Volunteer perceptions of organic farms in accordance with GSTC criteria: A case study of WWOOF Türkiye

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 3, 251 - 262

Oğuz Doğan , Eda Evla Mutlu

https://doi.org/10.31822/jomat.2025-10-3-251

Abstract

The initial objective of this study was to identify and examine the experiences of tourists visiting WWOOF member farms in Türkiye. This was done to understand the activities carried out within the scope of sustainable tourism in organic farms in Türkiye, to shed light on tourist awareness regarding this issue, and to compare these experiences with the four main criteria and sub-criteria determined by GSTC for hotel businesses. Results revealed that tourists shared their experiences under the five main categories (activities, farm/environment, farm owner, accommodation and volunteer) and 13 subcategories with the most comments (farm activities, social activities, and working hours; meals, plants and animals on the field, and landscape/location; the positive attitude of the farm owner and the farm owner's hardworking, enthusiastic, knowledgeable nature; satisfaction with accommodation and information acquisition, recommendation, and family culture/warmth). Results also revealed that the member farms of the WWOOF Türkiye platform do not fully meet GSTC criteria.

Keywords

WWOOF, sustainability, GSTC, farm, Türkiye

Ethical Statement

Since secondary data is used, ethical approval is not required for this study. Preliminary research is published in V. International Tourism and Cultural Heritage Congress as a n abstract.

Supporting Institution

The study is not funded by any organization.

GSTC kriterlerine uygun organik çiftliklere ilişkin gönüllü algıları: WWOOF Türkiye'de bir vaka çalışması

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın ilk amacı, Türkiye'de Dünya Çapında Organik Çiftliklerde Fırsatlar (WWOOF) üyesi çiftlikleri ziyaret eden turistlerin deneyimlerini tespit etmek ve incelemektir. Türkiye'deki organik çiftliklerde sürdürülebilir turizm kapsamında yürütülen faaliyetleri anlamak, turistlerin bu konudaki farkındalıklarına ışık tutmak ve bu deneyimleri Küresel Sürdürülebilir Turizm Konseyi'nin (GSTC) otel işletmeleri için belirlediği dört ana kriter ve alt kriterler ile karşılaştırmak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Sonuçlar, turistlerin deneyimlerini beş ana kategori (aktiviteler, çiftlik/çevre, çiftlik sahibi, konaklama ve gönüllü) ve 13 alt kategori (çiftlik aktiviteleri, sosyal aktiviteler ve çalışma saatleri; yemekler, arazideki bitki ve hayvanlar ve manzara/konum; çiftlik sahibinin olumlu tutumu ve çiftlik sahibinin çalışkan, hevesli, bilgili olması; konaklama ve bilgi edinmeden memnuniyet, tavsiye ve aile kültürü/sıcaklığı) altında en fazla yorumla paylaştıklarını ortaya koydu. Sonuçlar ayrıca WWOOF Türkiye platformuna üye çiftliklerin GSTC kriterlerini tam olarak karşılamadığını ortaya koymuştur.

Keywords

WWOOF, Sustainability, GSTC, Farm, WWOOF, Sustainability, GSTC, Farm, Türkiye

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