Organic holidays

Eouropean families take a break from Urban stress on farms in India.

Over the past year, families from Europe and America have been spending their yearly holiday on farms in India and escaping their Urban lifestyles. From learning to sow seeds, to working on field irrigation, the families have the opportunity to learn as they escape their everyday lives.

the World Wide Opportunity on Organic Farms (WWOOF), a UK-based organisation that discourges use of chemicals in agriculture and provides first-hand opportunities to understand and experience the science behind the agriculture. The members of the organisation — or WWOOFers — work on farms owned by organic farmers.

‘‘It is not a holiday but an opportunity to understand everyday life and work that needs to be done on the farms. Life on an organic farm is an escape from the rigorous modern life,’’ says David W., a school teacher from Liverpool who spent 20 days working on the farms in Rayan.

The exchange is not just one way. Shisir Gupte, an agro-scientist from Kerala and an active WWOOF member, has worked on farms in France, Germany, and even Israel. For Gupte, 32, this is not just about being a part of an organisation. ‘‘I spent eight hours on the farm, ate bread and boiled potatoes with other employees. My friends in India would tell me that I am torturing myself, but it is the passion that drags me to an organic farm.’’