WWOOF is excited to announce this year’s cohort of Future Farmers!
WWOOF-USA is committed to assisting the next generation of farmers get a head start through educational farming experiences and to increasing the diversity of farm operators in the USA. WWOOF’s Future Farmer Program, established in 2020, awards 20 grants annually to WWOOFers committed to going into farming as a career. WWOOF has developed the Future Farmer Program with support and collaboration from Patagonia and MESA (Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture). MESA provides certification and instruction in their Training in Applied Agroecology Program (TAAP), paired with the on-farm WWOOF experience. Patagonia supports the program by providing annual funding for grant awards and Future Farmer storytelling.
As of 2023, the Future Farmer Program has impacted the agricultural career of 70 future farmers by providing them with support, educational tools, and financial assistance to spend one month at a WWOOF farm aligned with their farming goals. To date, program participants have been awarded $125,000 in grants and have logged 6,800 hours on WWOOF farms.
Click on a photo below to learn more about each Future Farmer: