IL ROSMARINO:
Fattoria Biologica Didattica
Marcon, Veneto, Italy
FALL 2014
Although we are creatures who love, are dependent on, and share meaningful time around food, most of us have no role in its cultivation or production. Happily, there are people whose lives are constructed around their relationship with land, food, and animals. Often these are people who constitute a community—a community engaging in the difficult work of sustainable farming that allows all the planet’s inhabitants to enjoy the fruits of their labor. This is the story of one such community, the individuals who constitute it, the work that they do, and the challenges of that work.
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Sue Coppard was working as a secretary in London when she realized that people living and working in cities might have a desire to be more connected to the organic aspects of life. In 1971, she began arranging for people to voluntarily work at biodynamic and organic farms in exchange for food and accommodation. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is now international; it connects host farmers with workers who are willing to volunteer on a farm. Workers choose to WWOOF for numerous reasons, perhaps because they are interested in learning more about agriculture, taking a break from their routine lives, or using it as a way to travel the world. While WWOOF is designed to positively serve both hosts and WWOOFers, regardless of the economy, the economic downturn has undoubtedly produced both more demand and supply for WWOOFing.
Il Rosmarino di Piergiorgio Defilippi, an organic farm in the tiny town of Marcon, 25 kilometers north of Venice, Italy, has been a WWOOF host farm since 2000. I found Il Rosmarino through WWOOF Italia while searching for a community that would allow me to participate in its daily routine while photographing it over an extended period of time. I took up the challenge of WWOOFing and documenting life at this farming community for three weeks between October and November 2014.
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