Internships

Larissa McKenna (AFE '04) during her internship with Red Tomato, a local organization that employs AFE students each summer.

Students enrolled in the M.S. degree program in AFE complete a minimum 400-hour internship. Depending on the student and circumstances, an internship may involve participation in the many different activities in which the organization engages or may involve completing a single project under the guidance of a staff member of the sponsoring organization. Students develop a contract detailing their educational objectives before the internship begins and present their experiences to their peers after completion.

AFE internships are a great way for students to apply core concepts, refine qualitative and quantitative skills, develop working relationships with the potential for future employment, or simply explore new aspects of the field. From Switzerland to the Nation's Capitol, Iowa's Corn Belt to Boston's urban-fringe, AFE internships provide an important platform for practical training and professional development.

Here is a sample:

Business

Educating women and children in the WIC program and lower-income area public school children about local produce and the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet under a USDA Community Food Projects grant for Red Tomato, a Boston area non-profit local produce broker. (Molly Pindell, AFE '05)

NGO Advocacy

Analyzing policy for the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in Washington DC. Responsibilities included drafting analytical summaries of House and Senate Agriculture Committee hearings, policy research, and outreach to constituents (Aimee Witteman, AFE '06)

International

Coordinating a project combining water resources development, community health, and sustainable agriculture for BAIF Development Research Foundation in Pune, India, a sustainable agricultural development non-profit organization that advocates an integrated approach to sustainable development. (Monique Mikhail, AFE '06)

State Government

Evaluating the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Agro-Environmental Technology Grant program (funded between 1996 and 2002) to see if it met the goals of the Commonwealth and the grant recipients. Included review of the application process in an effort to make it more user-friendly, as well as the assembly of input by UMass Extension, commodity groups, and growers' associations to identify areas that would benefit from the grant program if it were to be reinstated. (Meaghan Donovan, AFE '06).

Federal Government

Conducting site visits and evaluating State Nutrition Education Action Plans for the Food Stamp Program at USDA/Food and Nutrition Service; facilitating a project to explore nutrition education and food stamp redemption opportunities at farmers' markets. (Nyssa Schloyer, AFE '06).

Farm

Working in the fields for Waltham Fields Community Farm, a non-profit farm producing organic vegetables for meal programs, food pantries and shelters while giving adults and children farming experience. (Amanda Behrens, AFE '04)

Recent Internships

The following list reflects where students have completed their internships.

Summer 2006 AFE Student Internships

• World Bank/Tufts University, Bangladesh
• SJH & Co. Agribusiness Consulting, MA
• Maine Farmland Trus, Belfast, ME
• UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Italy
• Waltham Community Farms, MA
• M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India
• Winrock International, Nepal
• The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, DC
• Equal Exchange/Red Tomato, MA
• New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, MA

Selected Summer AFE Student Internships for 2003-2005

• Organic Valley, WI
• Organic Farming Research Foundation, CA
• Aurora Organic Dairy, CO
• Organic Trade Association, MA
• American Farmland Trust, MA
• The Food Project, MA
• Grocery Manufacturers of America, DC
• Winrock International, Ghana
• Museum of Science, MA
• Institute of Organic Agriculture, Germany
• BAIF Development Research Foundation, India
• Acirca, Inc., NY
• International Centre for Research on Agroforestry, Kenya
• Research Institute for Organic Agriculture, Switzerland
• MA Department of Agricultural Resources, MA