The opportunities listed here are only a small sampling of what’s available. If one entry is particularly interesting to you, use buzz words found on that website to search for other related organizations. You can also pair buzz words with what you’re looking for, whether that’s an internship, volunteering opportunity, job, fellowship, or something else.
Government
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The U.S. EPA is an independent agency for the federal government for environmental protection. They offer jobs, internships, fellowships, and student contracting.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): The USDA is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry and food. They offer both jobs and internships, which students can apply to through the Pathways Program portal.
Internship and Farmwork Platforms
- ATTRA: ATTRA is a program committed to providing information and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the US. They list internships available throughout the US and Canada.
- Workaway: Workaway makes connections between volunteers and hosts. Volunteers trade work in exchange for food and housing; the work can be in any number of tasks, but there is a whole search page for Farmstays.
- World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF): WWOOF links volunteers with organic farmers to promote cultural exchange and offer farming experience. Their programs are available in many countries around the world. The program exchanges work on a farm for food and housing.
Education, Advocacy, and Communication
- Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): CSPI is an independent, science-based consumer advocacy organization. Their goal is to improve the food system and support healthy eating. They do this by providing information to the public, to represent citizens’ interests in regulatory and judicial work, and to ensure the science and technology are used for public good. CSPI offers both jobs and internships.
- Future Harvest: Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture: Their mission is to provide education, networking, and advocacy to help build a sustainable Chesapeake foodshed, where food flows from farm and fishery to table in ways that strengthen farming and the regional food economy; protect our land, water, and air; and provide healthy, nutritious food that sustains the region’s communities and cities. Future Harvest has job opportunities available.
- The International Food Information Council (IFIC): The IFIC Foundation is dedicated to the mission of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition and food safety for the public good. They leverage technology and social media to reach consumers. IFIC has both internships and fellowships.
Large-Scale Mobilization
- Farmers Market Coalition (FMC): The FMC is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets across the U.S. so that they can serve as community assets while providing real income opportunities for farmers. The FMC offers jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities.
- Multinational Exchange For Sustainable Agriculture (MESA): MESA’s goal is to grow a global grassroots network of people dedicated to reviving community food systems. They offer several program areas such as learning, exchange, and food sovereignty, as well as a farm/grant project.
- Real Food Challenge: The mission of Real Food Challenge is to leverage the power of youth and universities to create a healthy, fair, and green food system. Their goal is to shift campus budgets away from industrial farms toward local and community based sources. They offer opportunities for jobs and getting your school involved.
Food Justice
- Agricultural Justice Project (AJP): AJP works to transform the existing agricultural system by seeking empowerment, justice and fairness for people who labor from farm to retail. Two main areas they work in are providing certification and technical assistance tools and raising awareness for the need to change the food system.
- Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW): CIW is a worker-based human rights organization. Their three main programs are the Fair Food Program, their Anti-Slavery Campaign, and the Campaign for Fair Food.
- Community to Community: Their mission is to reclaim our humanity by redefining power in order to end settler colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy in their external and internalized forms. Part of their work involves restoring justice to food, land, and cultural practices. Volunteer opportunities are available at Community to Community.
- National Black Farmers Association (NBFA): The NBFA is a nonprofit organization representing African American farmers in the US. Their work is focused on civil rights, land retention, access to public and private loans, education and agricultural training, and rural economic development for black and other small farmers.
Policy, Law, and Trade
- National Agricultural Law Center: This is the only agricultural law research and information facility that is independent, national in scope, and directly connected to the national agricultural information network. Food law is included in their work.
- National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC): NFFC is a nonprofit that promotes socially just farm and food policies and empowers family farmers to reduce corporate control of agriculture. They do their work through task forces on trade, farm and food policy, and credit.
- Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy (IATP): IATP’s mission is to work locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. They offer jobs and internships.
General + Miscellaneous
- AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps programs are national service opportunities dedicated to addressing critical community needs; there are three main kinds of programs.
- Intervale Food Hub: This Vermont food hub aims to bring more residents into the community food system. The producers for this hub are small and medium sized farms with organic, sustainable, and ethical practices.
- Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF): The foundation’s mission is to support and inspire fresh thinking and bold action on the history and future of plants, including the art and culture of plants, gardens and landscapes. They do this through programs that inspire and facilitate scholarship, public dialogue, and action. OSGF offers internships, fellowships, residencies, and jobs.
- Wallace Center: Their mission is to develop partnerships, pilot new ideas, and advance solutions to strengthen communities through resilient farming and food systems. They have numerous ongoing projects such as pasture projects, food hub collaboration, food safety, city food sector innovation and investment. Wallace Center offers both jobs and internships.