After four years in Fano, the Annual General Meeting returned to the Tyrrhenian shore this year. Perhaps because WWOOF Italy was born in these parts, perhaps because this is where there is the greatest concentration of hosts, we had no doubt that Tuscany would be able to warmly welcome our gathering, and the members who attended confirmed this. For those who follow these gatherings only through reports like this one we publish on our website, it may seem that they are all more or less the same: those who attend, on the other hand, experience different experiences and sensations every year. Let’s see what this year’s were.

Concreteness

About 20 people sit in a circle. On the agenda, they have 12 items to talk about. And the whole day on Thursday available to do so. That’s how the first day of the gathering, devoted to the Board Community, unfolded. Several people, in the chatter in the evening, reported the satisfaction of having concluded such a busy day with some great outcomes. It is not in the farming spirit to do too much talking without being operative. And now, we have to put into practice the ideas that came up: from asking for more visibility from hosts who do not use the internet to proposals for the new calendar, from reflections on the use of reviews to organizing the next WWOOF meetings.

Balance

Fil rouge of these days, was the accompaniment to the various discussions done by the group that participated in the training this year with Marta and Elenia regarding facilitation. We would like to thank Marcella, Stana, Ines and Giovanni for helping us keep the bar of our discussions straight, inviting effective and respectful communication. It is not trivial in such large groups to find the balance between the need for everyone to express their thoughts and the need for this to be done in a fair and fruitful way. And thanks also go to Ciro, for (re)animating the coordinators’ circle that met on Friday morning: it was important to see who are the active coordinators in each region, to establish common goals (such as the ideal identikit of the hosts we would like to have in WWOOF), to go over the tools useful to the local coordinators.

Industriousness

Then, as always, the gaze lifted to what WWOOF can do beyond WWOOFing: a series of projects that we supported in 2025, opening up to others that we will support in 2026. This year we wanted to dedicate the gathering to a vital element that has always been the lifeblood of our lands and has instead increasingly become the cause of major problems in recent times: water. Sometimes it is too much: so a mutual aid group is being born within us to lend a hand in case of severe hydrogeological problems, in collaboration with Terra Liquida, a group born from below following the recent floods in Emilia Romagna. Other times it is too little, and our member Paolo Ermani explained how self-irrigating gardens can be one of the solutions to put in place in case of drought. Orientarsi in cammino, Gestione Olistica Italia, the “Grow with us” call for projects: there are many ways in which working together we can find ways to spread virtuous practices to make the world around us better.

Trust

The WWOOF Italy association is doing well. As a testimonial of this great moment, we saw the positive financial report for 2025, the slow growth of members and staff (we thank Eszter who will leave us after so many years, Maria Paola and Chiara will replace her), the proposed expenditures in the final budget with more funds allocated to project work, the close international cooperation with FoWO. Those who attend the first few times are almost amazed at the large majorities in favor during the votes (sometimes necessary as in this case to bring updates to the Internal Rules): but it is a sign of the general confidence of the membership base, capable of incorporating dissent into a process of common growth.

Being well together

We note with pleasure that those who get to attend an AGM then continue to do so in the upcoming years. Of course, it will be because of the positive energy and ideas we take away after the many hours of meeting. But we don’t hide the fact that the dishes that come out of Federica’s kitchen (this year: special mention for Pauline and Marco’s caciocavallo impiccato and Ciro’s barbecued artichokes); Stana’s perfect organization; the after-dinner folk dances on Saturday (second special mention this year: the eighth rhyme improvised by Irene Marconi, mayor of Massa Marittima who came by to welcome us); and the Sunday morning farmers’ market. Cumulative thanks to all those who worked hard to make these days a success: all that remains is to look forward to the fall gathering and then, again, to the 2027 AGM!