[Sust-mar] Urban Farm Plot Coordinator, vol., Halifax, Nova Scotia

[FoodWork Local Food Jobs]

* Volunteer for local food - http://FoodWork.ca/vol *

VOLUNTEER POSITION

Job Title: Volunteer Community Plot Co-ordinator
Organization: Common Roots Urban Farm
Website: http://partnersforcare.ca/urban_farm
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Reports to: 
Project Co-ordinator

Key Relationships:
Market Garden Co-ordinator
Workshop Coordinator
Host Coordinator
CompostMeister
Plotters
Host Volunteers

External Relationships: 
Volunteer groups
Community groups

The Plot Co-ordinator is responsible for co-ordinating the community plots at Common Roots Urban Farm. This includes registering and orienting Plotters, accepting plot payments, coordinating the sale of manure and amendments, promoting workshops and other farm events. Through the season, plots are monitored and communicated with when needed. The Plot Coordinator also ensure the paperwork and record keeping are current, complete and organized.

Average 7 hours a week including some evenings and weekend work.

March 1 - October 31, with the majority of hours March - June.

Volunteer Position.

Duties and responsibilities:

Plot Registration
• Maintain and update Plot registration system including forms, spreadsheets, and filing system.
• Contact previous season community Plotters to confirm current season registration. Contact applicants on plot waiting list to fill available plots.
• Collect annual plot fees, issue receipts, record on Plot Payment 2015 spreadsheet.

Orientation
• Plan and give orientations for new plotters and returning plotters. Maintain record of attendees.
• Sell soil amendments and manure to plotters. Collect fees, issue receipts, record on Plot Payment 2015 spreadsheet.
• Ensure Plotters know of upcoming workshops. Ensure Core Team knows of workshops wanted.

Monitoring
• Monitor plots to ensure they are planted, weeded, watered, harvested.
• Communicate with Plotters individually when maintenance is needed or issues arise. Keep Project Coordinator informed of trends and potential issues.
• Write a weekly paragraph to Plotters for distribution in the Weekly Update.

Benefits to the volunteer:
• This job is half paper-work, half community development. This opportunity would help someone looking to exercise their organizing and administering skills while also being social and outside.
• Regular exercise: Walking through all the plots weekly to check on them is a nice hour outside.
• Develop ecological literacy: through getting to know a landscape. As plot monitor, you could really observe what nature is doing, what impact the various gardeners are having.
• Develop social connectivity: Meet many new people from various backgrounds. Encourage people to meet each other. Share knowledge with interested people.
• Culture creation: Help develop the culture and practices of the Common Roots Urban Farm.Encourage environmental and health-promoting behavior.

Skills Required:
• Reliable.
• Friendly, mature and self-directed.
• Can handle moderate physical activity.
• Good communication and social interaction skills
• Good decision making and problem solving skills
• Good planning and organizing skills. Competent is MS Office, email, and using googledrive.
• Knowledge of basic gardening an asset but no gardening or farming experience is required

Training:
• Orientation to the project will consist of three 2 hour training sessions: an Orientation to the Core Team, orientation to the registration systems, and an orientation to the farm. Any related training and support that can be offered, will.
• Optional: There will be a Host Orientation during the months of April and May. The training sessions take place on the following dates: Thursdays (April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30) between 6:00-8:00pm. These sessions will orient new and returning volunteers to farm organization and operations, basic farm skills, and develop team dynamics.
• Optional trainings in Cultural Competency and Mental Health First Aid etc. will be offered through the season.
• All volunteers are welcome to attend any CRUF workshop free of charge.
• Weekly Walk-arounds, Wednesday 2:30, provide another opportunity to learn more about farming and gardening from staff and participants.

Work plan Timeline:

February
• Revise plot application.
• Revise plot binder.

March
• March 1 - Email last season plot holders to confirm this season sign up. Deadline for reply is March 27. Ask plotters to update contact information and update database as needed.
• Design Plot Orientation.

April
• April 1 - Email plot applicants on waiting list about open plots. Deadline for reply is April 30. Check if we have an application; if not, attach one and request it is filled in. File in well organized way.
• April 15 - Start offering Plot Orientations. Record who attends. Ensure all new Plotters attend an orientation or get the information.
• Accept and record payments for plot fees, amendment and manure. Deadline is June 1. Ensure money is tracked and submitted to Project Coordinator.

May
• Ensure all plots are filled. Monitor who is not yet coming to garden or for orientation.
• Continuing offering Plot Orientations. Record who attends. Ensure all new Plotters attend an orientation or get the information.
• Accept and record payments for plot fees, amendment and manure. Deadline is June 1. Ensure money is tracked and submitted to Project Coordinator.
• Promote workshops to Plotters. Listen for workshop requests and convey to Core Team.
• Contribute a paragraph to the Weekly Update.

June 
• Ensure all plots are filled. Monitor who is not yet coming to garden or for orientation. If plotters have not started working their plots and have not explained the delay the plot will be reassigned. No reimbursement is offered.
• Promote workshops to Plotters. Listen for workshop requests and convey to Core Team.
• Start monitoring plots, keeping records of potential issues.
• Instruct and remind Plotters to fill out their Plot Info sign form, submit form (5 at a time) to Core Team for printing.
• Contribute a paragraph to the Weekly Update.

July
• Monitor plots, communicating with Plotters about potential issues.
• Promote farm events to Plotters.
• Contribute a paragraph to the Weekly Update.

August
• Same as above
• Encourage people to think about winter vegetables and cover cropping for winter.

September
• Same as above.
• Start to tell people to clean up for winter.

October 
• Same as above.
• Promote the Hootenanny.
• Reminders to clean up the plots and get them ready for winter.

Ongoing throughout the season
• Process all plot applications and update database.
• Orientate new plotters.
• Weekly monitoring of plots for planting, watering, weeding, harvesting. Contact individual plotters if there are issues and track in the plot monitoring binder. Reassign plots as needed.
• Regular updates in the weekly update with information about new procedures (e.g. where to dispose of blighted tomatoes, not the regular compost), gardening tips (how to water), reminders to weed around their plot, etc.

How to apply:

Please send an email with a letter of interest to: 
urbanfarmers at partnersforcare.ca

Please indicate that you saw this posting at FoodWork.ca

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Posting ID: 28563

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