Young Agrarians BC is hiring land matchers! Are you a connector? An intuitive networker? That person in your friend group who always has the dirt on hot jobs and cool apartments? Do complete strangers tell you their life story at the drop of a hat? Did you once set up your friends from college, and now they’ve got kids and you gave a speech at their wedding and they send you a thank you card every year?
Young Agrarians needs people with that magic matchmaking quality to connect farmers seeking land with farmland owners who have land to lease. If you’ve got equal parts people skills, passion for local food systems, and a desire to spend hours poring over the BC Land Title Act, we’d love to hear from you!
Young Agrarians is on the hunt for talented communicators and project managers who understand the agricultural landscape to provide land access “extension services” through the Young Agrarians Land Matching Program. Land Matchers will help farmland owners asses their land opportunity, support farmers to become ready to access land and start a farm business, provide hands-on, personalized matchmaking to find the right land/farmer fit, facilitate the development of a legal land agreement, and provide follow up support to farmers and landowners.
About Young Agrarians:
Young Agrarians, a partnership with FarmFolk CityFolk Society, is a farmer2farmer resource network for new and young entrants to agriculture. We are focused on supporting the next generation to take up the art and science of farming. The Young Agrarians Land Matching Program is a collaboration with Quebec’s ARTERRE.
Location
We are currently hiring for positions in the Lower Mainland, Cowichan Valley, Okanagan, and Columbia Basin. Travel between potential landowners’ properties is necessary. Geographic catchment region will be developed during this pilot expansion phase.
Roles & Responsibilities
- Identify available farmland by working closely with landowners, local governments, agricultural organizations, and other farmers and partners / service providers in the region to assess land suitability and determine land access opportunities;
- Coordinate and delivery Land Link events to develop relationships with landowners, land seekers, and community leaders;
- With a risk management lens, screen new farmers, landowners and potential land opportunities, providing relevant resources where appropriate for both parties;
- Maintain information on new farmer profiles, available land and landowners;
- Identify needs of new farmers to assess enterprise readiness and provide support and resources to ensure their success during and after the farmland matching process;
- Where a successful relationship ensues between two parties, facilitate negotiations and support the development of the terms of the arrangement with the support of a lawyer.
- Support storytelling and reporting through collecting testimonials and maintaining program metrics.
QUALIFICATIONS: Essential
- You have experience and/or education in farming and food systems, such as a Bachelor’s degree with a focus in agriculture, or experience delivering technical assistance to farmers in areas such as farmland assessment and business planning.
- You are detail-oriented, highly motivated and have the ability to meet deadlines and make progress without direct supervision, as part of a remote team.
- You are fluent with Google Drive, MS Office, social media platforms, Mailchimp, and WordPress.
- You are able to outreach, facilitate, and communicate both in writing and verbally with empathy, curiosity, engaged listening, and attention to detail.
- You can write creative communications content and facilitate structured conversations; you possess a joy for working with people.
- You have strong proven leadership and decision making capacities with a willingness to “do what it takes” to get the job done.
- You are looking for a flexible schedule with some evenings and weekends required.
- You have a valid BC driver’s license and vehicle.
Assets
- You have a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach to community engagement;
- You have experience in agronomy, soil science, real estate, and/or business planning;
- You have experience in negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution;
- You have the aptitude for / or ability to understand and explain regulatory frameworks in easy to understand terms such as the ALC, BC Land Titles Act, BC Farm Classification, municipal bylaws;
- You are familiar with local and regional food systems and an existing network of relationships within the agricultural community;
- You have experience working with regional/municipal and provincial governments.
Compensation: $25/hour to start, rate negotiable after a trial period of three months. Total hours 120/month to start (30 hours a week). Contractor must have their own computer, phone and vehicle. Work km’ will be reimbursed.
Young Agrarians embraces diversity, and we are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.
Start Date: As soon as possible! New Land Matchers will need to attend a 4-day training in the Lower Mainland in July.
To apply: Please send a resume and cover letter c/o Sara Dent to: farm@youngagrarians.org by 5 pm July 9th, 2018. Please include “Land Matcher” and your geographic region in the email subject line, e.g. Land Matcher Okanagan. Email a single attachment saved with your first and last name as the file name with a one page cover letter and resume sent as one PDF document.
If you read this job description after the expiration date and want to send your resume in because you have the qualifications and this is your dream job, please do send your information in.
No phone calls please. Thank you to all applicants.