Mission, Vision, and Values
The Nashville Food Project brings people together to grow, cook and share nourishing food, with the goals of cultivating community and alleviating hunger in our city. At The Nashville Food Project, we embrace a vision of vibrant community food security in which everyone in Nashville has access to the food they want and need through a just and sustainable food system. This mission and vision are guided by core organizational values, including hospitality, stewardship, interdependence, learning, justice, and transformation.
Organizational Background
The Nashville Food Project (TNFP) was born from the idea that good food is a matter of basic dignity. Since its start in 2007, TNFP has served thousands of Nashvillians facing food insecurity. In 2011, TNFP was incorporated as an independent nonprofit, shifting the focus of its meals program toward a collaborative partnership model and launching an urban agriculture program. Today, TNFP continues to connect people to nourishing food and to each other through vibrant urban agriculture projects, made-from-scratch meals, and food shared with local partners working to disrupt cycles of poverty.
Position Summary
The Community Agriculture Network Manager (CANM) plays a key role in advancing TNFP’s Community Agriculture Network. The Community Agriculture Network (CAN) provides operational support to partner sites across the city to increase people’s ability to grow and access fresh fruits and vegetables in the heart of Nashville. Reporting to the Director of Agriculture Operations (DAO), the CANM leads the annual application, site assessment, and onboarding for prospective partner sites, coordinates the CAN’s Garden Stewards, manages the CAN’s “special projects” proposal and selection process, coordinates and co-facilitates educational garden workshops, leads community outreach to recruit prospective partner gardens and volunteers, and manages the CAN’s online volunteer management platform. The CANM also provides maintenance and special event support to the broader Community Agriculture team at TNFP.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Program Management
- Manage the Community Agriculture Network’s annual application process, including responding to inquiries, setting up site visits, selecting partner sites, establishing partner garden MOUs and serving as the primary point of contact with partners
- Manage the Garden Stewards, training at least 2-3 volunteer leaders at each partner site in volunteer facilitation and site management best practices
- Plan, coordinate and co-facilitate a menu of seasonal garden workshops
- Plan, coordinate, and facilitate annual Garden Lead events to engage garden leaders, growers, and partners in community building, goal setting, and networking activities
- Work with TNFP’s Marketing and Communications Manager to coordinate CAN communications with Garden Stewards and growers, to include developing and distributing regular communication materials via newsletters and email campaigns
- Support department wide special event coordination including Opening Day and Welcoming Week at TNFP’s demonstration sites
Agriculture Operations
- Manage TNFP’s annual community garden plot application and plot accountability process
- Manage the Community Agriculture Network’s annual special projects application process
- Lead partner garden site assessment and visioning, to include infrastructure development, special projects identification and planning, and site design and enhancement
- Coordinate one-off, special project volunteer days in collaboration with partner garden sites, working in close collaboration with the Volunteer
Engagement Manager
- Provide technical assistance to Garden Stewards, especially related to infrastructure enhancement, volunteer engagement, and site resource needs
- Track inventory and manage supply procurement for the Community Agriculture Network
- Assist in developing and monitoring annual budgets and work plans
- Co-facilitate at least one volunteer work day weekly during the growing season