A family is now offering the opportunity to apply to start your own farm on their land just outside Toronto, and they're prioritizing those that "identify as BIPOC or face systemic barriers that make traditional farming opportunities inaccessible."
The job posting is on BIPOC- and female-run family farm Raining Gold's website, hiring for one or two farm crew positions depending on funding. They're located in Hillier in Price Edward County, so if you feel like experiencing a pandemic has been crushing your spirit and you deserve a new life, you might want to check this out.
They're providing $16 an hour, a room, meals, subsidies for personal care and access to equipment, financing, land and business training.
You just have to "have a passion for regenerative farming methods, spend your free time watching 'how to grow _______' videos on YouTube, want to start your own farm but need support" and have a car and passion for social justice. Bonus if you like kids, photography, flowers and entrepeneurship.
"With global cries for remediation, there is no better time to put BIPOC at the forefront of our farms, distribution centres, and positions of true power in a supply chain that desperately needs shortening," Aminah Haghighi, Head Lettuce & Founder at Raining Gold Family Growers told blogTO.
"This is why I am actively seeking people who want to break into farming that look like me. Opportunities to work on a farm are usually unpaid and are only accessible to people who hold a lot of financial privilege."
To apply for a farm crew position, you can email Haghighi with a cover letter and resume, though it's noted, "Please don't let this process deter you if you are interested. Send me a note, a video, or an Instagram DM to get in touch. We realize the privilege it takes to have experience farming so no farming experience is necessary."
"Raining Gold Family Growers sees an opportunity to do all of those things - create space where BIPOC are empowered to make decisions about the food systems that hurt them the most. The real opportunity is in the rebranding of fresh local food. In changing what we see when we pick up the apple in the grocery store," says Haghighi.
"The opportunity we see is to highlight the food producer that helped make sure that apple grew to its highest potential. If we stop hiding our food behind a curtain of anonymity, we will see the true value of food."
Haghighi presold a microgreen subscription delivering to Toronto and Prince Edward County to fund this hiring, which she's doing now to be ready for the growing season starting around April or May. Life as we know it has changed so much in the past year; why not change yours completely by spring?
"When COVID-19 hit, a lot of things about our society that have long been problems were illuminated. Our food system was effectively shuttered. Potato farmers begged people to eat more fries at home as restaurants shut down while wheat farmers couldn't keep up with phase 3 of quarantine, sourdough bread baking," says Haghighi.
"With businesses pivoting, physical distancing measures in place, and people unable to work, Canada was pushed towards a shorter supply chain. Farm to table held new meaning when migrant workers almost didn't make it over the border in time for the 2020 growing season. All this to say there is great opportunity here."
A CSA program will also help support the farm, so even if the farm life isn't for you, keep an eye on that so you can still support this awesome agriculture project not far from Toronto.
"My dream is to support BIPOC farmers by giving them access to land and resources to start their own farm and set up a shop of goods made by BIPOC for BIPOC," says Haghighi.
If it sounds like your dream job is part of her dream, don't hesitate to reach out in time to get on board for what sounds like an exciting 2021 growing season.
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