Job: Urban Farmer, The Greening of Detroit
Organizational Description: The Greening of Detroit’s mission is to “guide and inspire the growth of a ‘greener’ Detroit through planting and educational programs, environmental leadership, advocacy, and by building community capacity.” One of the ways The Greening engages the community to achieve this mission is through urban gardening and agriculture projects. Since 2003, The Greening of Detroit has been at the forefront of an emerging movement to achieve a ‘greener’ city while transforming the food system in Detroit. Our accomplishments include working with our partners in The Garden Resource Program to provide farming resources and educational opportunities to over 10,000 urban gardeners of all ages each year in the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park and operating multiple urban farms and nutrition education programs across the City.
Position Summary: The Greening of Detroit is seeking a full-time Farmer to work with our Urban Agriculture staff to maintain, grow, and guide our farming operations and related educational programming. The Greening of Detroit currently operates a 2-acre farm at the Romanowski Farm Park, a 30-acre city-owned park that includes teaching and production gardens, an orchard, and sugar bush. We also help manage the farm at the Catherine Ferguson Academy (CFA), a Detroit Public School that works with students to incorporate farming and related entrepreneurial education into the curriculum.
Our newest urban farms, located in downtown Detroit include the Plum Street and Detroit Market Gardens. These small-scale production-focused farms will be operated year-round and used to facilitate youth and adult education. The Farmer is responsible for the planning and management of Plum Street and Detroit Market Gardens and will also be assisting with the management of the Romanowski Farm Park and CFA farm. He/she will work closely with Urban Agriculture staff to conduct operations at all sites from education and land preparation through quality harvest including all aspects of organic vegetable, herb, flower and fruit production. The Farmer reports to the Urban Farm Operations Manager.
Duties and Responsibilities: Oversee the production of transplants and in-ground vegetables and flowers at the Plum Street Market Garden. Including supervision of youth engaged in fieldwork at the site, and ensuring quality harvest. Oversee the production of transplant and annual field production at the Detroit Market Garden, working closely with Adult Apprentices and staff to meet the demands of small-scale production based agriculture. Work with our Marketing and Sales Coordinator to plan, produce, monitor, and maintain records of planting/harvesting schedules at Plum Street Market Garden and the Detroit Market Garden to meet the growing demand of Grown In Detroit produce at our participating farmers markets and wholesale accounts. Calculate seed, soil, and material costs for transplant and annual production. Facilitate annual farm planning, incorporating apprentices and interns in management of annual plots, timeliness, and bed preparation through harvest. Coordinate farm-based educational curriculum for Adult Apprentices, including managerial oversight, supervision, and farm walks at the Plum Street Market Garden and the Detroit Market Garden. Work with our farming staff to manage, facilitate, coordinate, and teach courses in the Market Garden Training Program (MGTP). Engage volunteer and community partners in farm production activities.
Additional Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have 2+ years of farming experience, preferably at an organic or chemical free farm. Basic carpentry knowledge, including experience with irrigation equipment. Experience supervising staff and/or volunteers, working with diverse communities, and managing meetings. Experience teaching youth and/or adults in a farm or garden setting. Interest and familiarity with issues relating to local food, food access, and sustainable agriculture, and a genuine appreciation of the urban environment. Strong organizational and written/verbal communication skills. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Proficiency in all MS office applications required. Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, natural resources, plant science, horticulture or a related field is preferred but not required. Please send email of your resume and cover letter to ashley@greeningofdetroit.com. Use the job title as the subject line. Only potential interviewees will be contacted. Visit our website at www.detroitagriculture.org.
The Greening of Detroit is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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