hot farmer in the city

November 11, 2008 11:47 AM

How do I break into the sustainable agriculture scene in Chicago?

So, I graduated from university in May, and have now wound up in Chicago, job-hunting in a recession. goooo planning!

Originally, I had planned to head into academia after taking a year or so off, but over the summer and the last few months, I’ve done a lot of thinking and realized I would like to do something more tangibly rewarding and something that I can see direct, positive results in the community around me. Also, I am in no way, shape or form ready to commit to a grad school program.

Local, sustainable food production and distribution is a passion of mine - I grew up on a small farm in coastal Maine gardening, cooking and helping round friends' bakeries and food co-ops. In university, I was involved in the campus food co-op, the city's Meals-on-Wheels organization and a small food collective committed to providing cheap vegan meals to students. I believe that inexpensive eating does not have to be mutually exclusive of local, sustainable or even necessarily organic and that encouraging both consumers and producers to focus on this issue is a real way to improve quality of life.

Ideally, i would love a job working in some way with sustainable food issues, be it production, distribution, coordination. I realize this is a vague job description, but ultimately, I would like to promote and expand access to local, sustainably grown foods.

Here is my question to you: how can I best go about achieving a job like this in Chicago?

I am aware of Chicago’s urban gardening programs – i.e. City Farm, Angelic Organics, etc., - and have been stalking NPO.net, Idealist and Craigslist. Should I be emailing or walking into every small organic grocery in Chicago? Any specific tips to gain an food-related, non-office job are much appreciated!

posted by chickadee to work & money (6 answers total)

Have you thought about doing an apprenticeship at an organic farm in the surrounding area? I'm not sure what kind of organization Illinois has but you might try joining WWOOF.

http://www.wwoofusa.org/
posted by sully75 at 12:51 PM on November 11, 2008

I am aware of Chicago’s urban gardening programs

Then you already have a collection of names and emails which you should be hammering with your resume.

Should I be emailing or walking into every small organic grocery in Chicago?

Er... are there such places? I'm not aware of any. Does Stanley's count? How about Cermac Fresh Produce?

Here's the deal: you need a job, you sort of know what direction you want to go. So get a job, any job, that will put you in touch with people who are doing what you want to do.

Maybe that means bagging groceries at Trader Joe's. Maybe it means volunteering with the park service. Maybe it means hustling all the "eat local" boosters in town... maybe it means you intern with whatever city agency is responsible for the Green Markets...
posted by wfrgms at 1:14 PM on November 11, 2008

Perhaps you coudl combine your interest in working in academia with the sustainable agriculture by applying to work at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. I heard a story about the school on NPR recently, and it sounds like a pretty interesting and cool place. While I was searching NPR.org for the school story, I ran across this tidbit about Growing Power that you might want to look into, as it says they have a Chicago satellite.
posted by Joh at 1:25 PM on November 11, 2008

When I've bought items at Green Market (or other farmer's markets in town), the people selling items have been chatty and friendly. Maybe talk to a few folks there (ideally getting some groceries too) and get some ideas...
posted by ejaned8 at 1:42 PM on November 11, 2008

Contact the education division at the Chicago Botanic Garden and put your question to them. They may be able to direct you through their educational programs and their network of local and regional farms, co-ops, children's programs and the Chicago HS for Ag Science mentioned by Joh.

I assume you've already tried this.

Try googling jobs + sustainable agriculture + Chicago. (Warning the first couple of links say there are no jobs in Chicago, scroll down, lots of resources there)
posted by nax at 6:00 PM on November 11, 2008

I'm doing a lot of work with community gardens down here in NC. The beauty of community gardens is that they address so many social and environmental issues all in one fell swoop. Food security--look for food shuttles and the like for community garden coordinators. Public health--nutrition and overweight/obesity programs, especially for children. Sustainability--you already know this approach.

Try looking also at the cooperative extension agencies. 4-H programs and the like.
posted by Stewriffic at 8:02 PM on November 11, 2008