Federal funding allowed ag non-profit to increase its capacity
By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Students have gained work experience in the ag industry thanks to support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
The government provided Ontario Farmland Trust with a $48,000 investment to hire interns through the Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative for the past three years, Saturday’s release stated. This program, which launched in April 2016, has created 591 ag-related jobs across the country for youth between the ages of 15 and 30.
Lloyd Longfield, Guelph’s MP, discussed the investment on behalf of Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s ag minister, at Dean Farm in Wellington County on the weekend.
The investment allowed Ontario Farmland Trust to hire an intern each year, Kathryn Enders, executive director of the Ontario Farmland Trust, told Farms.com today. The current intern will work with the organization until December.
These students help organize outreach and educational events, she said. They deliver presentations to a variety of audiences, too.
“They might be at farmers markets or festivals connecting with people and speaking about why protecting farmland is important,” she explained.
The students also join staff at site visits and “write reports (about) the states of those farms.”
In addition, interns participate in discussions with the policy and education committee, and “help write policy statements to the government,” Enders said.
The interns also play an important role in planning the organization’s annual Farmland Forum, she said.
Since Ontario Farmland Trust is non-profit and relies on donations to operate, these investments help the organization increase its capacity.
“Funding like this allows us to expand our reach and protect more farmland,” Enders said. The group can temporarily grow its two-person team to three, “which is significant when you’re talking about such a small organization.”
If the government offers the program in 2019, staff at the organization plans to apply for another intern, she said.
To learn more about the Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative, click here.
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