College students are trading briefcases and pressed suits for work boots and shovels and interning on organic farms. As more agricultural apprenticeships sprout up in a recession-ridden nation, students are putting their eco-friendly values to action and working the fields themselves.
A recent New York Times article describes waves of college students flocking to organic farms to get their hands dirty, work toward agricultural reform in government or just take a break from school.
Students interested in learning to grow food or in changing agricultural policy should ride this surge of interest in green living and organic farming. A research group funded by the Department of Agriculture found that the number of farms seeking interns has tripled over the last few years.
And students have already answered the call for agricultural interns. Farms that once received fewer than 100 applications for each harvest season are now seeing more than 200.
Students should pursue volunteer opportunities in nonprofit organizations such as AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps and World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, all of which provide different kinds of travel opportunities to volunteer on organic farms and smallholdings around the globe.
This editorial board encourages students interested in green and eco-friendly policy change to bring their ideas to fruition and lead the path for agricultural reform.
Other students seeking internships should consider farming as an alternative to corporate jobs.
The number of corporate jobs is dwindling anyway, and students are increasingly seeking professions outside the cubicle.
UCLA students have already taken the right steps toward agricultural responsibility through sustainable housing.
Some students off campus are already motivated by their ideals and have taken steps toward creating their own sustainable culture.
Residents of UCLA’s Weyburn Terrace apartments founded a community cooperative food system that provides residents with locally grown and organic produce.
We applaud the efforts of UCLA students who volunteer in the organic vegetable garden at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center and provide produce for the Hill’s dining halls.
The dining halls have made efforts for better sustainable living by removing some trays to save water and offering an organic salad bar at Hedrick Hall.
Yet local and international organic farming internships can provide a wider variety of tasks and responsibilities. Farming is hard, demanding work, but it is an opportunity for students with eco-friendly values to put their ideals to action and to immediately see the rewards.
Expected tasks include composting, raising livestock, harvesting crops and other farm labor.
Despite the physical labor, students may find the work satisfying because they would better understand where their food comes from and the environmental impact of agriculture.
Consider an internship in organic farming, where you can put your green principles into action.
Unsigned editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily Bruin Editorial Board.