Position Opening:
Farm and Land Stewardship Manager
Posted November 20, 2023
Job Type and Schedule: Manager. Given the seasonal fluctuations of the position, there is an option to negotiate an average work week of between 30 to 40 hours with variable hours between the winter and summer seasons.
Compensation and Benefits: $23 - $27/hour; benefits include paid vacation; 401(k) matched up to 4%; and local food, technology, and professional development stipends.
To apply: Please send an email with title “Farm and Land Stewardship Manager Position” with a resume and cover letter to Michael Skillicorn, Associate Director, to: [email protected]; please have three references available upon request.
Deadline: Please apply by 5:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024.
About Grow Food Northampton
Founded in 2010 and rooted in the values of racial, economic, and environmental justice, Grow Food Northampton (GFN) is a local food and farming justice organization serving the Northampton, MA area. GFN owns and stewards a Community Farm where, utilizing an Equitable Access Policy, we lease land to ten farms practicing sustainable agriculture and manage a 320-plot Organic Community Garden. We operate vibrant downtown farmers markets; grow and purchase local produce for distribution to community members experiencing food insecurity; educate children and adults about the local food system through farm- and community-based workshops; and manage food access initiatives that invite people of all incomes into the local food movement.
The Grow Food Northampton Community Farm sits on 121 acres of once Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Nonotuck Indigenous land, and the former Bean and Allard Farms — land that is now permanently protected as farmland. As the largest community farm in Massachusetts, we lease most of the land to small farms in amounts of less than an acre to as much as 60 acres, and for time periods from 1 to 99 years. We prioritize leasing land to farmers from communities marginalized and harmed, historically and currently, by the industrialized food system. Using a flexible and innovative approach to leases on land and infrastructure, we seek to address well-documented challenges in land access for farmers while striving for a mix of economically and environmentally compatible and sustainable farm operations. The Community Farm is also a place of vibrant community connection, host to hundreds of community gardeners, learners of all ages, researchers, and the general public.
Position Overview
Grow Food Northampton seeks a dynamic, creative, and collaborative Farm and Land Stewardship Manager to join our team. The Farm and Land Stewardship Manager is responsible for the overall success of Grow Food Northampton’s Community Farm. They will provide leadership, strategy, and vision for the Farm, steward all aspects of the land, work closely with farmer lessees, collaborate with fellow members of GFN’s staff to implement an array of farm-based programs, and engage with the community. By creating programs and processes that can help dismantle systems of racism and oppression in food production and land care, the Farm and Land Stewardship Manager will play a key role in helping GFN realize our vision to create a just and resilient local food system that nourishes our community and protects and enriches the earth.
Responsibilities include:
Leadership, strategy, and vision:
- Lead strategic thinking and visioning for the Farm in collaboration with other staff.
- Represent and advocate for the Farm’s strategy and vision within GFN’s broader Strategic Plan and programming.
- Implement and revise as necessary the existing 10-Year Farm Plan and other land-use policies. Lead the review of existing and the development of new plans and policies.
- Coordinate and engage with Grow Food Northampton’s Site Advisory Committee, other advisors, and outside consultants.
- Oversee legal and regulatory aspects of the farm, including APR and City of Northampton agreements.
- Serve as point person and manage relationships with City of Northampton entities such as the Department of Planning and Sustainability, Conservation Commission, Community Preservation Committee, and others.
Programming and Community Engagement:
- Organize and support community engagement on the Farm, including hosting volunteers, groups, and community work days with particular outreach to, and programming with, communities of color and others who are typically marginalized from leadership in food and land justice work.
- Collaborate with other GFN staff members to support tours, visits, and field trips.
- Interface with and represent Grow Food Northampton in the broader agricultural community; network with potential farmers and partners; recruit researchers for experimental agriculture projects that enhance climate resilience and adaptation.
- Work with the Community Garden Manager to develop programs on sustainable growing for Community Gardeners.
- Opportunity for regenerative and organic farming of the GFN Giving Garden.
Site stewardship:
- Maintain non-leased areas, including edges, hedgerows, riparian buffer areas, paths, and public areas. Lead the planting and care of trees, shrubs, and edible hedgerows.
- Develop and implement a plan for the management of invasive species.
- Maintain infrastructure, tools, and equipment; e.g. the composting outhouse; farm tools; water pumps and irrigation infrastructure; buildings; and our tractor. Create systems and supervise shared use and maintenance among users.
- Manage the Community Farm budget and maintain relevant records.
- Collaborate with the Community Garden manager to support the maintenance and care of the Organic Community Garden.
- Collaborate with other staff members to develop paths to learning for the organization, and the community, about climate resilient land management, farming, and gardening.
- Support the Education Manager to create and maintain educational resources and opportunities on the Farm, e.g. pathways, plantings, and learning areas.
Farmer relations and leasing:
- Manage existing lease agreements, lead future search processes for lessees, and develop and cultivate positive working relationships with farmer lessees.
- Support the success of farm lessees through the maintenance of shared infrastructure, connection to resources, and other ways as described in lease agreements.
- Manage relationships with existing and new agricultural, gardening, and sustainability researchers and project partners.
General responsibilities include, but are not limited, to:
- Serve as an integral member of the Grow Food Northampton team.
- Participate in weekly staff meetings, trainings, and other staff activities.
- Participate in creating a positive organizational climate that fosters well-being.
- Ensure the intentional prioritization and centering of economic, environmental, and racial justice in our work and practices.
- Other duties as agreed upon by the Farm and Land Stewardship Manager and Associate Director.
Qualifications
- Passion for food justice, sustainability, and civic participation in the local food system
- 3+ years working in a land and natural resource stewardship position and/or agricultural setting with land and resource management duties
- Knowledge of regenerative land care and management best practices
- Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
- Strong communication skills
- Highly collaborative work style
- Enthusiasm about participating in regular anti-racism training and the development of a racial justice-focused workspace
- Enthusiasm for the mission, goals, and purposes of the organization
- Ability to meet physical requirements of the position, including sitting or standing at a desk and in outdoor settings for long periods, keyboarding, viewing screens, walking on rough terrain on the Community Farm, bending, and safely lifting 40 pounds
Desired experience:
- Though not required, direct farming experience is desired
- Proven track record of successfully managing public-facing land and/or farming project
- Experience choosing, planting, and caring for climate resilience-building perennials, shrubs, and trees
- Experience with machinery, including BCS, tractors and implements, and hand tools
- GIS and/or other mapping tools
Other Requirements:
- A valid driver’s license
- Technology fluency and capacity to master new platforms; comfort with Mac OS and Google Suite
If you require accommodation or support when navigating the application process, please contact: [email protected] or call (413) 320-4799 ext 109
Grow Food Northampton is a food and farming justice organization. This means that we are committed to identifying and dismantling systemic forms of oppression in the food system. Racialized people and others from equity-seeking groups experience food insecurity in disproportionate numbers, but are significantly under-represented in food system organizations. We believe that those most affected by an issue must have access to paid positions in organizations tasked with challenging food insecurity. Grow Food Northampton strives to create a workplace that reflects a diversity of identities and lived experiences. Grow Food Northampton is an equal opportunity provider and employer. People of all races, colors, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, national origins, lived experiences, and ability, are encouraged to apply.