Help Wanted/Situations Wanted

Outreach and Technical Assistance Coordinator needed at New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (NESFP)

Responsibilities:

1. Coordinating outreach activities for recruitment of immigrants and refugees with farming backgrounds to the NESFP by:
   
   
   • Developing and implementing a comprehensive year-round outreach plan, including involvement with multiple partner agencies;
   • Communicating NESFP and other farming programs and services;
   • Designing implementation strategy, including multiple communications (e.g.; meetings, presentation, materials);
   • Performing ongoing reassessment of strategies to promote recruitment objectives.
   
   
   
2. Conducting outreach to link participating farmers to farm sector employment, resources, land and similar farm sector opportunities in Massachusetts by:
   
   
   • Providing technical assistance to farmers on multiple aspects of farm enterprise development
   • Assisting farmers to find and leasing/buying farmland;
   • Assist farmers with recordkeeping, business plans, marketing strategies, coop participation, and various farming operations.
   • Helping to organize and coordinate farmer meetings and farmer participation at other meetings, trainings, and conferences and field trips;
   • Connect farmers with USDA and other farm agencies regarding loans, insurance, and related services;
   • Build links to the mainstream farm community through farm visits and through participation at meetings, trainings, and conferences.
   
   
   
3. Assist NESFP training programs by participating in preparation and delivery of NESFP education and training workshops for new and continuing farmers on multiple aspects of farm enterprise development.

Qualifications:

• BA degree required, advanced degree preferred.
• Relevant experience in community outreach and multiple aspects of farming and farm enterprise essential. Community organizing and cross-cultural experience helpful. Ability to effectively communicate and interact with diverse consituencies, some with limited English language and literacy.
• Must be able to work independently in a team environment.
• Computer, writing and communication skills necessary. Word processing (MSWord), Powerpoint, Excel competency and proficent typing skills will be required; with associated administrative skills.
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule including some evenings and weekends.
• Bilingual skills preferred.

Location: Position based in Lowell at Community Teamwork, Inc., at the NESFP office. Travel required; primarily between Lawrence, Lowell, Fitchburg, and Worcester locations. Familiarity with the region is important. Must have reliable transportation.

Salary range: $33,000 - $35,000 / yr. plus benefits.

To apply: Send cover letter and resume to: Human Resources Department, Community Teamwork, Inc., 167 Dutton Street, Lowell, MA 01852 or by email to Mary Ann Coffin at mcoffin@comteam.org. For more information about the position, contact Hugh Joseph at hughjoseph@comcast.net. Please apply no later than March 4, 2005.

Posted February 27, 2005

Farmsite Manager Needed for New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (NESFP)

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (NESFP) assists immigrants and refugees with farming backgrounds to develop viable farming operations in Massachusetts. NESFP is sponsored by Community Teamwork, Inc. and Tufts University. See http://www.nesfp.org for more information on the project.

Overall Responsibilities: The candidate will work closely with immigrant farmers in Dracut MA, and at other farms in Eastern Massachusetts to manage NESFP training farms, affiliated farms, and NESFP-owned equipment; facilitate crop production (emphasizing organic or IPM techniques); organize technical assistance around business management, marketing, agricultural enterprise, and other topics; and link growers with other community resources, project staff and activities.

1. Manage NESFP Training Farms and Equipment:
   
   
   • In coordination with landowners, staff and farmers, oversee management of NESFP farm sites and equipment in Greater Lowell area and other designated sites within the Eastern Massachusetts area;
   • Work with farmers to coordinate onsite farm services, including land preparation and the use/management of greenhouse, irrigation, tillage equipment, cooling / storage, and other farm supplies and equipment. Expand farmers' participation in effective site management;
   • Oversee and collect payments due for rent and other fees from farmers;
   • Assist farmers and program with proper maintenance of equipment and facilities, including tractors, other tillage equipment, and irrigation;
   • Assist farmers to understand roles and expectations for farmsites; facilitate ongoing compliance with guidelines such as access, cleanliness, use of equipment and facilities;
   • Serve as a liaison among all parties and effectively communicate relevant information and concerns to landowners, staff, and farmers.
   
   
   
2. Provide Technical Assistance to Project Participants:
   
   
   • Assist production activities at farms used by project participants;
   • Provide pest management education to farmers in collaboration with UMass Extension Educators and others; monitor pest management activities and assure compliance with specific guidelines for each site;
   • Assist with implementation of seasonal training program activities;
   • Assist with one-on-one technical assistance activities for farmers on production and post harvest handling of crops;
   • Assist farmers to keep production records, complete acreage reports, and determine crop yields;
   • Help to coordinate farmer meetings, and encourage farmer participation in seasonal workshops, conferences, and farm visits/field trips;
   • Link farmers to agricultural experts and to other farming resources in the area.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree preferred. Also, relevant farming education and / or farm management experience related to meeting requirements of the position.
• Community organizing and cross-cultural experience helpful; prepared to build relationships with immigrant and refugee participants and with organizational partners;
• Self-motivated, and self-directed; works well within in a rapidly-changing environment;
• Appropriate computer skills, and effective communications and writing ability;
• Access to reliable private transportation necessary;
• Flexible schedule needed, including weekends and some evenings

Location: Position based in Lowell at Community Teamwork, Inc., NESFP office. Travel primarily between Lawrence, Lowell, Fitchburg, and Worcester locations. Must have reliable transportation.

Salary: Seasonal part-time position funded for 6 months (April - October), at 20-30 hours/week.. Compensation is $15-20 / hour, related to experience, with job-related travel reimbursement.

Beginning Date: April 11, 2005 preferred start date. To apply: Send cover letter and resume to: Human Resources Department, Community Teamwork, Inc., 167 Dutton Street, Lowell, MA 01852 or by email to Mary Ann Coffin at mcoffin@comteam.org. For more information about the position, contact Jennifer Hashley at jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu. Community Teamwork, Inc is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Posted February 27, 2005

Position Open for New Haven Land Trust, Director of Community Gardens

The Director will be responsible for program development, planning, staff supervision and fiscal management for approximately 50 urban community gardens of the Land Trust. This position is 30 hours/week, year round, and involves working some nights and weekends. Strong writing and oral skills and experience in community organizing is required. This position includes medical benefits and vacation. For further information, submit your resume and a letter of interest to:

New Haven Land Trust
Search Committee
P.O. Box 935
New Haven, CT 06504.

Couple interested in a long term, small-scale, organic farming commitment

Hello! We are Luke Donahue and Rebecca Pressnall. We are a couple interested in a long term, small-scale, organic farming commitment that would start this winter. We both have considerable experience working and living on organic farms and I'd like to tell you a little more about us and our background, intentions and motivations. We currently live in Portland, OR but are researching opportunities to return to the New England area. It is our goal to become involved in strengthening a local, community food system and through our efforts help it thrive.

Luke has three full seasons organic growing experience on small-scale, diverse vegetable and fruit farms in Northern California and Oregon including one full-season apprenticeship. I am currently working as the Service and Education Coordinator for Portland Community Gardens in Portland, OR where I teach gardening classes, organize volunteers and coordinate events involving the 28 garden sites throughout the city of Portland. This municipal job is only contracted through the rest of 2004 and I am starting my research now for opportunities for next season for us both. Two seasons ago I leased 2 acres of land outside of Portland and grew diverse vegetables which I sold at local farmers' markets and to restaurants in the metro area. This season I helped start a small CSA on a 5 acre vegetable farm and peach orchard in a small, rural, Northern California town. It is my goal to help strengthen a local, community food system by participating in the growing and distributing of healthy food for people. It is clear to us that the dominant, global food system is not working and hurting people and the planet. We believe that helping a community food system prosper is our mission to become part of the Great Healing that our planet and communities so desperately need.

Rebecca is currently working as a nanny for a family here in Portland where she is trying to share the knowledge she gained working as an apprentice at a medicinal herb healing center in upstate NY this past Spring. She has also completed an apprenticeship on the farm where we met three seasons ago. She is committed to expanding her knowledge of the healing power of plants. At the Wise Woman Center she also learned about tending goats (herding, milking, etc.) and is very interested in someday becoming involved again in a farm with goats. Goats are good. She has also completed an apprenticeship at the farm in Northern California where we met.

We are very committed to grassroots efforts towards producing organic food for a community. We are interested in finding a place that we can settle into for a while and become immersed into the community. I have worked in almost all aspects of a community food system, from farm to CSA, to food bank and soup kitchen, from farmers- markets to now community gardening and educating the public about the benefits of growing your own in an urban setting. Our true calling though we believe is out in the fields and greenhouses growing and nurturing food plants. We would love to talk with you about exploring the possibilities at any such situation. We are really looking to find a place that we can commit to and help in any way we can. It is our motivation to do our own small part of the healing that out Earth needs, we hope we might be able to do this with your farm. Please feel free to contact us at risingmoonfarm1@yahoo.com or (503) 236-8074.

Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association
PO Box 135 • Stevenson, CT 06491-0135 • (203) 888-5146 • ctnofa@ctnofa.org

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