URBAN FARM TRAINING PROGRAM

Apply Now for 2013 ! 
(Apply by May 15th for the summer season!)

Our Urban Farm Training Program is an intensive, 20-hr. per week training program designed to immerse working/urban participants in farming as much as possible given life constraints.

PROGRAM DATES: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, June 3 - Oct. 18th 2013.

The UFTP is taught by Co-Farm Managers Molly Culver and Bee Ayer, two Farm School NYC founders/instructors. The program blends hands-on farm work as well as formalized instruction to cover the range of necessary seasonal skill sets, from soil science to direct marketing. Open to adults 19 and up. Sliding scale.

Through a season on the Youth Farm, you will become intimately familiar with the tasks, challenges, and rewards of growing many varieties of vegetables and flowers appropriate to our region and diverse NYC community. Through this 20-hour per week commitment, you will gain a sense for the physical, mental and spiritual energy required to produce nutritious and delicious food, beautiful flowers, and a rich and harmonious community space.  

Hand-on work, formal instruction, field trips and independent projects will all form part of your learning environment. You can expect to walk away with an array of technical, organizational and critical thinking skills needed to produce nutritious food, and a clearer picture of how you see yourself pursuing a career related to sustainable agriculture. Our Certificate in Urban Farming provides an excellent foundation for any future food systems development work. 

Download an Information Packet HERE

Tuition for the Urban Farm Training Program is based a sliding scale, based on peoples' varying access to financial resources. For the summer season (20 weeks), the cost of the program ranges between $2,200 and $1,600. Please refer to the Application Packet for more details. Participants who pay in one up front payment will get a 5% discount off the total program fee. 

 

The UFTP is designed to be a holistic educational experience for those interested in learning more about agriculture and food and environmental justice.  That said, people coming to the program with many different types of backgrounds and belief systems will enrich our program! Individuals looking to enhance their careers in science education, physical education, sociology, nutrition, cooking, landscaping, or other careers will benefit. Our program also provides a unique opportunity to work with youth while still working on a production farm. 

At the Youth Farm, we value experiential learning, and teach using Popular Education methods. We view the time spent doing hands-on farm management - from seed to sale - as the key to developing the technical skills necessary for successful urban agriculture ventures. 

Training Program Components: 

Hands-on farm work on a 1 acre in-ground diversified farm

Weekly Technical Workshops on seasonal topics

Instructional Farm walks 

Training Rotations in Propagation, Irrigation, Flowers and more...

Direct Marketing via CSA, Farmers Market, Restaurants and Weddings

Working with youth 

Urban and rural field trips

Ergonomics and Self Care for farmers

Record Keeping

Traditional and Non Traditional Skills Assessment  

Round Table/Career Q&A with Food Systems Experts

Hours & Time Commitment

The Urban Farm Training Program is an intensive educational experience, and requires serious commitment to the work and time on the farm. Our program will meet 20 hours a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (roughly 8 am to 4pm). In addition, each Apprentice will be responsible for two or three weekend irrigation shifts over the course of their program. The summer season program will run for 20 weeks from June 6th through October 18th.

What do people do after the training program?
The Urban Farm Training Program is designed to give participants the skills and confidence to go on and work in many horticulture fields. Past apprentices have gone on to secure jobs with parks, gardens and farms, as well as start their own urban farms and school garden programs. Find out more here!

Why should you be interested in a Youth Farm apprenticeship?

"This training provided me with an opportunity to learn side by side with experienced farmers."

"There was so much opportunity for hands on work and the farmers were all very patient, kind and knowledgeable about the work."

“I thought the schedule was a really perfect balance of feeling like you were consistently on the farm, while also being able to work on the side to support myself.”