Type: summer job / summer student position
Organization: Common Roots Urban Farm
Website: http://partnersforcare.ca/urban_farm
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Common Roots Urban Farm is a commu
nity farm which functions as a piece
of health infrastructure. There are multiple parts of the garden: the
community garden, the market garden, and commons. The quarter-acre
market garden is managed by our Market Garden Coordinator and her crew
of Deep Roots program participants who grow healthy vegetables for the
Parker Street Food Bank. Market garden products are also sold both
wholesale and retail.
We are looking for a summer student to support our farm sales. The
summer student will be responsible for helping prepare our crops for
market, maintaining the market stand, and processing the data
post-market. We are looking for an energetic, thoughtful,
detail-oriented student who is happy to work outside during the
summer. This individual manages the market stand, which includes
running our on farm and off farm markets, administration and record
keeping of market and wholesale sales and occasional assistance on the
farm, ie. cultivating, harvesting, transportation and packaging. We
are looking for someone interested in farming and community food
networks. The farm is still young: this will be a dynamic and
challenging summer work opportunity.
Position will be supervised by the Project Coordinator and supported
by the Market Garden Coordinator. This position is contingent upon
funding through Canada Summer Jobs.
Average 40 hours a week including some evenings and weekend work.
$10.40/hr for 16 weeks. Begins May 11th to August 31th·
Duties Include
• Manage on farm and off farm market stands including:
• Help transport harvest and materials to market
• Help set up market stand
• Engage with customers
• Ensure we have packaging and marketing materials available
• Assist in keeping detailed records of production and sales
• Assist in harvest, arrangement and delivery of flowers
• Assist in harvest, packaging and delivery of wholesale vegetables as needed
• Create reports that are publicly accessible showing our production
and distribution data
• Assist with social media photographic and written content
Required Skills and Experience
• Motivated and energetic
• Organized and able to create new systems ie. checklists, spreadsheets
• Good writing and math skills
• Friendly and good with the public
• Able to work in a team setting made up of staff and volunteers
• Able to work outside for many hours in various weather conditions
• GoogleDrive and spreadsheet familiarity
Desirable skills
• Basic gardening skills
• Flower-arranging
• Photography
Workplan Timeline
Monthly Schedule
• May: Orientation to farm and procedures. Farming help.
• June: Sales and farming help.
• July: Work market stand. Sales and farming help.
• August: Work market stand. Sales and farming help.
Weekly Schedule
Monday: paperwork
• 6 hours.
• Work from home or together in central library.
• Do data-entry of all market garden production and sales as per
Record Keeping Process.
Tuesday: on-farm.
• 8 hours.
• 10am to 6:30pm. Half hour lunch.
• Morning: harvest,
• Afternoon: packing, market stand set up, customer service, take down
& clean up.
Wednesday: paperwork & on-farm
• 6 hours
• 9am – 4pm. One hour lunch
• Morning: paperwork: Do data-entry of all market garden production
and sales as per Record Keeping Process
• Afternoon: staff support on the farm, including working with groups.
Thursday: on-farm & Hydrostone
• 8 hours
• 10am to 6:30pm. Half hour lunch.
• Morning: harvest.
• Afternoon: packing, market stand transport and set up, customer
service, take down & clean up.
Friday: on-farm
• 7 hours
• 10am to 5:30pm. Half hour lunch
• Morning: staff support on the farm.
• Afternoon: staff support on the farm, including working with groups
and support of workshops or Culture Kitchen.
• Daily farming duties include, but are not limited to: weeding,
planting, mulching, applying amendment, removing blight from tomato
plants, harvesting, etc.
To Apply
Apply by 4:00pm Sunday April 27th. Email a cover letter and resume
(including contact information for two references) to Jayme Melrose
at:
commonroots@partnersforcare.ca
Call (902) 441-4288 with any questions.
This is a Canada Summer Jobs position; candidates must be between 15 –
30 years of age, be registered as a full time student in the previous
academic year and intend to return to school on a full time basis in
the next academic year. In addition, candidates must have/be
physically fit to work outdoors in all conditions.
Common Roots Urban Farm is committed to employment equity and
encourages applications from traditionally under-represented groups
such as women, visible minorities, First Nations, and persons with
disabilities.
We thank all applicants for their time and interest, but only
shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
This is a social enterprise, run by a non-profit charity; the funds
will be reinvested into Common Roots Urban Farm for the mission of
“promoting healthy lifestyles and landscapes through hands-on
education.” Our vision is “an urban farm in every neighbourhood to
build a community of people connected to their food, each other, and
the natural world”.
partnersforcare.ca/urban_farm
@CRUrbanFarm
