FIC FARMLAND PROTECTION RESEARCH INTERN

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, 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. 

The Farmland Information Center (FIC) is a clearinghouse for information about farmland protection that serves people working to save farm and ranch land for agriculture. It is a project of AFT, maintained on behalf of and with support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The FIC website (www.farmlandinfo.org) offers a comprehensive collection of resources about farmland and ranchland protection, on-farm conservation and agricultural viability.

The Position
The Farmland Protection Research Intern will assist the Farmland Information Center with tracking farmland protection efforts nationwide and conducting relevant policy research. This position is fully remote, though there may be optional opportunities for occasional work based out of American Farmland Trust’s Northampton, Massachusetts, office.  Preference will be given to candidates based in the area. The internship start date is in January 2027.Interns are expected to attend regular check-in meetings with their supervisor by video call to report on progress and ask questions. Typically, internships involve 10-15 hours of work per week for approximately 12 weeks. There may be an option to extend the internship through Summer 2027. 

What You Will Be Working On
The FIC Farmland Protection Research Intern will collect information on national farmland protection activity, under the supervision of FIC staff. Specific tasks include:  

• Surveying state-level programs that purchase agricultural conservation easements to protect agricultural land;
• Collecting information on land trusts' farmland protection efforts;
• Monitoring survey response rates from public programs and land trusts; 
• Conducting outreach via email and by phone to land trusts;
• Compiling survey response data in excel;
• Completing policy research tasks as assigned.

Interns will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about policies and programs that protect farmland and ranchland;
• Gain an understanding of issues facing farmland protection professionals nationwide;
• Interact with farmland protection and conservation professionals at public entities and/or land trusts.