Push and pull motivations of international voluntary workers on organic farms (the WWOOFers)

Why do some tourists leave the beaten track and spend time and energy working in remote farms for food and accommodation through the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) network? WWOOF now celebrates its 50th anniversary. This study draws on a Norwegian survey of 1184 WWOOF respondents from 92 countries. It is the first large-scale quantitative study to establish a motivation profile for volunteer tourists, who are members of the WWOOF. The analyses revealed seven primary motivations: Immigration, Escapism, Genuine Norwegian Interest, Sustainable Lifestyle, Cheap Travel, Constraints, and Secondary Image. Pull motivations were stronger than push motivations. The former represents an urge to take on a journey while the latter represents the attraction to a certain goal. Two motivation factors combined push and pull motivations. Six of the factors were interpreted as self-interest and one as altruistic motivation. The results both support some and challenge other studies on this subject.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the motivations of volunteer tourists in the WWOOF network, finding that the primary motivations include immigration, escapism, genuine interest in Norway, sustainable lifestyle, cheap travel, constraints, and image display. Pull motivations are stronger, with self-interest motivations outweighing altruistic motivations.