Working in sustainable agriculture abroad: what is it, why would you do it, and where is the best place to go?
- What is working in sustainable agriculture abroad like?
- What is working in organic farms abroad like?
- What are the reasons for working in sustainable agriculture abroad?
- What skills and motivations do you need to work in sustainable agriculture abroad?
- What are the best countries and locations to work in sustainable agriculture abroad?
- What are the risks of working in sustainable agriculture abroad, and are you insured against those risks?
What is working in sustainable agriculture abroad like?
- Working in sustainable agriculture means participating on organic farms, permaculture projects, agroforestry initiatives, or farms transitioning from conventional to ecological.
- This work focuses on soil health, diversity, fewer chemicals, and greater collaboration with nature.
- You can volunteer through exchange programs, complete an internship as a student or work temporarily or seasonally as a paid employee.
- Duties: Your duties depend on the season, the land, and the farm, but could include:
- Planting, sowing, weeding, and harvesting.
- Composting, mulching, and soil improvement.
- Animal care (small-scale, often using natural methods).
- Working within permaculture or agroforestry systems.
- Assisting with cheesemaking, jammaking, or processing crops.
- Help in the kitchen, housekeeping, or hosting guests (on farms with accommodations).
- In short: hands-on and learning by doing. You'll often work alongside local farming families, communities, or international volunteers—with the farm's daily rhythm as a guide.
What is working in organic farms abroad like?
- Organic farms worldwide hire volunteers who want to contribute to agriculture without chemicals and heavy machinery.
- Farms transitioning from conventional to organic can often use extra hands.
- There are also communes and communities focused on sustainability.
- Some are open and welcoming, others might have with somewhat alternative, radical, or esoteric ideas, so always investigate carefully beforehand whether the atmosphere is a good fit for you.
- Please note: life on a farm can be more primitive than you are used to (think compost toilets, simple rooms, vegetarian cuisine, early rising).
What are the reasons for working in sustainable agriculture abroad?
- To boost your sense of engagement: sometimes you'll work intensively on a farm for extended periods with the same people, often sharing a room with them. You have to love that, but you'll also make lifelong friends.
- To make the world around you more sustainable: you'll directly contribute to agriculture that's better for the soil, animals, and ecosystems. This allows you to effectively combine work and interests.
- To become more result-oriented: your work has visible outcomes that teach you practical goal-setting.
- To gain new experiences: during your stay on a farm and when you go to work, you'll experience much more than if you were to travel alone.
- To increase your self-awareness: further away from your familiar surroundings, you'll discover more quickly what you're actually capable of and what you truly want. working outdoors in a new rhythm helps you learn how you function outside your comfort zone.
- To test your environmental awareness: living and working in rural areas allows you to experience a foreign culture in a completely different and more authentic way than, for example, working in tourism.
What skills and motivations do you need to work in sustainable agriculture abroad?
- Professionalism: You often have to work hard and diligently, which is why the average slacker usually doesn't last long on a farm.
- Flexibility: Weather conditions, animal behavior, and plant growth don't always go according to plan, so your flexibility will often be called upon.
- Collaboration: Learning to work with a group of seasonal workers or with the farm family will always be necessary.
- Creative and solution-oriented thinking: Things get lost or broken, so being creative is very useful!
- Networking skills: This is more about finding a job. It's not always easy, so chatting at markets and hostels helps enormously.
What are the best countries and locations to work in sustainable agriculture abroad?
- Australia: working holiday, agricultural work, fruit picking
- Canada: working holiday, agricultural work
- Chile: fruit picking, livestock farming
- France: agricultural work, fruit picking, grape picking
- Italy: agricultural work, fruit picking
- Ecuador: tropical agriculture, coffee, cocoa, and permaculture
- New Zealand: working holiday, fruit picking, agricultural work
- Spain: olive picking, viticulture
- South Africa: eco lodges, ranches
What are the risks of working in sustainable agriculture abroad, and are you insured against those risks?
- What are the risks of working in sustainable agriculture?
- It is not uncommon for working conditions to be unsafe: unsafe, unstable buildings or sheds, infrastructure, health risks, political instability, social norms.
- Accidents with serious consequences occur regularly: injuries caused by knives, pruning shears, machetes, tools, equipment, and machines; heat exhaustion; exhaustion; falls; sprains caused by uneven ground; and back problems caused by heavy and repeated lifting.
- It is not uncommon for someone to contract an infectious or local disease, such as dengue, chikungunya, or malaria, and be unable to work for a period of time, or even have to be flown home.
- It is not uncommon for someone to be bitten or kicked by dogs, goats, sheep, horses, cows, or other animals, to come into contact with poisonous plants, or to have allergic reactions to bees, plants, or pollen, with medical consequences.
- It is also common for workers to experience high levels of physical exertion, fatigue due to long days, extreme heat or cold, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sunstroke.
- Are you insured while working in sustainable agriculture?
- Local employers usually offer no, or limited, supplementary insurance.
- Good insurance is therefore crucial to cover all these risks.
- A number of specialized insurance policies offer options for (temporary) paid work abroad that carries higher risks, such as working on a farm.
- There is a risk of accidents because, for example, you are doing work with which you have little experience.
- During work, an internship, or volunteer work abroad for which you receive compensation or a salary, the coverage of your own health insurance in your home country may lapse.
- There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when working abroad. See the pages on: insuring international Insurances for working abroad, for internships abroad, for volunteering abroad, or for expats and emigrants.
