Delta Institute
Resilient Agriculture Fellow
About the Organization:
Delta Institute collaborates with communities throughout the Midwest United States to solve complex environmental challenges. We address Midwestern environmental, economic, and climate challenges today so that our home and region are more resilient, equitable, and innovative tomorrow. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid and a Four-Star "Give with Confidence" rating from Charity Navigator.
Fellowship Description:
Delta Institute has developed a novel soil health land valuation methodology to better align regenerative agriculture practices with farm financing processes. We are actively expanding implementation of this methodology across the Midwest. As a Constellations Fellow in Resilient Agriculture at Delta Institute, you will help us advance these goals by:
- Assisting Delta Institute staff in creating several educational resources for farmland appraisers with the goal of introducing a proof-of-concept appraisal approach to factor measurements of soil health into the land valuation process,
- Helping conduct a Regional Marketplace Analysis for appraisers, lenders, and farmland investors to identify trends of soil health-related market drivers and ideal regions of the Midwest to implement soil health-focused appraisal efforts (e.g., targeted watersheds of the Lake Michigan basin),
- Support the development of Delta Institute's Soil Health Appraisal Training & Certification Program. This program will be designed for appraisal firms and lenders to understand soil health valuation, developed, in part, by farmer-facing technical service providers and appraisal education experts.
- Develop a Soil Health Appraisal Toolkit. This toolkit will include a set of templates, guidelines, and resources to help appraisal firms, lenders, and farmers assess soil health consistently.
Qualifications:
- General knowledge of regenerative agriculture practices and soil health principles, - Some understanding of - or interest in - farm financing processes,
- Comfort with performing primary desktop research and synthesizing information into memos/reports, and
- Proficiency using Microsoft Office software.
Time Commitment: No more than 20 hours per week