ORFC 2027 7 – 8 Jan
ORFC 2027 7 – 8 Jan
7 – 8 January 2027
In-person and online
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Oxford Real Farming Conference! Volunteers are a key part of the ORFC community. This is the 18th annual ORFC and the fourth time ORFC will be held as a hybrid event, with delegates and speakers joining both online and in-person. You can volunteer with us in-person or online.
The hybrid conference will bring together around 3,500 mud-on-the-boots farmers, food producers, land workers, soil-lovers, researchers, policy-makers, NGOs, social movements and all those who support a better food and farming system.
Learn more about volunteering online or in-person below.
APPLY HERE TO VOLUNTEER IN-PERSON
Timeline
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; apply early to secure your space. All applicants to volunteer in-person will be notified by Thursday, 12 November 2026.
As an IN-PERSON Volunteer, you will:
There are three volunteer roles available for the in-person conference. Please indicate which role you would prefer when applying:
(1) General Event Volunteer
Role description: As part of a dynamic team, event volunteers will support the safe, efficient, friendly, and smooth running of the conference. During the conference, event volunteers complete two half-day shifts and are free to attend the conference for the rest of the time. During one shift, event volunteers are expected to steward conference sessions, which includes Health & Safety responsibilities, monitoring room capacities, helping with AV requirements and helping speakers with timekeeping. During another shift, event volunteers will either steward conference sessions or help to run the front of house, reception, the exhibition spaces or be a runner.
IN-PERSON Event Volunteers are expected to:
(2) Information Desk Volunteers
Role description: Information desk volunteers will be stationed at information desks in the Town Hall and Catholic Chaplaincy and will provide a friendly point of contact to help delegates navigate the ORFC 2027 programme. Information desk volunteers will help point delegates towards sessions and offer recommendations of what to see next, as well as providing logistical information and to help guide delegates across the conference. You will be working with a partner during your shift.
As an IN-PERSON Information Volunteer, you will:
(3) Creative Comms Volunteers
Role description: The creative comms volunteer is a reporting role that will engage with ORFC 2027. The comms content volunteers will attend ORFC 2027 sessions, take notes, and produce a piece of content based for our website for web and/ or social media. We will ask you to share your preferred format: this can be a blog (see our conference blog for previous examples), a short Instagram Reel (see the ORFC Instagram for inspiration), or another creative format of your choice. Templates will be provided on how to produce an effective piece of content. This role will offer volunteers experience in producing editorial content, storytelling and reporting from an event.
We’d like creative comms volunteers to:
APPLY HERE TO VOLUNTEER IN-PERSON
In your application, we’d love to hear about yourself, what interests you about the conference, and what you’re hoping to gain from the experience — whether that’s meeting new people, developing skills, exploring ideas, or contributing to the ORFC community.
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide invitation letters or support visa applications for in-person volunteers.
APPLY HERE TO VOLUNTEER ONLINE
Timeline
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; apply early to secure your space. All applicants will be notified by Thursday, 3rd December 2026.
As an ONLINE Volunteer, you will:
Role Description
This is an exciting opportunity to volunteer for the UK’s largest agroecological food and farming conference from the comfort of your own home. ORFC 2027 will livestream 45+ sessions on YouTube. Online session volunteers are responsible for monitoring session chats and to help participants feel welcome and included. This may include, for example, flagging tech difficulties with ORFC tech support, copying questions from the chat into a shared document for the chair and speakers, and monitoring the chat to offer information where appropriate. Online session volunteers are not expected to be tech experts, although familiarity with online events is helpful. ORFC will have tech and volunteer support available and a detailed reference guide to support volunteers throughout the event.
ONLINE Event Volunteers are expected to:
APPLY HERE TO VOLUNTEER ONLINE
In your application, we’d love to hear about yourself, what interests you about the conference, and what you’re hoping to gain from the experience — whether that’s connecting with new people, developing skills, exploring ideas, or contributing to the ORFC community.
OPTIONAL: Online volunteers are also invited to support with creating a buzz on social media about the conference, and/or to write a short (500-word) blog post about the conference. Guidelines for supporting comms will be shared with all confirmed volunteers.