The Lund Fellows Program for Regenerative Agriculture provides Cornell undergraduate students across disciplines with the opportunity to broaden their perspectives and understanding of natural ecosystems and to learn about ecological and social approaches to agricultural systems. 

The Lund Fellows Program provides students opportunities to gain applied experience working on an agroecological farm and contribute to the farm in meaningful and helpful ways, while learning about the process and considerations involved in managing such an enterprise.

We work to spread awareness about the value and mission of agroecological biodynamic, organic, regenerative, and sustainable approaches to farming, strengthen relationships between the university and local farms and provide assistance to small farms that could not otherwise fund summer internships. 

Host farms participating in the Lund Fellows Program were prioritized based on the following values:  

• Explicitly uses agroecological, biodynamic and/or organic farming methods
• Diversified farm (not just certified organic with industrial farming approach)
• Small-scale farm (less than 200 hectares)
• Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) farmers when possible

Position description: 

TThis position will assist the Farm Manager and the Director of Education with key program duties and responsibilities related to the Teen Summer Program and farm maintenance. The intern is responsible for providing support and care to ensure the growth and development of edible tree, shrub and vine fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers and other farm maintenance duties. They will also be supporting programming, workshops and site maintenance in collaboration with other staff. Please note an interview my be required for this position.

Basic qualifications and preferred experience

The ideal person will possess the following:

• Experience working with youth and ability to relate easily to high school aged youth and support their growth;
• Experience working with natural, ecological, organic, and/or indigenous agriculture operations, gardening, or nutrition;
• Interest and knowledge in the topics of land, food, and/or body sovereignty, social justice, anti-racism, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, community organizing, nutrition, sustainability, community food systems and/or other land-based skills;
• Capable of cultivating a safe space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and LGBTQ+ youth;
• Self-driven and able to work both independently and as part of a team;
• Strong leadership and organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize tasks for self and volunteers;
• Ability/willingness to participate in physical labor in all weather conditions;
• Ability to communicate and work on a team by maintaining a positive, cooperative work atmosphere;
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy;
• Ability to work with a high level of productivity and attention, productive work atmosphere;

Job Requirements

• Ability to regularly lift a minimum of 50 pounds.
• Ability to stand, lift, and bend for extended periods of time.
• Ability and willingness to work outside in all weather.
• Cell phone communication.
• Reliable transportation is needed to ensure you arrive consistently on time due to programming and farm responsibilities. We acknowledge that accessible, efficient, affordable, and safe alternatives to car travel, and especially to driving solo, are not currently available to get to and from the farm. The bus route we are on is limited.
• Satisfactory background and reference checks. YFP background checks for educational reasons and safety of vulnerable populations. People with criminal records other than sexual assault of any kind will be considered equally.
• Anti-racism training and/or lived experience, experience, or communicable interest in self-growth in social justice.
• Land-based work with young people.
• Experience in communities served.
• Beekeeping, Forest farming/mushroom production, seedkeeping, and other land-based arts and skills welcome!

This Job Is Ideal for Someone Who Is:

• Dependable -- more reliable than spontaneous.
• Adaptable/flexible -- enjoys doing work that requires frequent shifts in direction.
• Autonomous/Independent -- enjoys working with little direction and alone.
• Highly organized with materials and time management and can see through tasks steadily.
• Patient - able to communicate instructions and tasks clearly and to work with folks with various skill levels.

Black, Indigenous, People of Color and LGBTQ+ folx are encouraged to apply.

Internship schedule

Monday - Friday 8 am-1:30 pm required. Additional schedule dependent on interest and
transport. (Options: 8-3 weekdays at the farm, if access to pm transport; additional hours flexible
and off site office work if bus transport.) TBD with the candidate!
During the months of July and August lunch and snacks are provided for the entire team.

About the farm

The Youth Farm Project farm is located at 24 Nelson Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. We are beginning our 13th growing season in the Spring of 2022. We are a not-for-profit farm-based social justice education program, serving Tompkins County youth and families. Our programs have simplified over the past years due to Covid, and for this coming season we will focus on supporting teens through our Social Justice Immersion and Teen Summer Program,increasing community aspects of our farm through deepening relationships.

Our mission is to empower youth from diverse social and economic backgrounds as integral participants in building equitable local food communities. YFP is dedicated to healing our food system through an anti-racist organizing lens by bringing together youth from diverse backgrounds to explore environmental and social injustice within the food system.

We believe that through critical thinking and openly learning about these issues, we can begin the healing of our food system, the earth, and ourselves. By developing leadership and communication skills with young people and having them participate in all aspects of food production and farming – from planting to harvesting and distributing, we can increase our unity and hope for positive change in our community and beyond.

Follow the farm on social media @youthfarmproject"

More information

If you are genuinely interested in the work and do not meet those stipulations, please consider applying, as we are open to adapting and meeting folks' needs when we are able.

We follow a thorough Covid protocol, including daily check-ins, masking, socially distancing. We will be keeping the numbers of people on the farm at any one time limited, so that we are able to be safe with each other. We provide masks and hand sanitizer at the farm.