May 13, 2014
At Civil Eats, we often get inquiries from people across the U.S. who want to start volunteering or working in the food system, but aren’t entirely sure how–or where–to get their hands dirty.
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The good news is there are myriad ways to make a meaningful impact, whether in your backyard or across the globe. You could join a local food policy council, start a petition on Change.org, write a blog, set up informational interviews with food system leaders, take an online course, join or start a community garden, or learn from others about how they got started. There are also several great organizations that we think are making a difference. Below, we’ve listed a number of groups from multiple sectors in the food system which regularly offer opportunities for people looking to become more involved, including volunteer and internship positions, entry-level jobs, and academic and vocational programs.
Agriculture and Land Conservation
Food Access and Food Justice
Education and Academia
Government
Hunger and Nutrition
International
Additional Resources, Job Sites, and Listservs
General
Farming
Have another great resource to share? Let us know!
June 26, 2025
At our latest Civil Eats virtual salon, our team talked about the launch and evolution of the Tracker, a running report on federal actions that affect food and agriculture.
January 20, 2025
July 2, 2025
You may want to check out the Domestic Fair Trade Association and the Agricultural Justice Project for your "Food Justice" category...
Best,
shelley
I am an advocate of your media and of the movement to better shape our food system towards needs and values. However, I think the most significant thematic area you did not mention is enterprise/business. Clearly there is a negative association with conventional/status quo business, maybe even large business/corporates, however, I think that is where the change needs to happen if we are going to address the systemic challenges. Maybe looking at it through the lens of "what firms/businesses/enterprises are doing the things that will lead us towards producing, processing, packaging, distributing, educating, etc. in a more healthy, inclusive, just, environmentally regenerative/balanced way?"
With every good wish,
John
http://www.farmsreach.com/welcome/
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/internships/
Our work informs public policy and inspires action for social change while providing a fact-based foundation for organizations and individuals working to ameliorate rural injustice. While our commitment to the scientific method is at the foundation of our credibility, we recognize the inescapable role that values play in shaping the fundamental questions that researchers ask
“If you or your kids/students like fiction that is based on a possible future with kids as the
heroes, then this series is for them. Along the way, they will also learn a bit about
gardening, the fragile security surrounding our food and be entertained at the same time.”
http://seedsaversseries.com
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Bioversity: agricultural & forest biodiversity research http://www.bioversityinternational.org/
CGIAR: intl ag research http://www.cgiar.org/
IWMI: Intl water management institute http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/
Native Seed Search: seed conservation http://www.nativeseeds.org/
Planting Justice: permaculture in Bay Area CA http://www.plantingjustice.org/ and more resources here http://www.plantingjustice.org/resources/links
American Farmland Trust: conserving farmland http://www.farmland.org/
Ag Innovations: CA network for conserving ag land http://aginnovations.org/
Just Food: food justice in NYC http://www.justfood.org/
Also, our worker co-op, Equal Exchange, helped to jump-start the Fair Trade movement in the US back in the 80's and for those seeking to learn more about it we recommend the Fair World Project (see http://fairworldproject.org/overview/fair-trade/ ) and the Fair Trade Resource Network ( http://www.ftrn.org/ ).
Although the FTRN will, sadly, be closing its doors soon we hope the site will remind up for awhile as it's a great place to learn more about Fair Trade.
Thank you!