American Farmland Trust

Northampton, MA

BS preferred

At least two years of college, bachelor’s degree preferred. Interest in law and agricultural conservation and familiarity with land use issues helpful. Strong communication skills, research ability and knowledge of spreadsheets required.

Internship

Please email or send resume, cover letter and reference.

See website for contact information.

National non-profit agricultural conservation organization seeks a part-time intern to conduct research, monitor, and collect resources related to federal, state and local farmland protection programs. Specific tasks/projects may include:

Tracking farmland protection legislation using Westlaw and other internet-based research tools;
Identifying state and local laws and sample farmland protection documents for inclusion in the organization’s online library;
Conducting surveys and monitoring the activity of established farmland protection programs, including programs that buy agricultural conservation easements to protect agricultural land (PACE or PDR) and transfer of development rights (TDR) programs.
Interns will assist staff with other research projects as assigned. Typically, internships involve 10-15 hours of work per week for at least 12 weeks. Interns will work from AFT’s Northampton Massachusetts office.

Interns will learn about the laws, policies and programs protecting farmland at all levels of government; are exposed to the “tools of the trade” and the issues facing agricultural conservation professionals nationwide. Previous AFT internships have helped fulfill graduate study requirements and have led to employment with AFT and other organizations.

See benefits.

Academic credit and/or a paid stipend are available. In recent years, AFT interns not receiving academic credit have earned $8-$10 dollars per hour as undergraduates and $10-$12 dollars per hour if enrolled in graduate school.

See website