Tag Archives: foodandlabour

Ecological Farm Internships: Modes, Experiences, and Justice

Posted by Moss Dance on August 15, 2017

We are excited to share this report on ecological farm internships edited by Charles Z. Levkoe and Michael Ekers. Contributors to the report are farmers, past interns, non-profit organizations, and lawyers. The goal of the report is to “assess the implications and trajectories of the non-monetary exchanges of labour and education, among other things, taking place on ecological farms.” Read the report here: Ecological Farm Internships – Models, Experiences and Justice – Levkoe and Ekers (Interactive) The report takes a broad view of ecological farm internships—accounting for the need for labour on small farms, the educational benefits, as well as the risks and drawbacks … Continue reading Ecological Farm Internships: Modes, Experiences, and Justice →

#foodandlabour 3/3: Food Justice and The Face of Ecological Farm Interns in Ontario

Posted by Moss Dance on August 26, 2016

By Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers Originally published in the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario’s May-June 2016 newsletter, Volume 37, Issue 3. This article is the third in a series that describes the increasing numbers of non-waged interns working on ecological farms across Ontario. As farmers welcome those seeking seasonal farm experiences as a way to share knowledge and skills and to meet labour demands, our research has been exploring the broader implications of these trends. In this article, we look at who exactly is being trained to farm through ecological farm internships and the potential impact on the future … Continue reading #foodandlabour 3/3: Food Justice and The Face of Ecological Farm Interns in Ontario →

#foodandlabour 2/3: Squaring the Circle? Education, Work & Farm Internships

Posted by Moss Dance on June 17, 2016

By Michael Ekers and Charles Levkoe Originally published in the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario’s March-April 2016 newsletter, Volume 37, Issue 2. Are agricultural internships and volunteer positions strictly about addressing farms’ labour needs or are they a new model of farmer education and social movement building that is taking place beyond the confines of urban centres and post-secondary institutions? On the one hand, there is no doubt that forms of non-traditional labour are about work. There are many cases in which interns are working upwards of 60 hours a week on farms performing the labour that would normally be associated … Continue reading #foodandlabour 2/3: Squaring the Circle? Education, Work & Farm Internships →

#foodandlabour 1/3: Ecological Farming with Interns and Volunteers in Ontario

Posted by Moss Dance on May 17, 2016

By Michael Ekers and Charles Levkoe Originally published by Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario in Ecological Farming in Ontario, Volume 36, Issue 5. There are increasing numbers of interns, apprentices and volunteers working on small- and medium sized ecological farms across Ontario, but also across North America and Europe. More and more, farmers are looking to young people seeking farm experiences as a way to train the next generation of farmers and meet the labour demands of their operations. As readers will surely know, interns often exchange their labour for room and board, a stipend and importantly, training in organic, … Continue reading #foodandlabour 1/3: Ecological Farming with Interns and Volunteers in Ontario →