On Sunday, the New York Times reported on the growing number of internships at organic farms. For story click here. Katherine L. Adams of the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service reported,
1,400 farms sought interns this year, almost triple the number two years ago. The number of small farms, which attract the new agrarians and can use the cheap, enthusiastic help, has grown sharply since 2003, according to the department.The Maine Organic Farmers and Garden Association has also seen an increase in applications this year, up from on average to 75 a year to 200 this year and with more coming in every day. One organic farmer, Dru Rivers with Full Belly Farm, has seen the number of applications triple from last year. With a recession and grim job hunts working on organic farms is seen as a way to act upon the growing enthusiasm for locally grown food. According to one of the summer interns, Jamie Katz,
“food policy is much more personal than deforestation or global warming. “Everyone eats, and everyone has a vested interest in this, he said.”The story does highlight that conventional agricultural internships, with companies such as Monsanto and other large farms have been in decline for the past decade.
Posted: 05/26/09
