Cognizant of worldwide ecological and food security challenges, the Accokeek Foundation has begun taking action to meet these challenges head on. Drawing upon ancestral knowledge, modern innovation, and the passion of creative citizens, the Foundation is in the process of developing a National Food Forest. The Accokeek Foundation’s goal is to revert acres of choked, invasive-prone woodlands back into an Edenic forest of food that will generate healthy soils, reduce greenhouse gases, protect and conserve water, and enhance productivity to more efficiently feed a local population. Standing in contrast to conventional agricultural models, the food forest is a high yielding system that produces, on average, over 5 million calories per acre – roughly the amount of calories directed toward the human diet from an acre of engineered corn.
At over 200 acres, the Foundation’s National Food Forest is the most ambitious permaculture project ever undertaken in the United States. In order to reach these ambitious goals, the Accokeek Foundation is seeking a National Food Forest Leader through the Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program.
The Corps Program provides hands-on entry level experience and leadership opportunities as a stepping stone to a career in their chosen field. The Corps Program places young adults 18-25 with nonprofit or government agencies to work full-time in the environmental field for a one-year term of paid service in the Chesapeake Bay region ($17,000 annual stipend).
The Corps Member chosen as the Accokeek Foundation’s National Food Forest Leader will coordinate the Foundation’s Agriculture Conservation Corps and AgLab 2018 programs and support the Director of Agriculture and farm managers in stewarding and developing the National Food Forest. Other primary responsibilities include assisting with the creation of a National Food Forest School Tour, help provide care of farm animals, and serve as an Advisor to Prince George’s County Academy of Environmental Studies (AES).
This initiative is supported by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Constellation Energy, the National Park Service and the state of Maryland. Application submissions are due by April 14, 2017 at 5 pm.
Apply at https://cbtrust.org/prospective/ or email tbaker@cbtrust.org.
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