Agriculture Policy Intern

Program/Department Overview

The Climate-Smart Agriculture Policy Team analyzes, develops, and advocates for public policy that can help accelerate the adoption of agricultural practices that reduce GHG emissions and build on-farm resilience. The CSA team works closely with farmers, ranchers, foresters and policymakers to create responsible public policy that delivers incentives, removes barriers, and advances science to better utilize working lands for natural climate solutions.

Overall Function

This intern will provide research, policy, and administrative support to the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Federal Affairs teams to execute their strategy to deliver a climate-smart Farm Bill in 2024. They will report to the Director of Federal Affairs for Agriculture Policy and work closely with the Federal Affairs Manager for Agriculture Policy on EDF’s Federal Affairs team.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Conduct research and analysis of agriculture policy proposals at aimed at helping farmers, ranchers, and foresters adopt climate-smart practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to a changing climate.
• Participate in regular congressional and stakeholder engagement and advocacy training to gain exposure on lobbying and influencing agriculture policy.
• Collaborate with internal EDF staff, external consultants, and multi-stakeholder coalitions focused on promoting climate-smart agriculture.
• Perform literature reviews on EDF reports from the Climate-Smart Agriculture team to centralize key findings and create quick reference materials.
• Prepare background materials on Members of Congress and their districts/states with relevant metrics to assist lobbyists in targeted advocacy efforts.
• Track legislative developments and provide regular updates to the team on congressional activities related to the Farm Bill, including relevant hearings, amendments and events.
• Assist in regularly reporting Federal Affairs agriculture policy staff activities to the Climate-Smart Agriculture Team, Political Affairs, and other internal audiences.
• Contribute to developing a cohesive advocacy strategy that  accomplishes the goal of enacting a climate-smart Farm Bill.
• Participate in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in an undergraduate degree program and/or has demonstrated interest in environmental, agricultural, conservation or rural energy policy.
• Coursework in agricultural studies, environmental science, or natural resources conservation recommended.
• Experience in farming, agriculture policy, environmental protection, and/or conservation of natural resources/wildlife/habitat
• Work experience for a state/federal legislator preferred.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem-solving skills.

Location

Hybrid out of Washington, DC or U.S. Remote

Term

Summer 2024 (June – August)

Hours

Full-time (35 hr/week)

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $17/hr.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.