Black Butterfly Urban Farmer Academy

Between the classroom and on-farm work days, we anticipate covering the following topics:

• Crop planting and maintenance: all that goes into caring for crops, including seeding, transplanting, weeding, integrated pest/disease management, nutrient management, and termination.
• Harvesting and handling: post-harvest washing and packing, product distribution networks, food safety 
• Site and infrastructure management: site development, field preparation, water/irrigation, use and maintenance of tools and machinery, season extension equipment and techniques, winterization 
• Farm planning and management: sales, marketing, business structure, crop planning, land access, funding, recordkeeping, labor
• Soil health and sustainability: cover cropping, mulching, crop rotation, ecological land stewardship
• Community engagement: managing volunteers, neighbor relationships, partnerships, outreach
• Urban agri-food systems: history, culture, and significance of urban agriculture, the food sovereignty movement, and contextualizing our work within Baltimore City’s food system

While we value all kinds of growing and land stewardship, the BBUFA on-farm fellowship is not designed to teach home gardening techniques, homesteading, animal husbandry, hydroponics, or aquaponics. 

FAB’s member farms hold a wide variety of educational events that often cover many of these topics, so we encourage interested folks to engage with them by subscribing to our newsletter or visiting our website to learn more!

The fellowship program is managed by FAB’s Urban Agriculture Education Manager (Justin), who has an educational background in community health and agri-food systems in addition to experience as an urban farmer/educator. Fellows will also receive regular instruction from FAB’s Farm Manager (Kristin), who brings two decades of farming knowledge that include starting her own farm business and training beginning farmers. Other FAB staff, including our Executive Director (Denzel) and Program Manager (Alison), will contribute their wisdom and expertise as long-time farmers, educators, and advocates in Baltimore City.

FAB’s member farmers and community partners are also expected to participate in this fellowship as guest instructors and workshop hosts, using their sites and expertise to model diverse and community-focused approaches to urban agriculture. Many in our network are graduates of past BBUFA programs and can speak to the experience of working as a beginning farmer in Baltimore City. 

Last but not least, we guarantee you’ll learn a lot from the other fellows! The cohort model is designed to promote strong relationships and collaboration between fellows, and each participant will bring in diverse knowledge, perspectives, and life experiences that will contribute to everyone’s learning.

We estimate that the fellowship will require 24 – 30 hours per month, equivalent to approximately one full workday per week:

• March–April: One 6-hour day of classroom learning per week at the FAB office, located at 1500 Union Ave in the Hampden neighborhood.
• May–October: One 6-hour workday per week at Black Butterfly Teaching Farm, located at 3901 W. Bay Ave. in the Curtis Bay neighborhood.

Classroom and on-farm workdays will occur on weekdays (likely Wednesdays and/or Thursdays) during regular working hours (likely between 9am-3pm). 

Additional Participation Requirements

In addition to weekly classroom and farm days, fellows are expected to complete approximately 34 hours of additional assignments throughout the program:

• 2 shifts at a FAB farmers market stand (8 hours each)
• 2 shifts at the onsite farm stand (4 hours each)
• 5 educational workshops (2 hours each)

Activities for these participation requirements will occur on evenings and weekends and fellows will complete sign-ups in advance.

Throughout August and September, fellows will have the opportunity to independently work on a seed fund proposal to fund a future project or expense in their urban agriculture work. The proposal will be reviewed by the program team, who will provide guidance and feedback before making the awards.

Yes! We are excited to support our 2027 fellows with a completion award amount of $3,750 along with the potential for a seed award of up to $500, adding up to $4,250 of total compensation.

The completion award will be paid in two equal installments at the midpoint (July) and the endpoint (November) of the fellowship for each fellow that meets the program requirements at the time of issuance. Fellows will receive information about the seed award at the midpoint of the fellowship and will complete and submit a proposal by the end of the fellowship. The seed award amount will be included along with the second completion award payment issued at the end of the program.

One of the most valuable benefits fellows will receive is consistent hands-on education from experienced farmers. Opportunities to ask questions, seek advice, and receive personalized, constructive feedback will give fellows a strong foundation of knowledge they can bring into their future endeavors. 

During the fellowship, fellows will be given free attendance at all Field School classes and FAB workshops in addition to those they are required to attend. All fellows who graduate from the fellowship will receive a certificate of completion and two free years of FAB membership.

To successfully graduate from the fellowship and receive the completion award, fellows must:

• Attend at least 80% of scheduled classroom and farm workdays.
• Complete 100% of additional participation requirements.

While prior experience is not necessary, the most ideal applicants for this fellowship will have some background (1-3 seasons) in farming/gardening. This could include past jobs, internships, regular volunteering, or regular attendance at BBUFA field school or other training programs.

Because of its focus on beginners, this fellowship is less appropriate for people with higher levels of experience. We are in the process of designing future opportunities for more experienced farmers, which we will share soon!

The most ideal applicants will have clear goals for their future involvement in urban farming that involve producing at a scale that can support the wider community rather than a single household or immediate family/friends. 

We are looking for people with roots in Baltimore City and/or whose goals involve engagement with Baltimore City communities. An ongoing connection (job, volunteer, etc.) to a Baltimore City urban farm is a plus, as long as your work can accommodate the commitments of this fellowship. 

We recognize that certain groups have faced unjust barriers to participation in urban agriculture throughout history and including today. To truly transform Baltimore City’s food system, we believe we can start by making it more participatory. Therefore, we are prioritizing admission of applicants who are part of historically underserved farming communities (as defined by the USDA), which include Black, Indigenous, and other people of color farmers; low-resource farmers; beginning farmers; and/or military veterans.

We believe urban agriculture education is best when it’s hands-on and done in community. Therefore, this program will be held completely in person and we will not be offering any virtual options to participate.

The BBUFA Field School is a hands-on, seasonally guided series designed to introduce participants to the fundamentals of urban agriculture. Running from March through December, the BBUFA Field School offers an accessible entry point for anyone interested in learning how to grow food in the city. No previous farming experience is required.

The Field School might be a better fit if you:

• Are at the very start of your growing journey
• Intend to grow for an individual household
• Primarily want to meet and connect with other growers throughout the city
• Cannot commit to the time required for the fellowship

We encourage members of our community that have attended past FAB events, including the BBUFA Field School, to apply. Attendance at prior events is recorded by FAB staff and will make your application more competitive by demonstrating interest and commitment.

If you were a member of previous cohorts of BBUFA on-farm trainees (2021 & 2022), we are not able to consider your application to the fellowship at this time. We are currently developing future opportunities for more experienced farmers, so stay tuned as we roll those out in future seasons!

At this time, our fellowship is focused on adult learners; therefore we require all applicants to be age 18 or older.

Fellows should be prepared to work outside for multiple hours on uneven terrain during all weather conditions. Some farm tasks require repeated or extended standing, squatting, bending over, kneeling, gripping, and/or lifting of items in excess of 20 pounds. We acknowledge this may create physical limitations for some individuals to participate in the fellowship and will provide accessibility accommodations to the best of our ability to hopefully make your participation possible.

We recognize that our work takes place in communities with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. However based on our current capacity, the BBUFA On-Farm Fellowship is conducted primarily in English. We’re aware that this could create challenges for some applicants, and we aim to support non-native English speakers as best as we can while acknowledging potential gaps in our ability to effectively engage those with limited English proficiency.

A review committee of Farm Alliance of Baltimore staff and members will review applications, score them according to a rubric, and recommend applicants for interviews. Committee members will be asked to recuse themselves from reviewing an applicant with whom they have a close professional or personal relationship.

After the first round of application review, a smaller pool of applicants will be advanced to the interview stage. Interviews will be conducted by a panel of review committee members and will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Once all interviews have been completed, the review committee will meet and make recommendations for selections. All applicants will be notified of their status at this point (exact date TBD, likely mid January).

If you have more questions about the fellowship, please reach out to bbufa@farmalliancebaltimore.org and our program team will provide you with the support you need!