By Alice Warrington.
Hello! My name is Alice and I am a 21 year old Master’s student studying Climate Change at the University of Manchester. I am a friendly, outgoing person who is passionate about connecting to the land and being outdoors.
For my Master’s thesis I am interested in studying WWOOF UK and the impact of volunteer experiences on climate action and sustainable agriculture futures.
As part of my thesis I would love to go on a WWOOF myself for 1-2 weeks between mid June and mid July. I would take part in every activity and task required of a volunteer, but with time in the evening or during the day to conduct interviews with my host and other WWOOFers on the farm. I want to learn about why people host, whether WWOOFing empowers people to take climate action and generally try to capture the transformational experience of WWOOFing!
My research questions are:
● Does WWOOF encourage climate action in hosts and volunteers?
● What can WWOOF add to the food sovereignty conversation?
● Does WWOOF contribute to a sustainable farming future?
Due to university reasons, my ideal host would be located close to a town or transport link and have other volunteers working whilst I am there. Also hosts will be required to fill out a small amount of paperwork, which is mainly focused around risk assessment and informed consent.
If you are a host who is willing to host me as both a volunteer and a researcher and would like to spread the word on the incredible impact of WWOOF, then please contact me!
My university email: alice.warrington@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
Thank you so much!
