WWOOF France

What WWOOF France does

WWOOF France is a French nonprofit association (Association loi 1901), headquartered in Lyon, that operates as the national chapter of the worldwide WWOOF network. The organization runs a membership-based digital platform connecting individual volunteers ('WWOOFers') with organic and sustainable farms ('hosts') across mainland France and six French overseas territories, facilitating a non-monetary cultural and educational exchange in which hosts provide accommodation and meals in return for approximately five half-days of help per week. As of the most recent data, the platform lists 1,862 host farms and serves WWOOFers from countries including the UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the USA, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

The core product is the WWOOF France web platform, which provides a searchable and filterable host directory, member profiles, an internal messaging system, and a feedback/review layer. The underlying technology is the Common WWOOF Platform (CWP), a shared web application maintained by the Federation of WWOOF Organisations (FoWO) and hosted on DigitalOcean's infrastructure in the Netherlands; native mobile apps extend the experience on iOS and Android. WWOOF France's distribution is entirely digital and self-serve, with no field sales, resellers, or physical retail.

The business model is a recurring annual subscription on both sides of the marketplace. WWOOFers pay 28 EUR for an individual membership or 34 EUR for a dual membership, valid for one year; hosts pay 30-35 EUR per year to be listed. No money changes hands between hosts and WWOOFers, which keeps the value proposition anchored in cultural and educational exchange rather than transactional labor. WWOOF France does not disclose revenue, has no external funding rounds, no acquisitions, and no recorded leadership changes, operating as a lean nonprofit within the broader 132-country FoWO federation.

Name

WWOOF France

Legal name

WORLDWIDE OPPORTUNITIES ON ORGANIC FARMS, FRANCE (WWOOF France)

Website

https://wwoof.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WWOOF France is a French nonprofit association running a membership-based digital platform that connects individual volunteers with 1,862 organic farms across mainland France and French overseas territories for non-monetary cultural and educational exchange, earning revenue from annual WWOOFer and host membership fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Farm Exchange Platform

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Work Exchange & Farmstay Programs (WWOOF/HelpX-Style) (EDAIAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmstay Rooms (Working Farms/Ranches) (THAMABAG), Homestay Placement & Host Family Management (EDAIALAC)

Keywords

• Volunteer farm exchanges
• Organic farming network
• Farm stay platform
• Cultural exchange programs
• Sustainable agriculture memberships

Headquarters

HQ city

Chazelles-sur-lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. WWOOFer Membership Fees: Individual and dual annual membership fees paid by visitors (WWOOFers) seeking to stay on organic farms in France. Fees are valid for one year and include a personalized profile, access to the host list, member feedback, and online messaging tools.
2. Host Membership Fees: Annual membership fees paid by organic farmers and landowners (hosts) who wish to list their farm on the WWOOF France platform and receive WWOOFer visitors. For France, host membership costs 30-35 EUR per year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

WWOOF France runs a membership-based online platform that connects visitors (WWOOFers) with organic farmers (hosts) across France and French overseas territories for cultural and educational exchange. Members pay annual fees to access a searchable directory of 1,862 host farms, contact hosts via built-in messaging, read member reviews, and arrange stays where they learn about organic agriculture in exchange for approximately five half-days of farm work per week, with no monetary exchange.

Product overview

WWOOF France operates as a membership-based platform connecting organic farmers (hosts) with visitors (WWOOFers) seeking educational farm experiences. The core product is the WWOOF France web platform, which provides searchable host listings with detailed farm profiles, an internal messaging system for coordinating visits, and membership account management. The service is complemented by native iOS and Android mobile applications that enable access to host browsing and messaging while traveling. Memberships are available as individual or dual accounts valid for one year, providing access to the host directory, member feedback reviews, and online messaging tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WWOOF France Platform Online membership-based platform connecting visitors (WWOOFers) with 1,862 organic host farms across mainland France and French overseas territories. Provides searchable host profiles with filtering by farming practice, lodging, meals, dates, language and region, internal messaging to arrange stays, and a member feedback and review system. Memberships are valid for one year and include a personalized profile, access to the host directory, member reviews and online messaging tools.
• WWOOF France Mobile App Native iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) applications that allow WWOOFers and hosts to access host listings, filter farms, message contacts, and manage their WWOOFing experience from mobile devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• WWOOF is present in 132 countries worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Federation of WWOOF Organisations (FoWO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoWO is the international governing body that coordinates WWOOF organizations worldwide. It maintains the Common WWOOF Platform (CWP) used by national WWOOF organizations, sets global standards and the WWOOF Charter, and manages the WWOOF Independents network covering 80+ countries without national organizations. WWOOF France is a proud member of FoWO.
• DigitalOceanminorOthersDigitalOcean provides cloud hosting for the Common WWOOF Platform (CWP), with application data geographically located in DigitalOcean's data centers in the Netherlands.
• APO (Atelier Protégé d'Oléron)minorOthersThe micro-farm 'Le Jardin de l'APO' collaborates with APO, a protected employment enterprise for people with disabilities, where farm produce is transformed into meals served in cantons, EHPADs, and for people at home. WWOOFers at the farm collaborate with APO employees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Worldpackers: Worldpackers is a volunteer-travel marketplace connecting travelers with hostels, NGOs, and farms worldwide. It competes with WWOOF France for the same experiential-traveler persona and offers similar farm-stay listings.
• Workaway: Workaway is a global work-exchange platform connecting travelers with hosts (including organic farms) for cultural exchange. It is the closest direct competitor to WWOOF France in both model and target audience, though it is not exclusively focused on organic farming.
• HelpX: HelpX is a worldwide volunteer/work exchange network listing host farms, hostels, and homesteads. It overlaps directly with WWOOF France in the farmstay volunteer segment and competes for both WWOOFers and host farms.
• WWOOF Independents: WWOOF Independents is the FoWO-managed network for the 80+ countries without national WWOOF organizations. It is part of the same federation as WWOOF France but covers geographies where no national peer exists, making it a sibling rather than competitor in France.

Broad incumbents

• Airbnb Experiences: Airbnb Experiences is a large-scale marketplace for hosted activities, including farm and rural experiences. It does not use a volunteer exchange model but competes for the same experiential-traveler demand and has materially greater brand and capital.
• Hipcamp: Hipcamp is a marketplace for camping, cabins, and farm stays with a paid transaction model. It overlaps with WWOOF France on rural/farm accommodations but monetizes via payments rather than volunteer exchange, representing a broader incumbent in adjacent farmstay lodging.

Emerging players

• HelpStay: HelpStay is a smaller work-exchange platform with a focus on sustainable and farm hosts. It targets a similar niche to WWOOF France but with a narrower host base and brand recognition.

Regional players

• WWOOF UK: WWOOF UK is the UK national member of the FoWO federation and one of the most established WWOOF organizations. Like WWOOF USA, it serves as a comparable regional peer under the same global network.
• WWOOF USA: WWOOF USA is the U.S. national member of the FoWO federation. It does not directly compete with WWOOF France geographically but operates the same model and shared platform, making it a useful comparator for product, pricing, and traction in another market.

Others

• GoodHire / Volunteer Forever (volunteer travel platforms): Volunteer Forever and adjacent platforms help travelers find and fund volunteer placements abroad. They are not direct hosts of work-exchange listings but compete for the same traveler intent around meaningful, farm-related trips.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/wwoof
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/wwoofing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wwoof-france

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WWOOF France