THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED AND WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, April 6 - May 26, 2023
Elderberry Wisdom Farm is offering its Organic Farming Internship and the Native Agriculture Biodiversity Accelerator in the Spring of 2023, which will include microenterprise business ownership opportunities. This opportunity is for Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders who are interested in learning organic farming, using indigenous farming methods to grow healthy food for their community, and forming their own agricultural or horticultural microenterprise business
This 8-week internship includes 150 hours of classroom education, experiential service-learning activities, and mentoring from Native farmers, and training from educators who integrate Western science agriculture with indigenous practices. Classes are planned for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Thursday, April 6 through Friday, May 26, 2023. A $2,000 stipend will be awarded to those completing the training. Elderberry Wisdom Farm’s partnership with Chemeketa Community College will provide interns with tuition waivers for two additional academic horticultural and irrigation courses.
Our indoor classroom education will be held at our 2-acre farm near Salem, OR in the mornings. Interns will get hands-on training in the afternoons on our 11-acre farm in Aurora, OR. This farm has been maintained free of herbicides, pesticides and other contaminants for decades. We are applying for organic certification through Oregon Tilth, giving the interns an opportunity to learn how to transform a farm property into an organic operation.
We are also forming our Native American Farm Cooperative and Farmers Market, giving interns a ground-floor opportunity in farm cooperative planning. Your voice will be included in decision making as we develop the infrastructure of our Farm Coop and consult about future Farmers Markets being planned in partnership with the Salem Farmers Market and others nearby. The Northwest Cooperative Development Center is coordinating planning.
To apply:
Download the internship application below.
Email your completed application to Sara at info@elderberrywisdom.org.
Please feel free to email us with questions.
Our Mission: Elderberry Wisdom Farm provides opportunities for Native Americans, communities of color and public audiences to raise awareness of the rich cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge of America’s First Peoples. We work with diverse collaborative partners to provide educational and workforce opportunities so Native people can fulfill meaningful career pathway plans, strengthen health and wellness and achieve prosperity.