Apprenticeships
Find or Start Your Neighborhood Farm
One day every neighborhood in Austin will have its own farm and weekly farm stand run and supported by neighbors who live within walking/biking distance of where their food is grown.
You can join neighbors across Austin who are working with UP to start their own farm! It all begins with a series of Community Conversations sparked by one or two people. We’ll help!
If you never thought of yourself as a community organizer, you’d be surprised! It just starts with one questions to a friend or neighbor, “hey, if we grew fresh veggies in the neighborhood, would you eat them?!” You can do it! We’ll help you!
Become an Urban Farmer | Community Cultivator
One vital aspect of UP’s mission is to train and support new farmers through a multi-year Urban Farmer apprenticeship. During the first year of a new neighborhood farm an Apprentice Farm Manager works very closely with UP while their new farm is in planning stages.
Apprentices participate in an intensive weekly program designed to teach technical skills and community organization methods to make them successful leaders in their neighborhood food system. Training is hands-on and Apprentice Farm Managers work side by side with seasoned farmers on all aspects of running an existing UP farm.
Apprentices are also encouraged to spend volunteer and workshare time on other farms and community garden projects in and around Austin to gain a balanced perspective of how food is grown in the region.
Apprentices then work to develop a farm plan that is specific to their community. At the end of the first training season, the apprentice will have laid the foundation in his/her community to start a working co-op.
In the second year the Apprentice Farm Manager runs the new neighborhood farm with UP’s support and developmental guidance in community building, crop and budget planning, financial sustainability and other needs. UP will continue to provide advice, support and periodic training to each UP neighborhood farm for as long as they wish.
This training program is currently in development and the aim is to create a model that can be used by neighborhood farm projects nationwide.
Contact us through our online contact form here: Instant SignUP to let us know you would like to talk more about what it means to go through our Urban Farmer Apprenticeship program.
