Les Amanins, September 9-14, 2025

The late summer of 2025 saw the large WWOOF family come together again: it has been two years since the last international meeting in Canada and it was time to see each other again in person. Representatives of national organizations and FoWO staff were hosted at the Les Amanins agroecology education center, French WWOOF host south of Lyon. Thanks to the amazing organization of WWOOF France, there was time both for lengthy thematic discussions and for visiting the surroundings and helping out on the farm.

The meeting was very well attended, to say the least: between the rammed earth walls of the dormitories, in the large barn set up for the meals and under the wooden beams of the meeting room, more than 50 delegates passed through, arriving from 24 different countries, as well as a large French team made up of volunteers, board members and staff. In all, some 70 people had the opportunity to see old friends or make new acquaintances, and to learn more about current Federation issues.

The Italian team consisted of some of the staff members-Stana, Eszter and Francesco Bifulco. Another Francesco, Ciarimboli, our proboviro elected in March, completed the Italian delegation. His participation was also important because he had offered to provide legal advice to FoWO so as to ensure proper enforcement of international laws by the Federation. Also arriving from Italy, but not part of the WWOOF Italy delegation, was Basil, in the role of FoWO’s general coordinator.

Our staff was actively involved in the presentations: we were often at the forefront explaining the results obtained by the various FoWO working groups. In addition, during the “Inspirational Time,” we brought the membership experience of WWOOF Italy to give insights to other organizations on how to network on the ground and support agroecology-related initiatives.

The topics to be explored were many and meaty. How to promote the educational and sharing aspect of WWOOF experiences, what are the best practices and future strategies to strengthen the WWOOF movement, how to measure the impact WWOOFing has on the daily lives of members and the spread of agro-ecological practices in the world…

There was no shortage of informal moments: in addition to shared meals, there was time for some guided tours and tasting of local products. At the table, as also happens at WWOOF Italy gatherings, we kept talking about WWOOF and agriculture 😉

Participants brought back to their countries the warmth and enthusiasm of belonging to this group, and the desire to continue to enrich the WWOOF movement around the world.