Urban Farming Volunteer Learning Program 2017 - Apply Now

Apply now! Urban Farming Learning Program with Farmers on 57thThe Farmers on 57th market garden is seeking Learning Program volunteers for the 2017 season! This full season learning experience will immerse you into the world of ecological farming. It is a practical hands-on experience where you exchange your labour and commitment for our instruction, supervision and mutual commitment.Farmers on 57th is an urban farm on Vancouver Coastal Health land on 57th Avenue near Cambie Street, in Vancouver, BC. The market garden grows beautiful organic veggies for distribution through a CSA program. We also grow and market cut flower bouquets. We operate on the grounds of George Pearson Centre, home to 120 people living with disabilities. There are a number of community related projects run on site that apprentices will have exposure to.Volunteers commit to at least 6 hrs working with us in the garden per week, from mid-March until the end of October. The more time you spend working with us in the garden the more you get out of the learning experience. Work days are Tuesdays and Fridays, with occasional Wednesdays and Saturdays.We are looking for 6-8 people with strong self initiative who enjoy a mix of team and independent work and also understand that they play a pivotal role in building community in the garden. You must be physically sound and comfortable with manual work in all kinds of weather. You will receive a weekly portion of the “farmer’s take” of seasonal vegetables as well as the satisfaction of learning to farm every step of the season from bed preparation, seeding, crop maintenance and harvest all the way to market.Duties include:

• Tilling
• Amending with compost
• Irrigating
• Prepping beds
• Weeding
• Transplanting
• Direct seeding
• Potting
• Hanging mesh and adding trellis
• Harvesting
• Preparing CSA boxes
• Interacting with Pearson Residents, CSA members & general public

Skills and Requirements: 

• Interest and willingness to learn about organic gardening
• Commitment to work through growing season
• Physical ability to perform manual labour
• Ability to learn skills and work independently
• Understanding of the relationship between community gardening and advancement of community connection

Skills and experience you will gain from volunteering with us this summer:

• soil health: nutrient balancing, composting, soil erosion, cover crops
• crop rotation
• irrigation systems
• beneficial organisms
• organic pest control
• how to prepare beds, seed, transplant
• harvesting
• ability to prepare own garden and trouble shoot problems as they arise
• connect gardening with community health: in terms of healthy food and community development

For more information about our farm visit www.www.farmerson57th.ca.Application deadline: March 1, 2017To apply: please submit your application to Karen at karen@farmerson57th.ca with answers to the following questions –

1. What’s your motivation for wanting to be a season long volunteer with Farmers on 57th?
2. How does this volunteer opportunity fit into your future plans and how would it fit into your weekly schedule?
3. What is your gardening and/or food growing background?
4. Are you able to commit for the entire growing season? Do you foresee any obstacles to fulfilling this commitment?
5. What other relevant skills and experience do you have?

Many thanks!If you would like to get involved with Farmers on 57th but can’t commit to a season-long volunteer position contact us with ideas about how you’d like to be involved.