Farmer Outreach Specialist - Philadelphia

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture•Philadelphia, PA

1d•Remote

About The Position

Mission: Cultivating environmentally sound, economically viable, community-focused farms and food systems Position overview: Do you have experience in urban growing environments and a passion for growing food system equity? We’re seeking a full-time Farmer Outreach Specialist to lead our outreach work in Philadelphia with systemically marginalized farmers, including farmers of color and veteran farmers. The Specialist will use Pasa’s community-based and on-farm approach to learn about the barriers that marginalized producers in Philadelphia face through personal relationship building. The Specialist will work to alleviate these barriers by connecting growers with partner resources and finding ways to make Pasa’s farmer training programs more accessible and equitable. The Farmer Outreach Specialist will focus these efforts in Philadelphia and will also work collaboratively with a team of Farmer Outreach Specialists from across Pennsylvania. The Farmer Outreach Manager will supervise the Specialist. This position entails remote-based work with regular local travel, including participation in field-based events, involvement in speaking engagements, and attendance at 2-3 annual in-person staff retreats. There will be some in-office workdays and 2-3 annual multi-day in-person staff retreats. All employees are required to attend our annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference, which takes place each February in Lancaster, PA. The person in this role is required to live in the Philadelphia area. If hired, employees have three months to relocate. Pasa does not provide relocation support. If you have questions, please inquire. Employees must comply with Pasa’s remote employee policies. This is a grant-funded position. It is funded by USDA FSA Cooperative Agreement through May 2028.

Requirements

Relevant agricultural production and/or technical support experience; urban-agriculture experience is preferred
Urban farming/growing, agricultural business, agricultural organization, or regional food systems experience
Commitment to maintaining a supportive, functional, service-oriented workplace
Passion for Pasa’s mission
Comfortability speaking about US federal programs
Ability to speak in front of large crowds / public speaking
Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice

Nice To Haves

Development and administration of educational programming experience
Strong professional networks in the urban agriculture community in the Philadelphia area
Familiarity with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), and/or other federal, state, and local programs
Professional working proficiency in Spanish and English

Responsibilities

Take and maintain a beyond-equity approach to open pathways for systematically marginalized producers to fully engage with and participate in federal, state, and local programs in unprecedented ways through providing technical assistance
With the Farmer Outreach Manager, develop, implement, and report on Pasa’s FSA Cooperative Agreement
Build and maintain local partnerships with urban growers and organizations in the Philadelphia service area
Coordinate and support soil sampling according to established protocols
Facilitate one-on-one engagement and local relationship building with systemically marginalized farmers in and around the Philadelphia service area
Identify and document grower’s needs and barriers
Coordinate with Pasa staff across teams to provide timely, relevant, and accessible information and technical assistance to urban growers in the position’s service area
Provide outreach, coordination, and technical assistance to urban growers seeking or appropriate for participation in USDA programs and services
Contribute to the development of conference and workshop programming that responds to the needs of urban growers in and around the Philadelphia service area