Thank you to all of our 2017 Applicants!   

For questions, please contact the Fellowship Program Coordinator at robt83@berkeley.edu

 

 

Agricultural Fellowship Description: The UC Gill Tract Community Farm and The Green Initiative Fund invite current UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students to apply to one or more of 8 paid positions in our Agroecological Fellowship Program.

 

Thanks to the support of The Green Initiative Fund and Berkeley Food Institute, the Farm is excited to announce the second year of the Agroecological Fellowship Program (AFP), which now operates under the Registered Student Organization– Gill Tract Farm Student Coalition. The main goal of the AFP is to provide valuable experiential learning opportunities for the growing number of students interested in food justice, agroecology, urban farming, community-based organizations, and non-profit administration, allowing them to become successful change-makers while also supporting the functioning of the Farm.

       

We offer eight paid positions to qualified UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students to deepen their knowledge and experience working at the Farm in the different aspects of the Farm functioning, organization, and administration. The Fellows will work directly with one or more of the various Working Groups of the Farm and Fellow will collaborate with the community to help guide their development and accomplish goals.

 

In addition to the specific tasks listed for each of the different Fellows, everyone in the fellowship cohort will be members of the Gill Tract Farm Student Coalition, supporting student engagement in the Student Group and expanding relationships between the farm and the campus. At the beginning of the program, fellows will be required to participate in an intensive weekend training program with the objective of becoming familiar with all aspects of farming and food distribution at the Gill Tract. Specific dates are currently being determined, and we will work with student schedules to ensure that all Fellows are able to complete the training.

 

Your first three weeks will Include:

• Three training sessions in agroecological practices by the Farm Manager and the AFP Coordinator.

• Transition meetings with fellows from last year’s program, individually or in sub-groups, to receive specific training and advice for work plans.

• Reading base documents as self-training, discussion with members of the farm, and familiarization with the structure of the Stewardship Council and Assembly.

We invite interested candidates to visit the UC Gill Tract Community Farm during open hours and view our website and Facebook page to learn more about our organization.

 

Application and Selection Process

 

Application deadline: Applications for 2017-2018 are now closed 

Applicants must be matriculated undergraduate or graduate students at UC Berkeley during the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters.

 

To apply, submit the following items as one PDF by email to contact@gilltractfarm.org with the subject line “AFP Application”.

1. Cover letter stating what position are you applying for (can be more than one), your reasons for applying to this fellowship, and the availability in your schedule to work at the farm during the Farm Open Hours.

2. Resume, including relevant coursework;

3. Contact information for 2 references (one should be a professor or major advisor);

4. (Optional) One or two samples of your work from college or other experiences that exemplify relevant skills for the applied position (e.g. report, essay or paper, research poster, planning timeline, budget, plan of work, etc.).

 

Compensation

 

All positions are paid hourly at $15/hr. Some positions have a workload of 6h/week and others of 10 h/week. See individual job descriptions for details. All the fellowships follow the academic calendar for a duration of 2 academic semesters, 31 weeks in total. Fellows will be paid in bi-weekly stipends through the RSO unless contracted as work-study.

 

Work-Study Program

 

All positions are available as Work-Study. Students who are eligible for the work-study program and would like to take advantage of their benefit must state their intention to do so in their cover letter, having confirmed previously with a financial aid officer. For administrative purposes, work-study students will be hired as UCB employees by the Berkeley Food Institute. However, they will have the same working contract as non-work-study fellows. The UC Gill Tract Community Farm and the Berkeley Food Institute are committed to equity and fairness and will ensure that all fellows are treated as such, regardless of work-study status.

 

Qualifications

 

The Farm holds equity and anti-oppression as cornerstone values of our work, and therefore we encourage undergraduate and graduate student applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

 

In addition to specific job requirements, ideal candidates should:

• Have a demonstrated interest in issues of urban agroecology, food justice, and community-based organizations;

• Be proactive and self-driven, with a strong ability to work independently as well as in a team;

• Have interest in working with a diverse group of people;

• Have strong communication skills and ability to meet deadlines;

• Make scheduling accommodations as detailed below.

 

Scheduling and Availability

        Each fellow will have a specific number of hours they are expected to be present at the farm, depending on the number of required weekly hours in their contract. For example, a 10-hour contract will require 4 hours at the farm, and a 6-hour contract will require 2 hours at the farm. This time will be spent hosting, assisting with groups of volunteers, and working in the field planting, harvesting, weeding, etc. Applicants must review their class schedule and reference the Farm’s open hours to ensure that they will be available to complete required farming hours. For the sake of consistency and reliability, fellows are required to set aside the same time each week for being present at the farm, and are certainly invited to spend more than the minimum. Attendance at farm events may be required for some positions, and are encouraged for all. 

The Farm’s open hours are:

Monday: 11-2pm

Tuesday: 3-6pm

Wednesday: 11-2pm

Thursday: 3-6pm

Friday: CLOSED

Saturday: CLOSED

Sunday: 12-5pm