Title: Farm to Market Coordinator

Other details: Hiring for 2 positions; 1 bilingual (Spanish or Hmong)

Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA

FTE: 1 FTE

Salary: $50,000-$53,000 annually DOE

FLSA: Non-exempt

Reports To: Farm to Market Sr Program Manager

Bilingual Pay Differential: Eligible

Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a California-based membership nonprofit organization that includes family farmers and other community members passionate about local food, farming, and the environment. CAFF’s mission is to build sustainable food and farming systems through policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs that create more resilient family farms, communities and ecosystems. The Farm to Market Program within CAFF works with farmers, aggregators and direct wholesale buyers, as well as direct-to-consumer markets, to facilitate sales and help actors throughout the supply chain increase their capacity to connect local farmers to market channels.

As a farmer-serving organization, we recognize the historic and lasting inequities in the California food and farming system. We believe farmers of color, and other historically oppressed people, should have the opportunity to create and participate in a food and agriculture system that aligns with their needs, values, identities, knowledge systems, and communities. We commit to advancing racial, gender, and environmental justice in our larger systems, as well as in our own workplace. Currently our programming is focused in four areas: Farm to Market, Policy & Advocacy, Farmer Services, and Ecological Farming. To learn more about CAFF, our history, and our core values, visit https://www.caff.org/about.

Position Summary

The Farm to Market Coordinator will play a key role on our Farm to Market team by supporting California small and mid-sized farmers in the greater San Joaquin Valley. The Coordinator will work with other team members and regional partners to create a vibrant local food economy that creates profitable new local markets for small-scale producers, with increased community vitality and public health outcomes. Work will focus on deepening and expanding relationships with farmers, buyers and partners while addressing supply chain logistics to secure sales and providing capacity building training and resources. Work will also include supporting participatory-development of a shared regional brand identity for local food and farm businesses. This position was created under the development of the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) coalition, an exciting new development for the Fresno community which received $65.1 million from the American Rescue Plan to accelerate the integration of technology and skills in the region’s agriculture industry—improving productivity and job quality for existing farmers and farm workers while driving a more resilient and sustainable food system. A successful candidate will be self-motivated, detail-oriented, computer literate, have technical knowledge of farming and/or supply chain coordination (i.e. purchasing). They will also implement CAFF’s Racial Equity goals and practices throughout their work.

The position is based in the Fresno Region, with the option of working from home a majority of the time and occasional travel to a shared workspace at the UC Kearney Agricultural & Research Extension Center (Parlier, CA) or potentially Downtown Fresno, and occasional travel to staff retreats or meetings at our headquarters (Davis, CA) at 2-4 times per year.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Essential responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

70% – Provide Technical Assistance to Farmers and Buyers in the San Joaquin Valley

Provide support to farmers, buyers, distributors, and partners with a focus on building strong connections between these entities with particular focus on historically underserved farmers
Provide workshops, webinars, and co-learning events on various topics related to sales and marketing
Provide 1:1 and collective supply chain consulting to farmers and buyers to facilitate connections, secure sales, and overcome barriers to market channels
Keep detailed records of sales and interactions to support the Farm to Market program’s data collection and evaluation efforts
Support marketing and communications efforts to develop a shared, inclusive regional brand identity for SJ Valley food & farming businesses

20% – Strengthen Farming Communities

Support opportunities for California’s farming community to gather, build trust, and deepen community, especially in the greater San Joaquin Valley
Develop and expand collaborative sales relationships among farmers in CA, especially in the greater San Joaquin Valley
Identify other organizations and businesses based in the greater San Joaquin Valley working in the small farm space and spend time staying up to date on their efforts and possible opportunities for collaboration
Professionally represent the organization to a diverse array of stakeholders

10% – General CAFF responsibilities

Occasionally support local and statewide CAFF events and organizational initiatives, like F3 regional team meetings, Del Valle marketing and planning team efforts, and the California Small Farm Conference
Participate in weekly CAFF staff meetings and annual retreat
Participate and contribute to racial equity action planning discussions
Participate in local grassroots engagement efforts, including outreach and relationship building with farmers in your local community
Represent CAFF by participating in community activities and events as necessary
Participate in other administrative tasks as needed
Contributes to annual program strategy development

We know it’s impossible to convey every single task for a particular job in one job description. Our hope is that as we work together, and your role evolves over time, we can adjust your job description accordingly

Qualifications

Educational and Work Experience

High school diploma or equivalent, at minimum
At least 2 years experience working in a farmer support position; experience working with nonprofits strongly preferred
Experience in building community partnerships
Ability to work with ethnically diverse clientele
Experience or knowledge of farmer/buyer relationships preferred
Professional or lived experience working with farmers and/or buyers in sustainable agriculture or related fields preferred. However, more important than hands-in-the-dirt agricultural experience is a passion for food systems work and CAFF’s mission and values

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Bilingual, bicultural fluency in another language (preferably Spanish or Hmong) (1 position requires this, 1 does not)
Strong attention to detail and accuracy
Strong organizational skills with an ability to handle competing demands
Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills
Ability to work independently and remotely
Ability to drive throughout the region and occasionally throughout the state
Willing and able to maintain strict confidentiality and professionalism
Deep understanding of key concepts and challenges related to small farm businesses
Strong relationship builder, outgoing and eager to collaborate and make connections
Flexibility to work independently, with minimal supervision, as well as collaborate with others in a remote team setting
Ability to work on a variety of tasks simultaneously
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite

Physical Abilities

Ability to sit for long periods of time working at a computer
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs
Requires a full range of physical mobility, such as bending, stooping, lifting, turning, carrying objects, and grasping

CAFF’s policy is that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation. We strongly encourage those from diverse backgrounds and from historically underserved communities to apply.

To apply: Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and sample of your work that you feel is relevant to this position with the subject line “Farm to Market Coordinator-SJV” to F2M@caff.org. References will be requested further along in the application process. We are reviewing applications immediately and hope to have someone hired for the position by April. Incomplete applications will not be considered.