic.com, based in West Cork, posts a few vacancies on Irish organic and ordinary farms. There is no WWOOF branch in Ireland but the international WWOOF organization (www.wwoof.org) lists 130 independent hosts offering a work-for-keep arrangement.

Rocky Creek Farm, 11007 Isis Hwy, Biggenden, Queensland 4621, Australia;tel/fax 011-61-7-4127-1377; worsley@isisol.com.au, www.isisol.com.au/rockycrkfarmstay. Offers 4-day course for jackaroos and jillaroos (farm hands) for AUS$484 which may include (for those with working holiday visas) placement on a Queensland property after the course.

Sai Viticulture Ltd., 1 Boyce St., Springlands, (P.O. Box 789) Blenheim, New Zealand; 011-64-3577-6887; ram@saiviticulture.com, www.saiviticulture.com. Vineyard workers in demand. Website carries advice on applying for a Seasonal Work Permit and tax file number.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), www.seasonal-agricultural-workers-scheme.info. A scheme managed by the British government that allows up to 16,250 full-time students from outside the European Union to do harvesting and other manual work for participating farmers. Applicants must contact one or more of the nine participating agencies directly (e.g. the not-for-profit organization Concordia, www.concordiafarms.org); details of others provided on website.

Seasonal Work Australia, www.seasonalwork.com.au, is a new, free-access, job-search website linking travellers directly with seasonal and casual farm work opportunities in Australia and with some relevant information about visas, accommodation, transport and adventure tourism.

Seasonal Work NZ, P.O. Box 2075, Rotorua, New Zealand; janine@seasonalwork.co.nz; www.seasonalwork.co.nz. Publicizes short-term jobs for travelers with a valid working holiday visa, mainly in the fields of farm work such as fruit harvesting and processing, but also in restaurants, construction, etc.

SESAME (Services des Echanges et des Stages Agricoles dans le Monde), 6 rue de la Rochefoucauld, 75009 Paris, France; 011-33-1-40-54-07-08; sesame@agriplanete.com; www.agriplanete.com. Agricultural exchanges arranged for young farmers and students of agriculture.

Stablemate, PO Box 1206, Windsor, NSW 2756, Australia; 011-61-2-4587 9770; info@stablemate.net.au. Supplies staff with relevant experience to the horse industry. Operates equine exchange program with the U.S.

Torrens Valley Orchards, Forreston Rd. Gumeracha, S.A., Australia; 011-61-8-3891405; tvo@hotkey.net.au; www.tvo.com.au. Orchard farm work Dec-Sept, especially cherry picking and packing (Dec-Jan).

VHH, WWOOF Denmark, c/o Inga Nielsen, Asenvej 35, 9881 Bindslev, Denmark; 011-45-9893-8607; info@wwoof.dk. For $10 publishes a list of 30 English-speaking organic farmers in Denmark looking for volunteers.

Visitoz Scheme, Springbrook Farm, MS188, Goomeri, Queensland 4601, Australia; 011-61-7-4168-6106; www.visitoz.org. Station (i.e. ranch) which runs 5-day courses in outback working techniques and then directs participants with working holiday visas to one of nearly 1000 employers offering paid farm jobs on the land and in the hospitality industry. Course fee is AUS$1,680 which includes visa service for US citizens aged 18-30.

WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), www.wwoofinternational.org. Global website has links to the national offices in the countries that have a WWOOF coordinator. National WWOOF coordinators compile a list of their member farmers willing to provide free room and board to volunteers who want to help and are interested in furthering the aims of the organic movement through work on local farms. Currently there are WWOOF branches in the U.K., Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Ghana, Uganda, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, and U.S. An online list of organic farms in all other countries (known as WWOOF Independents) can be obtained from WWOOF-UK (P.O. Box 2675, Lewes, Sussex BN7 1RB, England).