Responsible Non-Farming Careers in Sustainable Agriculture

I have received quite a few questions about my previous posts on responsible careers in education,in healthcare, and in renewable energy. Several questions revolved around responsible career paths in sustainable agriculture and sustainable food.

You might think that building a responsible career in sustainable agriculture and in sustainable food means being a farmer. Such opportunities are of course an option. New farmers will be needed in the US, as 40% of farmers in the US are 55 and over. Furthermore, smaller farms and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs (in urban areas as well as in the country) are gaining momentum as a growing number of consumers want to have access to fresh and locally grown food.

However, beyond these responsible careers in farming, there are a number of other responsible careers that are growing as a result of the movement to use sustainable farming and provide greater access to healthy food as a way to address the growing number of health issues linked to poor nutrition (e.g. type 2 diabetes, obesity). Many of the current practices in the food industry are unsustainable. The amount of chemicals in our food is increasing, either as a result of processed food or because of the packaging our food comes in contact with before it ends up in our plate. For instance, a recent report from the US President's Cancer Panel stated in May, 2010 that babies in the US come pre-polluted, with 300 contaminants detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies. Of course, not all these contaminants come from the food their mothers eat, but what if we eliminated at least contaminants that come from food?

It is time to get business done better when it comes to what we eat, and this is good news for responsible professionals interested in sustainable agriculture and sustainable food. Indeed, this means that to make sustainable agriculture more prevalent and readily available to consumers, it will need a new influx of responsible professionals dedicated to get business done better through their expertise in marketing, finance, operations, or strategic planning. Not convinced? Well investigate for yourself through some of the good jobs in sustainable agriculture that were recently advertised on our justmeans job board:

Responsible Careers in Sustainable Agriculture - Finance and Fundraising:

• Finance and Operations Associate - Kopali Organics (Miami, FL): Would you like to manageday-to-day accounting as well as serve as the right-hand to the Director of Operations for a fast-paced startup that supports sustainable family farmers and their communities around the world, through the sale of organic and fair trade snacks?


• Major Gift Officer - Earthwatch Institute (Boston, MA): How would you like tomanage the fundraising activity of approximately 125 major donors and prospects nationally who contribute up to $25,000 annually to an organization supporting 60 projects over 40 countries to create a sustainable environment?


• Project Manager - LESSON (Local Eastern Shore Sustainable Organic Network - Delmalva Peninsula, MD): Would you like to fundraise for and manage projects dedicated to building a safe, just and sustainable regional food system?

• Bay Area Community Organizer - Pesticide Watch (San Francisco, CA): Would you like to grow a movement dedicated to prevent pesticide exposure, promote local farming and build healthier communities in 10 communities in the Bay Area?


• Director of New Business Development - The Climate Trust (New York City, NY or Chicago, IL): Would you like to secure new business and manage key account relationships for an organization dedicated to developing and promoting high quality greenhouse gas offset projects?


• Project Coordinator (Global Agriculture) - The Chicago Council on Global Affairs (Chicago, IL): How would you like to conduct research, write research reports, and organize events to help an organization committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public learning?

• Executive Managing Director - New York Sun Works (New York City, NY): Would you like to fundraise for and implement science labs on urban school rooftops that will enable students to study ecological science and human productivity by producing sustainable food at school?


• Produce Packing and Logistics Manager -ULUPONO Sustainable Agriculture Development (Napili, HI): Would you like to lead efficient produce packing shed operations for an initiative dedicated to improve the quality of life of Hawai'i residents through sustainable agriculture?


• Project Manager (Afghanistan Agriculture Development Project) - VEGA (Washington, DC): Would you like to serve as a liaison with USAID, oversee all project activities and serve as the main contact point for donors, implementing partners, and field staff in Afghanistan for one of the world's largest consortium of organizations dedicated to promoting economic growth in developing countries?