New York Program Associate

Who We Are

American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and helped thousands of farm families make a go of it (primarily through programs that increase farm viability and/or enhance farmland access). Long a pioneering leader, AFT is now riding a new wave of growth, driven by agriculture’s most pressing needs and opportunities.

Position summary

We are seeking a highly adaptable and creative relationship builder who can strengthen farm viability and institutional local purchasing by building sustainable value chains between local farms, K-12 schools, food hubs, and other institutions.  The Associate will work closely with the NY/NJ Deputy Director and the program team to plan and execute farm to institution projects that support American Farmland Trust’s goals of keeping farmers on the land, protecting farmland, and promoting sound farming practices.

The Program Associate plays an important role in fostering connections with institutional partners, building and maintaining collaborative networks with aligned stakeholders, developing resources and trainings for institutions and farmers, and providing ongoing coaching and technical assistance to institutions and farmers seeking to procure or sell NY food products.   

Duties and responsibilities 

• Lead planning and execution of the New York Farm to School Institute, our nine-month training program that supports school teams in the 3C’s of farm to school - community, classroom, and cafeteria – and farmers in selling and connecting to schools.   
• Support the development of a structured process to provide farmers with resources and coaching so they can be better prepared to sell to schools and other institutions. 
• Provide technical assistance (TA) to farmers and K-12 schools and other institutions interested in selling and purchasing local New York foods. TA can include making referrals, business planning, scaling up, production planning, infrastructure needs, procurement support, menu planning, etc. 
• Support design of workshops, trainings, and other professional development events. Occasionally lead the design and execution of trainings and workshops. 
• Build and coordinate a network of Institute alumni, managing a communications platform as needed. 
• Build and maintain relationships with farmers, food hubs, processors, distributors, school staff, and community organizations. 
• Support the policy manager with farm to school/institution advocacy efforts in NYS. 
• Develop evaluation metrics for educational tools and programs. Conduct light analysis on data following events and activities (e.g. number of attendees, number of beginning farmers, etc.).  
• Identify and assist with storytelling opportunities throughout the farm to institution value chain.  
• Represent AFT at farm to institution workshops, coalition meetings, conferences, and training sessions.   

This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be a reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.