By Lydia Jones
My name is Lydia Jones and I am about to graduate from the University of Lincoln with a Bachelor’s Degree in Photography. I’ve always cared deeply about the environment, about what I eat, and staying connected to the earth. From an early age, I’ve been drawn to living in harmony with nature, whether that means eating mindfully, working hard outdoors or standing up for the planet through activism.
My involvement with Extinction Rebellion deepened my commitment to environmental justice and inspired me to pursue a more sustainable way of living. I dream to someday have my own smallholding, where I can grow food, live simply, and stay grounded in nature. For now, I’m eager to travel, learn from others, and build the skills I need to turn that dream into a reality. I also have a love for creativity, which drew me to my photography degree. I decided to combine this with my own act of environmental activism and promoting awareness by illuminating alternative ways of living, rather than consumption-centred lifestyles. This began with the work I created in my second year of Uni, which was a small documentary piece on Lincolnshire Beekeepers.
After creating my Lincolnshire beekeepers project, I had free rein to create whatever project I wanted throughout my whole third and final year. I decided to document my experience with the WWOOF community, with the aim of creating awareness about an organisation which anyone can get involved in. Before reaching out to WWOOF hosts, I needed to put some research into food production, especially in the UK. This research wasn’t extensive as there is still so much for me to learn; however, this sums up what I discovered:
The modern food systems prioritise mass production and low costs, often at the expense of environmental sustainability, food quality, and human health. Since the industrialisation of agriculture and population booms, especially post-1960s, there’s been a focus on producing large yields using harmful practices like chemical pesticides and inhumane animal farming. These methods damage ecosystems and degrade the nutritional value of food, but organic alternatives remain too expensive for many, especially during the UK’s cost of living crisis. Farmers face pressure to choose between ethical farming and financial survival due to limited government support. The public remains largely unaware of how food is produced, with books like ‘Eat Your Heart Out’ by Felicity Lawrence exposing unsettling truths. Encouraging education and self-sufficiency, such as through organisations like WWOOF, could help more people embrace sustainable, home-grown food.
“With its focus on the quantity of production, often to the exclusion of other goals, today’s food system is on an unsustainable course. The problem begins with and is driven by industrialised production of both crops and animals.” (David Wallinga, 2009).
To begin my project, I found photographers whom I took inspiration from, some of these being Mari Llyd (Documenting Farming Life), Antoine Bruy (Scrublands), Olivia Brabbs (Farm to Plate), Jonas Kakó (The Taming of a Wild Beauty), and Joel Davies, who has been a WWOOF volunteer himself. I aimed to focus this project on the UK WWOOF community; however, when I planned a visit to Porto in Portugal, I decided to contact a local host at very short notice, who very kindly let me visit her goat farm on the outskirts of Porto. Rachel Zedeck originally took care of over 100 goats; it has now been reduced down to roughly 20 due to the demands of upkeep. Her main focus is restoring her 30-hectare farm, which was once overrun with invasive eucalyptus trees. These trees heighten wildfire risks due to their high flammability and have an overall negative impact on the environment. Rachel has cleared about 30% of the land so far and is working to eliminate the rest to protect her farm and the local community from fires, which she suspects are often started deliberately for charcoal production. To tackle this on a larger scale, Rachel is launching a carbon and nature credit scheme to incentivise eucalyptus removal, alongside land management services and eco-tourism. She’s also rejuvenating the soil to grow crops and uses WWOOFing to bring in volunteers, offering them nourishment, knowledge, and healing through food and farming. Many leave healthier and happier, thanks to her hospitality and efforts.
The next WWOOF host I reached out to was in the centre of Lincoln, where both Geoff and Hilary have had 2 and a half allotments for 30+ years (comprising about 1/2 acre). Geoff and Hilary are a ‘green’ couple trying to keep their carbon footprint as low as possible and grow their own food. They have no technology other than radio, but they do have plenty of books! Hilary worked in Uganda and Kenya as a doctor, and Geoff as a teacher, for about 20 years. All the food they bought came from the local markets, and any food they grew was organic. They were horrified to find that most food grown in the UK has been saturated in chemicals, and very soon after moving, they took on an allotment so they could grow ‘proper’ food. Some books they recommended to me are:
- Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard
- Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
I truly enjoyed getting to know Geoff and Hilary, and their kindness brought me back for more. I decided to revisit their allotment and help with whatever farming they planned to do, which involved planting some new trees, pruning old ones, harvesting parsnips and weeding some vegetable patches. Some key advice which they provided me with was that “the key to growing food, especially as an organic gardener, is to look after the soil. Healthy soil contains billions of microorganisms and is the basis of the whole food chain. We forget at our peril that we are part of the food chain, and we bear an enormous responsibility to respect the soil and to protect biodiversity.”
My next host was Shire Farm, one of the UK’s largest biodynamic farms, located in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Certified organic and established in 2008, they grow a range of crops, raise Dexter cattle and Zwartble sheep for manure and wool, maintain seven beehives, and have a vineyard and orchard. The farm supports the Aura-Soma business, which was founded in 1983 by British aromatherapist Vicky Wall. They create holistic wellness products using organic botanicals and crystal energies.
The last farm I visited was Daisy Farm in Nottinghamshire, run by a young couple, Sam and Jono, who bought the 3.75-acre property in December 2020. It came with a neglected apple orchard, which they’ve since restored to produce natural, high-quality farmhouse cider and perry, steering clear of commercial alternatives. With no prior experience, they learned from an expert and now grow apples, pears, plums, and cherries, embracing a self-sufficient lifestyle with their son.
While there, I met a WWOOF volunteer who shared her experience working with local sheep farmers. She learned how to castrate and tail dock lambs, which is a common practice using rubber bands to prevent fly strike and maintain hygiene.
To accompany my major project, I also wrote my dissertation on climate activism and the impact that climate photography has on it in the modern day, which received the ‘Best Dissertation Award’ at my University. Below is the abstract to my work:
‘This essay explores the role of photography when addressing the climate crisis, whilst analysing the effects of common professional practice. It challenges representations and proposes new, impactful approaches to environmental documentation. Drawing on eco-philosophical theory, relevant case studies and contemporary photographers, it critiques the dominant frameworks of ‘human-centeredness’ and ‘consumption-centeredness’ that shape mainstream climate imagery. Through examining alternative aesthetics, such as revealing human-nature interconnectedness, recognising non-human agency and illuminating environmentally friendly lifestyles, the essay explores how visual journalism can evolve to encourage the development of deeper engagement. It also considers the relation to ideological dimensions of the crisis, critiquing Western ideology and offering alternatives such as Ecofeminism, which critiques capitalism and patriarchy as root causes of environmental degradation. Finally, this essay questions photographers’ limitations and responsibilities whilst in a digital attention economy, arguing that meaningful change demands appropriate collaboration, emotional connection and strategies that go beyond the image. Photography alone cannot solve the climate crisis, but it can help us reimagine our place within it.’
Although my University adventure is over, my Photography one certainly isn’t. Throughout my studies, I have been creating my own wedding/event photography freelance business, which I look forward to expanding. I would love to spread this documentary work further afield into more conservation and travel, working with communities and the surrounding environment all around the world. I appreciate you reading my story. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about my work.
Website – https://www.lydiajones.photography/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lydiaj.photos/
All photos by Lydia Jones
Lydia is a winner of the Federation of WWOOF Organisation’s first ever International Photo Contest which comes as no surprise when you’ve seen the photos in this article!
We’d like to thank Lydia for writing such a thought provoking and inspirational article for WWOOF UK News. We love the photographs and wish Lydia the very best for the future. It’s so good to know that amazing people are getting to meet through WWOOF UK – sharing their stories and learning from each other – taking positive action in the face of climate change.
Disclaimer: It should be noted that hosts receive guests solely as part of an immersive learning experience, in line with WWOOF UK’s educational charitable aims. Visitors participate in the host’s lifestyle, in order to learn. There is no formalised or contractual agreement and the residential visitors (WWOOFers) are free to come and go at will, so are not considered workers. WWOOFers are absolutely not a substitute for paid labour. Any mention of the words ‘work’ or ‘exchange’ in reviews, articles and other content created by our membership is language chosen by the author and not sanctioned by WWOOF.
