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Elk Root Conservation in Vallican, BC is seeking a Community Food Gardens – Farm Worker Assistant!
ABOUT Elk Root Conservation
Elk Root Conservation (ERC) is a certified organic educational demonstration farm and not-for-profit located on the traditional unceded lands of the Sinixt (sn̓ʕay̓čkstx) Peoples, what has become known as Vallican, BC in the Slocan Valley.
The ERC Regenerative Educational Community Food Gardens apply cutting edge regenerative agricultural practices. We call our innovations ERC’S ORAA (Organic Regenerative Agriculture Advancements). We strive to not just meet organic standards, but to find creative ways to adapt to meet the challenges of the day, to support food security & sovereignty for generations to come. The results include groundbreaking food production design and practice standards that are applied to all of our growing endeavours.
The Regenerative Educational Community Food Gardens grow an abundance of produce primarily for our Community Food Box Program. A program which provides community members facing food insecurity with fresh produce, weekly, during our growing season. To fund this program we also operate a small, paid, CSA program.
Our vision is a thriving fish, wildlife and human population in the Little Slocan River watershed, the Slocan Valley and throughout British Columbia that is functioning and sustainable.
Our not-for-profit mission is to alleviate food insecurity and inspire ecological stewardship by offering inclusionary and empowering learning opportunities through research, innovation, and hands-on education at Elk Root Conservation’s Educational Demonstration Farm. We focus on ecological stewardship, wildlife conservation, regenerative organic agriculture, pollinator wellness and protection, sustainability, and local food security. We believe that environmental protection and food production should go hand-in-hand.
DESIRED QUALITIES
• Previous farm experience an asset but not necessary
• Ability to work independently and remain self-motivated
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Punctual and self-organized
• Problem-solving abilities
• Passion for environmental stewardship and feeding community
• Accepting/welcoming of positive constructive feedback
• Adaptable and thrives in a fast-paced work environment
• Technical knowledge of plant identification an asset
• Ability to perform strenuous physical work in all weather conditions for the entire season
• Can-do attitude, willing to support and pitch-in to assist team members as needed
POSITION TASKS
As the ERC Community Food Gardens – Farm Worker Assistant at not-for-profit Elk Root Conservation (ERC), you will play an essential role in working in our certified organic Regenerative Educational Community Food Gardens (RECFG), a groundbreaking food production design that addresses hunger relief in an organic regenerative way. At Elk Root Conservation we believe that local food security and protecting the planet go hand-in-hand. ERC’s Organic Regenerative Agriculture Advancements, which we have named ‘ORAA’ are innovative techniques including climate adaptive and chemical-free approaches to create biodiverse, productive and environmentally regenerative food garden environments.
As part of the job, the candidate will be growing, harvesting, packing and distributing fresh food for our Community Food Box Program (CFBP) in collaboration with Circle of Indigenous Nations (COINS) and our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. The job will involve a diverse array of tasks related to these projects.
• Directly assist with all tasks related to the RECFG, the Community Food Box Program, and the CSA Program.
• Weeding (a lot), starting seeds, planting starts, shrubs, transplants, and fruit trees.
• Pruning, deadheading, wheelbarrowing, mowing, weed whacking, edging, etc.
• Garden ground prep such as garden bed digging, compost building, irrigation, applying plant nutrition, mulching, and non-toxic organic pest management.
• Food harvesting, fluming, and packing.
• Erecting greenhouses, fencing, trellises, and other farm structure construction.
• Assisting with ERC’s environmental education program delivery on-site for the community from children to seniors.
• Interacting with the public at the farm stand, food delivery, Farmer’s Markets and other community events on and off farm.
• Perform general farm tasks and related inventory management, including but not limited to the production, storage, and distribution of food.
You will engage in a dynamic blend of independent work, collaborative efforts in pairs and teams. At Elk Root Conservation, we all pitch in to maintain the order and cleanliness of the demonstration farm’s public spaces inside and out. As such, you will be required to participate in the cleaning and organization of personally designated tools, general tool and equipment maintenance, wash station clean-up, and washroom facility clean-up after your own personal use to ensure everyone’s safety. Organization and maintaining cleanliness of facilities including the Bee Barn, warehouse, shed spaces, wash station, washroom facility and public use spaces will also be a shared responsibility of the entire team.
POSITION DETAILS
Term: Late April to Late October
Hours per week: 35 hours/ week
Wage: $22/ hour
TO APPLY
Submit Cover Letter and Resume to the following link:
https://forms.monday.com/forms/5cdb3db07b6242775891901a199f624e?r=use1 elkrootconservation@gmail.com
Deadline to apply:
When applying, please mention you saw this posting at youngagrarians.org
Please note that Young Agrarians does not have the capacity to pre-screen job opportunities. Please screen your potential employer to ensure that you are entering into a fair exchange that meets your needs and expectations. Try asking the farm for references of past workers, or ask people in the community if you are unsure.
LEARN MORE ABOUT Elk Root Conservation
Website: https://www.elkrootconservation.org/
Facebook: Elk Root Conservation Farm Society
Instagram: @elkrootconservation
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