Do you have a deep passion and commitment towards work that is genuinely meaningful? Do you desire to put your work toward directly impacting people around you and changing lives through food and spaces?
If you have an aptitude for working with people, a willingness to reach out and connect and draw people into your work, and a desire to always be making things happen, we have a place for you where labor isn't just about the work, but is about changing lives.
We are looking for a Farm Hand in an urban community food setting who is handy and a bit of a jack of all trades. Responsibilities will range from operating small food production projects, to building sizable outdoor projects - from irrigation cisterns to elevated wood beds to agrivoltaics projects. But at the end of the day, the work is about nurturing food in low-income communities, and drawing lives from the local community into connection with food in our outdoor spaces.
The work itself for this position requires on-going building and landscaping community gardens, and the planting, care, and maintenance of food producing garden areas which encompass non-traditional, non-rural growing spaces, including food forests, elevated raised beds, pollinator spaces, learning areas, and more.
Our organization works to bring resources to bear upon life needs and whole person development of people and children within some of the poorest neighborhoods in urban Phoenix. We're in the business of building partnerships that will transform collections of houses into vibrant neighborhoods of hope and opportunity. At the very foundation of this work, is addressing rampant food inequity that impacts too many kids and families in our low income neighborhoods. Community food production is one component of our programming that encompasses many youth and food activities. But under the supervision of master gardening and sustainability staff, you'll help us hold this key food operation activity together, and keep it running smoothly.
This is a flexible position, that may vary in hours depending upon your skill set, and schedule is highly flexible. As a part-time position you'll work in coordination with the rest of our urban farm team to work 3-5 days a week, including Saturday mornings between 7-11am for volunteer events. Position also includes development opportunities in master gardening and urban agriculture for the right candidate.
Responsibilities:
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On a daily basis, help build, develop, and care for garden spaces, creating visible activity that constantly invites attention.
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Hands-on, coordinate supplies and help build elevated raised bed aquaponic systems, including water tanks, solar power, pumping and plumbing, and wooden beds.
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Groom and shape combination food sites, and continually carry out incremental development activities with various tools and machines, including potentially with a mini-tractor, backhoe, rotary tiller, blade, mowing deck, and Phoenix Toolbank inventory at your fingertips.
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Act as a host to visitors and community members who stop by, and help host volunteer and event days at the garden sites, including transporting tools and equipment, and opening and closing (clean up) of the site.
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Educate and guide guests, visitors, and volunteers, including acting as an activity director on volunteer days, and planning and operating these days in collaboration with other garden staff.
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Under direction of garden team and master gardener, maintain all systems and make sure all growing and harvest happens in good order, with an eye toward improving productivity.
Requirements:
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Ability to plan complex multi-step long term projects involving many participants required.
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Love of plants and trees and growing spaces, and a strong preference for orderliness and maintenance.
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Love for being outdoors, working hard, and shaping an outdoor space over the long term.
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Driver's license required, Class B or higher drivers license can be a plus. Comfort and experience driving box trucks and cargo vans (no special license).
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Familiarity with food production in a farm setting required, including soil management, plant choices, water/irrigation, growing in Phoenix climate,
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Good Horticulture Practice/Good Agriculture Practice experience and/or training a plus.
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Familiarity with aquaponics and fish stock tanks, as well as small scale residential chicken keeping a plus.
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Mechanical aptitude and hand and power tool experience required, including rough carpentry, basic plumbing, and low voltage electrical.
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Outdoor plumbing, residential or small commercial irrigation systems, solar experience a plus.
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Familiarity with farm equipment operation, care, and maintenance a plus (generally limited to Kubota mini-tractor in our projects, but occasionally involving excavators).
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Familiarity with tree and orchard care a plus.
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Enjoyment of working with youth and groups a plus.
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Spanish speaking a plus.
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Technology aptitude a plus.
Note, you'll be working in the midst of diversity, but also among many faith-based partners who deeply support our work. You should be comfortable working with faith partners and ideally within faith-based environments.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Internship
