RISE Internship: Seed Stewardship Advocate at Native Seeds/SEARCH
Position Title: Seed Stewardship Advocate
Reports to: Andrea Carter
Hours/Week: 5 – 10 hrs per week, flexible, 200 hrs total
Internship Date Range: Sept 30 – May 2, flexible
Location: Native Seeds/SEARCH administrative offices and farm, 3584 E River Rd, Tucson
About the Resilience Internships and Student Experiences (RISE) Program
The RISE Program is hosted by the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) and provides undergraduate and graduate students with paid internships related to resilient environments and societies. RISE internships give students experience in workplace settings with an opportunity to grow their interpersonal skills and prepare them for careers after graduation.
About Native Seeds/SEARCH
Native Seeds/SEARCH (NS/S) was founded in 1983 in response to the documented and probable loss of traditional agricultural crop diversity of the U.S. Southwest and northwest Mexico. For the past 40 years NS/S has conserved, saved, and distributed heirloom seeds. We save seed to conserve the agricultural biodiversity of the region and to conserve the agricultural traditions of Indigenous and regional communities culturally connected to the seeds we steward. The seed includes traditional varieties of corn, beans, and squash, as well as herbs and wild foods long consumed in the area. Each crop variety in the NS/S seed bank has been adapting to arid soils and conditions for hundreds, or even thousands, of years.
NS/S preserves these seeds in a climate-controlled seed bank and actively grows them out to increase and distribute them to farmers and gardeners throughout Southwest and beyond. Seed is grown at the Tucson Conservation Center in our gardens and in partnership with farmers throughout the region. Seeds are made available to the public through our online store and free seed access programs which are prioritized for communities with historical and cultural connections to the seeds.
As a regional and community focused seed bank, NS/S’s efforts are centered on conserving,
reconnecting and providing access to seeds to rural and Indigenous communities of the US Southwest and northwest Mexico who have cultural and historical connections with these seeds. Our free seed access programs are designed to reach Indigenous individuals and families, community gardens and schools, and tribal organizations. We also provide workshops, capacity building, and resources on how to save and grow these culturally and climatically relevant food crops. In addition to seed distribution, NS/S has engaged in seed exchanges with small-scale producers and tribal community farms within the region through our Partner Farmer Program, which provides growers with arid-adapted seed and agronomic training at no cost in exchange for returning a portion of the seed harvest to the seed bank. Last year, NS/S donated the equivalent of over 19,400 seed packets via these programs.
Internship summary:
Work with NS/S staff on two projects:
- Assist in organizing a Seed Banking and Seed Stewardship Conference centered on Indigenous communities of the region. The conference is scheduled for February 3rd and 4th, 2025.
- Assist NS/S in coming into compliance with the World Intellectual Property Organization's new Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge
Internship description:
- NS/S is planning a 2-day conference that will bring together Indigenous leaders from the Southwest to discuss principles and models of seed banking and traditional seed stewardship. Several of the Indigenous communities we partner with are interested in starting seed banks for their communities, and a few have seed banks in place. This conference will bring these groups together with NS/S staff to talk and learn from each other. This conference is funded through Western SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) and will be held at Salt River Courtyard at Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. The RISE intern would focus on logistics for this event, working in advance with conference participants and speakers on registration, scholarships, travel and lodging, as well as assisting with materials for the event and assisting with problem solving during the 2-day event. The intern will need to be present onsite at Salt River Courtyard in Scottsdale on Feb. 3 and 4. They will also assist with creation of a guidebook on Seed Stewardship that NS/S is producing during this period.
- Biopiracy of traditional Indigenous seeds, crops and knowledge by corporate interests continues to be a problem impacting Indigenous communities across the world. A number of international treaties have been put into place to work against this trend, the most recent being the World Intellectual Property Organization's Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge. Although the U.S. is not a signatory, NS/S intends to honor the treaty as much as possible and has been consulting with some of the leaders in this field. The RISE intern would study the treaty and related resources, and assess and suggest changes to NS/S current policies, procedures and forms to ensure that our approaches to seed access and benefit sharing are in compliance, and that our processes also help protect seed varieties from biopiracy by others.
Required qualifications:
- Coursework in agrobiodiversity, agriculture, natural resources management, biodiversity conservation and/or environmental management
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Internet-based communications
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a team setting in a consistent, energetic, positive manner
- Ability and desire to work with diverse community members
- Friendly and effective interpersonal skills
- Good attention to detail and organizational skills
Preferred qualifications:
- Commitment to NS/S’s mission of seed conservation and distribution
- Experience with communities in the US Southwest or Mexico (experience can be social, familial or educational)
- Bilingual—English & Spanish languages
Compensation:
The intern will be compensated by the University of Arizona. The pay rate is $18/hour.
How to Apply:
Applicants must be active UArizona students.
Please apply by emailing a C.V. along with a cover letter naming your interest in and qualifications for this role to: sjoy@nativeseeds.org.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.