{"id":12362,"date":"2011-05-31T15:33:47","date_gmt":"2011-05-31T21:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sustainablog.org\/?p=12362"},"modified":"2011-05-31T15:33:47","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T21:33:47","slug":"farming-apprenticeships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/farming-apprenticeships\/","title":{"rendered":"My New Favorite Trend: Farming Apprenticeships"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"family<\/a>
A family of farmers...<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While I may have been raised in the heart of Montana farm and ranchland, it wasn\u2019t until just recently (and after a move to the city) that I caught wind of the new trend in farming apprenticeships: volunteering one\u2019s time and energy to do farm work in trade for free room, board and education.\u00a0 In my mind, it seems a little like an informational-mini-vacay for the city-dweller and a little bit free slave labor for the lucky farmer (I say slave labor only because I can picture my dad putting some strapping gym-built city lad to serious work<\/em> doing all manner of awful, sweaty things like pitching 100 pound hay bales and hauling \u201cfertilizer\u201d from corral to garden with repetition).<\/p>\n

But, I happen to think the entire concept is brilliant and incredibly smart. \u00a0I can think of many I\u2019ve met here in Southern California that would give anything<\/em> for just a backyard to grow a few cherished heirloom tomato plants\u00a0 and many that spend their nights and days dreaming of a plot of land complete with fresh farm eggs and a milk cow out back.\u00a0 The opportunity to experience that and pick up a trade in case the day comes when they can<\/em> make it happen is fantastic (and even if they’ll never make it their livelihood — the information and experience gained is priceless). And, even better is that it\u2019s in exchange for helping out the over-worked farmer just trying to do his part in maintaining a semblance of sustainability in this crazy materialistic world.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s\u00a0 genius.<\/p>\n

Where to Find Farming a Farming Apprenticeship<\/h3>\n

The first two organizations I\u2019ve heard about (I don\u2019t doubt there are many others), are Grow Food<\/a> and Wwooof<\/a>.\u00a0 Grow Food stole my heart instantly with it\u2019s mission statement: \u201cto train a new generation of sustainable farmers and to reconnect people with farms.\u201d\u00a0 Whether you\u2019re searching for paid work, short term volunteer stints, a seasonal internship, or setting up an educational program for your kids or community, Grow Food is your go-to place.\u00a0 The site homepage allows you choose from \u201cFarms\u201d or \u201cPosts,\u201d depending on whether you need help on your own farm, or you\u2019d like to be put to work.\u00a0 After that, it\u2019s simply an opportunity to dive into the countless bios advertising family values, a dedication to organic and sustainable practices, and a huge sense of family and community.\u00a0 It\u2019s the kind of site that you should bookmark for those days when your disgust with humanity starts choking you.\u00a0 It\u2019ll reinstate your faith in humanity.\u00a0 I promise.<\/p>\n

Wwoof, or <\/em>World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is much like Grow Food, but much more extensive in terms of locale.\u00a0 You can opt to choose your search range by country, which makes a work-abroad learning experience right at your fingertips.\u00a0 It\u2019s mission statement is to \u201clink volunteers with organic farmers, promote and educational exchange and build a global community conscious of ecological farming practices.\u201d\u00a0 Clearly, I\u2019m smitten.\u00a0 Don\u2019t we need a whole heck of a lot more of this in our world?\u00a0 In our schools?\u00a0 In our cities and on our farms?<\/p>\n

Help a farmer and do yourself a favor in the meantime. \u00a0If you want to learn, I can\u2019t think of a better, more affordable, smart way to go about it. With the freedom to choose just the type of work that suits you, whether it\u2019s raising organic beets, tending to chickens or learning the dairy and cheese-making industry, the world is wide open with these opportunities.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen fruit orchards, working farmer\u2019s markets and bunking out under the stars tending livestock.<\/p>\n

If nothing else or no time allowance to up and go at the moment, I still say you should go read some bios and lift your spirits.\u00a0 Who knows, maybe you\u2019ll get inspired to put a chicken coop in your own backyard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Image<\/strong> via Hughespr<\/a>, Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Freelance author Tara Alley is passionate about sustainability and living green.\u00a0 She’s currently working on discovering the most eco-friendly ways to cool a house with an evaporative cooler or portable air conditioner<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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