LEARN HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN FOOD

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

Are you passionate about learning how to grow your own food?

Do you want to learn how to live sustainably?

Do you dream of someday having your own farm or homestead? 

Then this apprenticeship is for you!

Position: Intern/Apprentice
Farm: Abbondanza Farm in the beautiful Eastern Townships of Quebec
Housing: live on-site + 3 delicious meals a day
Dates: beginning of May to end of Sept., 2023

This is not your average production farm job. I promise that at no point will you be spending entire days weeding beans or washing carrots. What you will be doing is LEARNING something new every day. And having fun doing it!

Accommodation: You will have your own room on the farm and 3 DELICIOUS meals a day.

The cooking is shared-mostly organic, mostly local, not always vegetarian and definitely not vegan.

Excellent internet access.

ABOUT THE FARM:

Abbondanza is a small but very diverse farm located in the beautiful Eastern Townships of Quebec close to the border with Vermont and an hour and half from Montreal.

The farm is situated on 148 acres of peaceful, secluded land, surrounded by forests. There is an excellent swimming pond and we are close to a river and a lovely lake. The local community is filled with artists and musicians.

I produce a wide variety of vegetables, herbs and small fruit in our fields and greenhouses as well as raising chickens and turkeys. And there are expansive ornamental gardens. Attention is paid to indigenous and pollinator plants.

In all my practice I am committed to the preservation of our agricultural heritage and to sustainable, regenerative agriculture.

The farm is also an educational centre offering a series of workshops each season in growing food and living sustainably. (abbondanzafarm.com)

For the last several years we have sold our produce at the local farmers market, a market in Montreal, to restaurants in my town as well as in Montreal and through CSA baskets. But the farm has transitioned away from production growing and we are now concentrating on the workshop and educational component of the project.

ABOUT THE WORK AND THE WORKING CONDITIONS:

What I am looking for is someone who can work and learn alongside me (I am a great teacher.) assisting in the many and varied tasks it takes to run my project. This would include, but not be limited to growing and harvesting vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers. Raising poultry. Transforming food. Planning and implementing workshops. Doing social media promotion.

You will be expected to put in 40 hours a week, generally Monday to Friday.

There is no smoking in the house, and pot or alcohol is for after work.

There will be a two week trial period to determine if this job is a good fit for you.

You will have one week paid vacation during the season. Other time away can be negotiated.

Stipend:$300 a week.

ABOUT YOU:

• I am looking for someone who loves to learn new things.
• Is good at working independently.
• Can identify and prioritize tasks that need doing.
• Welcomes a challenge.
• Really enjoys living and working collectively.
• Gets great pleasure from physical work and has the physical ability to carry out farm tasks.

• Loves animals including poultry and dogs.
• Likes to laugh.
• Being bilingual (French-English) is an asset but not a requirement.

TO APPLY:

Please send me an email to abbondanzafarm@gmail.com that will tell me:

• What you hope to gain from this internship.
• How this internship would fit in with your future plans.
• Why you imagine this kind of work would be satisfying.
• The previous experiences work experiences you have had, agricultural and otherwise.
• Any other relevant skills you may have, carpentry, social media, music…
• Any details about yourself I should know, including allergies, food preferences, any health issues, including mental health.

Please indicate you saw this posting at FoodWork.

You can also call or text to 514 272-5185 if you have any questions about this position.

Qualified applicants will be contacted for an interview, ideally in person but if that’s not possible, on Zoom or Skype.