This research evaluates the value of volunteer tourism as it has
been applied in the Carolinas through the organization Worldwide
Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF-USA). Its recent growth
is attributable to the rise of both the sustainable foods movement
and volunteer tourism. Focusing on the experience of farmers,
results suggest that despite some caveats there are both social
and economic benefits associated with this particular form of tourism,
especially in dealing with labor shortages. It is suggested that
the WWOOF model may be useful in other forms of volunteer tourism,
but that its benefits are socially and spatially contingent, particularly
in that WWOOF is embedded in a larger social movement
that serves to create a force of willing laborers.