CAFF’s Ecological Farming program area works to improve the health, productivity, and resiliency of California agroecosystems through the promotion, research, and demonstration of ecological farming practices and systems that conserve and regenerate natural resources such as biodiversity, soil and water, and adapt to and mitigate the stresses brought on by climate destabilization. The Ecological Farming program area works with farmers, researchers and technical assistance providers in Central and Northern California to carry out projects including, but not limited to: Biologically Integrated Farming Systems; Ecological Pest Management; Adaptations to Climate Extremes; Understanding Barriers and Motivations to Adoption for Soil Health Practices; Integrated Crop Livestock Systems; and Healthy Soils Practice Implementation. A growing area of the Ecological Farming program, as well as CAFF, is to increase access to Ecological Farming among communities that have historically been left out of research, extension and technical assistance efforts, with particular focus on Latinx farming communities. We are working to increase the relevance and accessibility of Ecological Farming through centering farmer experience and welcoming perspectives of diverse backgrounds and communities.
The position is preferred in Davis, CA and particularly Northern California, given frequent trips to the Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin Valleys. Additional travel will be required throughout California for extension and technical assistance efforts.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
% Time — Description
30% – Lead and Support EF Farmer Knowledge Sharing and Extension Efforts
Support the management and tracking of extension deliverables including field days, webinars, farmer forums, podcasts, videos, etc
In collaboration with EF team, plan, coordinate and organize EF extension events
In collaboration with EF team, conduct outreach to promote extension events, resources and project updates through email, Action Network, social media, the CAFF website and other platforms as needed
Attend and participate in relevant extension events on behalf of EF team
Lead communications with UC Small Farms Program and other extension providers
In collaboration with EF team, lead the development and analysis of surveys for reporting and improvement of extension events
Conduct interviews of partnering farms to evaluate impact of on-farm projects
30% – Lead and Support EF Technical Assistance Activities
Lead the integration and management of technical assistance efforts across multiple farmer grant opportunities (Soil Health, Integrated Pest Management, Pollinator Habitat), including guiding farmers to the appropriate CAFF staff to receive support
Lead the tracking and evaluation of technical assistance activities
Provide one-on-one technical assistance to farmers around the implementation of ecological farming practices and principles, including farm visits as needed
Provide one-on-one application assistance to farmers applying for farmer grant opportunities
Provide one-on-one technical assistance to farmers implementing awarded projects
Connect farmers with other farmers utilizing specific ecological farming practices, when appropriate and helpful
15% – Support Program Management, Implementation and Tracking
Provide support to EF staff implementing projects on topics including adaptations to climate extremes, barriers and motivations to adoption, integrated crop livestock systems, biologically integrated farming systems and soil health
Provide support on tracking project implementation and deliverables for program evaluation and grant reporting
15% – Ecological Farming Team Activities
Attend Ecological Farming Program Team meetings
Contribute to Ecological Farming program strategy and planning discussions
Contribute to strategy for cross-programmatic collaborations
Contribute to grant development, writing and reporting processes as needed
Utilize EF team systems to track activities and tasks, including G suite, Salesforce and Slack
Assist with EF program activities as needed, including outreach and events, resource development, field work, etc.
5% – Support EF Field Work
Support field work for on-farm research and demonstration projects as needed, including but not limited to Ecological Pest Management projects
5% — General CAFF responsibilities
This person will be an important member of CAFF’s Ecological Farming Team and work closely with all members of the team on various projects.
Participate in weekly All-Staff meetings and annual All-staff gatherings
Represent CAFF by participating in community activities and events as necessary
Educational and Work Experience
Master’s degree in sustainable agriculture, soil science, entomology or agronomy preferred
At least 5 years of experience working professionally, ideally in sustainable agriculture
Experience working on-farms and/or with farmers around sustainable agriculture
Experience in project management, implementation and tracking
Experience working with culturally diverse communities is preferred
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Strong understanding of sustainable/ ecological farming practices and principles
Expertise in agroecology, soil health and/or integrated pest management
Strong ability to work independently and remotely and also work as part of a team
Strong organizational skills with an ability to handle competing demands
Ability recognize and adapt to changing priorities within programmatic work
Ability to develop and implement systems for project tracking and evaluation
Ability to communicate principles of sustainable agriculture to lay audiences of various educational and cultural backgrounds
Strong English language written and oral communication skills
Strong interpersonal skills
Ability to organize events
Ability to travel frequently to farms for extension events and technical assistance
Strong computer skills, including above average knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, Google Suite, and WordPress or similar
Bilingual in English and Spanish strongly preferred
Familiarity with social media platforms preferred: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
Experience preferred with Canva, Salesforce and Adobe Creative Cloud
Experience in grant writing, reporting and management preferred
Experience supervising staff preferred
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and references with the subject line “[Ecological Farming Program Specialist]” to jobs@caff.org by October 9, 2023. Requests for sample work may be made further along in the application process.