Company description

Global Growers increases the number of food producers who create access to healthy, sustainably-grown food and also prepares commercial farmers to be competitive in their local marketplace.

Global Growers grew out of the tremendous demand among international farmers, many of whom came to Atlanta as refugees of war. These farmers sought to reconnect to their agricultural heritage in their new home. Recognizing this exceptional talent, Global Growers connects local families to land, education, and markets in order to build healthier communities and to strengthen our local economy. Global Growers is committed to cultivating growing spaces and other resources for farmers  who are traditionally underserved by mainstream agricultural service providers and community food organizations.

Global Growers started in 2009 as a project of the local nonprofit Refugee Family Services and as of 2013 is an independent 501(c)(3) organization based in Atlanta, GA. Co-founders Susan Pavlin and Robin Chanin broke ground on our first farm site, Umurima - The Burundi Women’s Farm, in 2010 in the city of Decatur, GA. This was accomplished in partnership with a Burundian former agricultural extension agent and a Burundian preacher. Umurima is a women-managed community farm that produces food for the farm families families as well as for local market sales. That same year (2010), Susan Pavlin and Robin Chanin also began building relationships with community leaders in the Clarkston area who were already engaged or interested in pursuing opportunities in food systems in order to develop a network of projects and leaders to provide mutual support.

In 2012, Global Growers added three additional sites to bring nearly 20 acres of land under our management. Decatur’s Kitchen Garden is a 2-acre community garden. The Clarkston International Garden is a ½ -acre community garden. Bamboo Creek Farm is a 15-acre cooperative farm site used for commercial food production. Altogether, Global Growers manages four farm and garden sites, and supports a network of independently managed community, apartment, and home garden sites in DeKalb County.

Since our first season of growing, Global Growers has developed expertise in cooperative marketing systems to increase market access for partner farmers, as well as expertise in agricultural education and technical assistance for farmers from diverse lingual, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Global Growers has trained more than 200 unique food producers and sold nearly half a million dollars worth of produce on behalf of our partner farmers from 2010-2016.  

Internship description Small Farm Food Safety Curriculum Development Internship

About Global Growers
Global Growers is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that increases the number of community growers who expand access to healthy food and also prepares commercial farmers to be competitive in their local marketplace. We support farmers through land acquisition and management, advocacy, training, and direct assistance, with a priority on diverse farmers who are underserved and underrepresented in agriculture.

Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate for this internship has an understanding of local food systems and sustainable agriculture. The candidate has a high degree of motivation, a commitment to excellence in meeting project goals, and is highly organized and attentive to detail. Ideally, the candidate has an understanding of the challenges that the lack of equity in small-scale agriculture has created for farmers identified by the USDA as “socially disadvantaged.”

Internship, Small Farm Food Safety Curriculum Development
The intern will have an integral role in realizing the 2017 Georgia Small Farm Food Safety Campaign, which is a collaborative, statewide campaign aimed at strengthening small farm food safety practices and increasing the number of farmers who have food safety certifications. The intern will assist with the review, adaptation, and implementation of classroom and on-farm food safety training materials – presentations, hand-outs, posters and training video scripts – to meet cultural, LEP and limited literacy needs. While much of the Internship activities can be completed remotely, the intern must set a mutually agreed-upon weekly work schedule and physically attend bi-weekly meetings in the Stone Mountain/Atlanta area. The intern reports to the Wholesale Readiness Coordinator.

Primary Responsibilities
 Finalize organization of existing food safety training materials and resources suggested by the collaborative Campaign Team (including Georgia Organics, the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Community Farmers Markets, Common Market Georgia).
 Establish and implement a curriculum and resource review and compilation process, making recommendations for the best synthesis of materials to meet the Campaign’s classroom, on-farm and video production training goals.
 Develop necessary adaptations of materials to meet cultural, LEP and low literacy needs, and assist with modifying presentations, handouts, posters and video scripts.
 Incorporate feedback from community partners and regulatory compliance experts, edit materials as appropriate, and generate polished, final drafts of training materials. Qualifications
 Bachelor’s degree or 2 years of experience in sustainable agriculture and/or multilingual communities
 Experience as a hands-on and classroom presenter and/or trainer
 Preferred: Experience in the sustainable agriculture sector and in working with diverse, multilingual and multicultural communities; knowledge of sustainable agriculture, food safety and local food system; an understanding of social and racial justice issues impacting agriculture in the South
 Excellent Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), as well as experience with other training/presentation platforms. Baseline Requirements
 Valid driver’s license, clean driving record and access to a reliable vehicle
 Ability to set and maintain a regular work schedule remotely, to connect virtually to the project team, and to meet in-person on a fixed bi-weekly schedule.

Compensation
This internship includes a $2,000 stipend for 8-10 hours a week from May 15th to September 1st, 2017. We will be able to offer some flexibility for the start/end dates to accommodate school and/or summer travel.


Compensation this position is : stipend / non-monetary compensation
Application instructions DeadlineApril 15, 2017