Job opening - Urban Agriculture Coordinator, East New York Farms! Project

Responsibilities:

• Recruit and train new and experienced gardeners from East New York and surrounding communities in urban production for market (primarily vegetable production, possibility of chicken raising and bee-keeping)
• Lead and coordinate trainings for gardeners, as well as provide individual technical assistance
• Organize local gardeners and develop their capacity to support each other, sell at the farmers market, and oversee a micro-loan fund
• Provide group development assistance to 20-30 members of new 1/2 acre urban farm, and assist them in further developing the farm
• Supervise and support Urban Farm Manager in cultivating and maintaining a half-acre urban farm
• Co-supervise and train teens (ages 13-16) to grow vegetables, serve other neighborhood gardeners, and help run the farmers’ market
• Assist with designing and leading lessons to build skills and help youth understand the social context of their work
• Track and assist with reporting activities to funders
• Support farmers’ market operations
• Support outreach/promotion efforts of project

Qualifications:

• At least one full season of growing experience, primarily in small fruit and vegetable production
• Experience facilitating trainings for both youth and adults
• Experience working with diverse communities and individuals
• Responsible and able to work independently
• Drivers’ license a must
• Ability to work weekends (work week is Tuesday – Saturday from March through November) and occasional evenings
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Spanish language skills a plus

This is a full-time position with full benefits

Position will start part-time February 1, 2008 (for training) and become full-time March 1, 2008.

Please send resume and cover letter by December 14, 2007 to:

Sarita Daftary

East New York Farms! Project Director

info@eastnewyorkfarms.org

The mission of the East New York Farms! Project is to organize youth and adult residents to address food issues in their community by promoting local and regional sustainable agriculture and community-led economic development.

VISIT US AT OUR *NEW* LOCATION  - New Lots and Schenck Aves

#3 train to Van Siclen ; B15, B83, B6

September 1: FLAG DAY

Celebrate Carnavale!

Join us for a celebration of Carnvale, with reggae, dancehall, soca, and calypso all day

Visit our West Indian vendors selling fish cakes, beef patties, bake & salt fish, sorrel, seamoss, &  more!

Come wearing your favorite flag and win a FREE GIFT!

September 15:

Canning demonstration with Classie Parker of Five Star Garden, 10 am

September 22: FREE ICE CREAM

Help the Five Boroughs Ice Cream Company to create a NEW “East New York” ice cream flavor.

Sample their flavors and suggest your own—11 am—2pm

September 29:

Composting Workshop with Olympus Garden Club, 10:30 am

October 6:

Seed Saving Workshop with Fareed and Wajeedah Hightower-Beyah, 10:30 am

October 13: CHILDREN’S DAY

Dance Performance and Workshop with the Salaam Debkah Group, 12 pm*

Cooking demonstration and samples of delicious Middle Eastern food

Face painting; FREE coloring books for the first 50 children

Learn to make your own baby food! with Ena Nemley of Fordham-Bedford Garden, 11 am

October 27: PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY FOR FALL FUN ALL DAY LONG

Pumpkin Painting - Bobbing for apples - Marshmallow roasting

Freshly-pressed apple cider with Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum

* This event is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts. In Kings County the Decentralization Program is administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc (BAC)

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070730/johnson

http://www.plentymag.com/features/2007/07/a_zucchini_grows_in_brooklyn.php

  VISIT US AT OUR *NEW* LOCATION  - New Lots and Schenck Aves

#3 train to Van Siclen ; B15, B83, B6

June 30: OPENING DAY!

Performance by The Soul Shakers, 11 am

The members of this vocal group preserve the sounds of classical doo-wop and R&B from the 1950s and 1960s. The Citigroup Foundation is proud to sponsor the 2006-2007 Neighborhood Concert Series, a program of The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. Neighborhood Concerts are funded in part by the New York City Council 

July 7: Gardening Workshop with Solita Stevens, Olympus Garden Club, 10:30 am

FREE Food-Stamp Pre-Screenings, find out if you’re eligible!

July 21: CELEBRATE HAITIAN CULTURE*

Dancing and drumming with La Troupe Zetwal, 11am

Cooking demonstration by MaryLou Calvaire, 12pm

Storytelling in English and Creole, Bernadette Francois, 11 am

FREE Food Stamp Pre-Screenings, find out if you’re eligible!

August 4: EAT IN, ACT OUT DAY

FREE seeds to start your own garden

Urban Gardening Workshop—10 am

Take the Tomato Taste Test, and pick your own FREE cherry tomatoes

FREE Food Stamp Pre-Screenings, find out if you’re eligible

August 11: CELEBRATE AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE*

Traditional American tap dance with the Young Hoofers, 11am

Cooking demonstration by Johanna Willins, 12pm

August 18: FREE Food Stamp Pre-Screenings, find out if you’re eligible

August 25: HEALTH & WELLNESS DAY

Medicinal Herbs, with Johanna Willins 11am

Workshop on Benefits of Massage, by Nayda Maymi, followed by FREE massages, at 10 am and 12 pm

Blood sugar screenings provided by Betty Shabazz Health Center

FREE cookbooks for the first 50 customers

Holistic health info with Ameet Maturu, TheIntuitiveCook.com

* These events are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts. In Kings County the Decentralization Program is admininstered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc (BAC)

Representatives from the East New York Farms! Project will speak about our work in improving our neighborhood at the launch of the Project for Public Spaces' new book "The Great Neighborhood Book."

Project for Public Spaces kindly thanks the Cobble Hill Association, The Book Court, Smith & Vine, Stinky Cheese and Christ Church for their support of this event.

        On a beautiful saturday in April New York Cares volunteers came to the UCC youth Farm to help us prepare for this season. A group of 25 people helped by weeding, creating a raised bed, working on our compost pile, laying black plastic, double digging, and cleaning our pond. It was a lot of hard work and we are vey thankful that our volunteers could help us out.

Pictures taken by our volunteers can be found by clicking the following link:

http://photo-ra.com/ny%20cares%20volunteers/intro1.html

As you pass by the corner of New Lots and Alabama Avenues you may notice something unusual happening on this land that has been abandoned for over a decade. On Monday April 16^th, the jurisdiction of this lot was transferred from HPD (The Department of Housing Preservation and Development) to GreenThumb (the part of the Parks Department that deals with community gardens) so that East New York Farms! can begin farming there!

For the past four months East NY Farms! has been involving community residences in a participatory planning process in making decisions on how the project will proceed. As a group we have had four meetings where we developed by-laws and a landscape design.

As the spring has arrived we have gotten permission to use this plot of land to build an urban farm and a community gathering space. During the week of April 16^th 14 truckloads of soil, compost, and woodchips, has been delivered in preparation for the growing season.

On April 21^st, we hosted a workday where community residents, as well as over 50 volunteers from NY Cares cleaned up the site, and began to build raised beds and paths.

On Wednesday May 9^th,we will be having a planning meeting where we will be reviewing our farm plan, and dividing the land. We encourage you to attend the meeting and provide any insights you may have concerning this site. The meeting will be located at the United Community Center, 613 New Lots Avenue, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

This is a community-based project and if you are interested in garden space, and growing food for market, feel free to contact Jonah Braverman at

(718) 649-7979 Ext. 14 for additional information or check out our website at www.eastnewyorkfarms.org

East New York Farms will be hosting two workshop series for new gardeners. 

March 21st from 5:30pm-7:30pm

First Workshop: Garden Planning-Creating a garden, spacing, timing, harvesting, and seasonality 

April 4th from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Second Workshop: Planting Techniques and Growing for Market, Starting Seeds, irrigation, weeding, pest control, and market development  

Location: Brooklyn Public Library, New Lots Branch 665 New Lots Avenue

Contact Jonah at 718-649-7979 x. 28 for more info