About the Position: The farm education and communications intern provides support for farm education programs and creates content for Groundswell’s communications platforms. The intern promotes Groundswell’s programs on social media with a focus on the Incubator Farm but also including workshops and special events. The intern works closely with our farm manager, Yao “Chacha” Foli, to implement and document the Incubator Farm cohort’s journey as beginning farmers. While the main responsibility of the position is communications, the intern will benefit from exposure to the Incubator Farm’s technical farm training, the day-to-day workings of this small farm, and mentorship from Chacha.

"We will be using natural methods without compromise - methods that don't compromise our health, the soil fertility, or the health of the planet. My main focus is conserving soil and maintaining biological activity in the soil. We'll be making good use of what ecology already exists on a micro and macro level to build bounty for future generations. We're thinking of food as medicine as well. Every plant and vegetable has a purpose, and a role to play in the human body.” -Chacha

Yao Foli (Chacha) is an agricultural educator, environmental NGO leader, and community researcher with nine combined years of education in agronomy and international studies. He is the founder of Ndor Eco Village (www.ndorecovillage.org), a Ghana-based NGO that works in rural education, sustainable agriculture, and environmental justice.

 

Required qualifications:

Strong written communication skills
Experience creating engaging content on Instagram and Facebook including video
Interest in sustainable agriculture, the food system, and farm justice
Ability to work cooperatively with people from diverse backgrounds in terms of race, ethnicity, gender (including trans* and non-binary people), sexual orientation, and English language fluency
Ability to reliably commute to the Incubator Farm, located on route 79 three miles west of Ithaca. The farm can be reached via the TCAT 20 bus (stop Route 79 @ Ecovillage) but frequency of buses is very low and schedules for summer 2023 have not yet been released. TCAT spring schedule: https://tcatbus.com/wp-content/uploads/20_Spring2023.pdf
Willingness to spend time outdoors in a range of weather conditions including sun and rain
Ability to coordinate multiple tasks and deadlines, maintain open communication, and ask for help as needed.

 

Preferred qualifications:

• Educational background, self study, or personal experience in agriculture, botany, or environmental science
• Experience with Mailchimp and WordPress
• Experience authoring blog posts

 

Work duties:

• Attend Incubator Farm cohort trainings and work sessions. Capture images and video for use on social media
• Provide support to farm manager Chacha in implementing technical trainings on regenerative agriculture
• Generate 5-10 social media posts per week to Groundswell’s social media platforms and engage with the online community
• Generate monthly blog posts about the Incubator Farm program
• Generate monthly newsletters and distribute via Mailchimp and social media. Seek out staff and farmer contributions, feedback, and photos.
• Coordinate with staff about events and announcements to include
  Assist with farm work and special events as needed