Farmer Outreach Manager

SPROUT is seeking a part-time Farmer Outreach Manager in New Orleans, LA, to coordinate outreach and support for small-scale farmers. The role involves building trust with farmers, assisting with problem-solving, networking, and connecting them to resources. While the position requires some in-person work, it can be nearly fully remote. The ideal candidate should be proactive, creative, and ideally bilingual in Spanish and English.
ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND & POSITION CONTEXT:

Our mission is to support established and developing small-scale and sustainable farmers, community gardeners, and farm workers in Louisiana with technical and social support to build a stronger, more equipped community of growers in Louisiana and help all New Orleanians be part of a community food system. SPROUT pitches into our community food system in several ways: managing a community garden, cooperatively selling produce for farmers at a weekly market, supporting partner community gardens, and providing resources and support to farmers. In our Producers & Sustainability program area, the area in which this position resides, SPROUT works with farmers throughout the state in many different ways, from federal grant assistance, land access work, and to implement new on-farm practices. We’re here to help farmers either with the skills and tools we have or by connecting them to partners and agencies with expertise.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

This part-time position will coordinate statewide farmer outreach and intake in collaboration with SPROUT’s Producers & Sustainability Director. This position will help further SPROUT’s mission by building trust with farmers and helping to meet their needs for problem solving, building their business, networking and cooperative organizing, climate crisis resilience, agricultural policy advocacy, and making connections to external funding, services, and partners. The Manager does not need to know the answer to every question but must have the willingness and creative thinking to help a farmer find answers. The ideal candidate will be excited and willing to help farmers build their businesses and connect to one another, whether that’s through SPROUT’s programs or by connecting them to external services. The manager will also support SPROUT’s Community Food programming by connecting farmers to local resources. The manager position is half-time (~20 hrs/week), and the work is fluctuating; the position requires taking initiative on new projects and creative roles in support of our local food system. This role will be required to be in person in New Orleans sometimes, but it is workable for this position to be nearly fully remote. This position needs to have ease working in urban and rural communities and the ability to do statewide travel when needed. This role has the potential for growth into a full-time position in the future. Bilingual applicants (Spanish & English) are encouraged to apply.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Farmer Technical Assistance
• Meeting new farmers and working with them on assessing their needs and assets
• Continuing and strengthening existing relationships with small to midsize farmers in Louisiana
• Identifying gaps in farmer support and working with other SPROUT staff to fill those gaps
• Providing assistance to farmers to access SPROUT resources: cooler, tractor, tool library
• Networking farmers via gatherings, events, field days, etc, including Louisiana Sustainable Agriculture Gatherings and Climate Convenings
• Maintaining a database of farmers for advocacy and outreach for the state of Louisiana
• Coordinating disaster response as needed to support Louisiana farmers

Other Producers & Sustainability Responsibilities
• Participating in SPROUT’s educational programming to grow skills and ability to coordinate such programs, such as the climate cohort or urban agriculture cohort
• Conceiving of new projects and initiatives when there is need and capacity
• In Farm Bill years, this position may work on some policy and advocacy in bursts
• When there are time and capacity, teaching classes, organizing others to teach classes, and helping build farmer training programs
• Collaborating with other SPROUT staff and partners to support food-systems work in Louisiana
• Collaborates with SPROUT staff on other programs, as needed and as there is capacity, and participates in staff meetings
• Collecting data on outputs and outcomes for program monitoring and evaluation purposes
• In collaboration with directors and community leaders, coordinating farmer communication for community food aggregation efforts in response to natural disasters

DESIRED SKILLS & QUALITIES:
• Ability to prioritize people and community relationships over efficiency (for example, spending time catching up with farmers over the phone, going on farm visits, helping the farmers we work with)
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in both English and Spanish
• Experience organizing and teaching classes
• Ability to manage and build impactful relationships at work
• Connection to principles of food sovereignty
• Competency with farming and desire to build more skills in agriculture
• Organization, attention to detail, and willingness to build systems and create structure at SPROUT
• Understanding of Louisiana’s food system and farming sector
• History working in some combination of:
• Community/School gardens
• Farms
• Farmers Markets
• Nursery
• A belief in the mission and importance of creating a safe and inclusive space for BIPOC, veterans, women, and LGBTQ farmers

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL ABILITIES:
• Remaining in a stationary position 50% of the time
• Operating a computer, phone, and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, and printer
• Occasionally moving about inside an office
• Communicating information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information
• Observing details at close range
• Traversing uneven ground
• Lifting and moving agricultural equipment, like a BCS tractor
• Working in outdoor weather conditions in all manner of weather
• Ability and desire to do physical labor in service of projects, field days, etc

COMPENSATION:

Starting salary is $25,000-30,000 annually for this half-time role, commensurate with experience, with paid holidays, sick days, vacation, and 401k with employer match. This role has potential to grow into a full time role ($50,000-$60,000, commensurate with experience, and including health benefits).

TO APPLY:

Email a cover letter and resume to info@sproutnola.org with “farmer outreach manager” in the subject line.

We recognize that skills that serve this position may be obtained creatively and encourage applicants to consider how their unique skills would strengthen SPROUT’s mission. SPROUT is open to hearing about the diverse experiences that qualify a candidate who doesn’t perfectly match the description outlined above.