Writings
Workshop Report — Ecological Farm Internships: Models, Experiences and Justice. Edited by Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers. 2017.
Engaging the Tensions of Agroecological Internships. Engaging the tensions of ecological internships. Published online. By Charles Z. Levkoe. 2017.
Squaring the Circle? Education, Work and Farm Internships. British Columbia Organic Grower Magazine 20(3): 22-23. By Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers. 2017.
Ecological Farming with Interns and Volunteers. British Columbia Organic Growers. Volume 20, Issue 2 (Spring 2017). By Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers.
Ecological Farm Internships and the Law. Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario Newsletter. By Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers. 2016.
Agricultural Interns and Volunteers: A Viable Model for Training a New Generation of Farmers and Meeting Labour Needs? Small Farm Canada. By Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers. 2016.
Food Justice and The Face of Ecological Farm Interns in Ontario. For Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario Newsletter. By Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers. 2016.
Cultivating Equitable Ground: Community-Based Participatory Research to Connect Food Movements with Migrant Farmworkers. In the Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development. By Anelyse Weiler; Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Charles Z Levkoe, Department of Geography, Wilfrid Laurier University; Carolyn Young, Former Director, Sustain Ontario. 2016.
Forging Links Between Food Chain Labor Activists and Academics. In the Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development. By Charles Z. Levkoe, Nathan McClintock, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Amy K. Coplen, Jennifer Gaddis, Joann Lo, Felipe Tendick-Matesanz, and Anelyse M. Weiler. 2016.
Squaring the Circle? Education, Work and Farm Internships. For Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario Newsletter Michael Ekers and Charles Z Levkoe 2016.
Transformations in Agricultural Non-Waged Work: From Kinship to Intern and Volunteer Labour. In the Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development. By Michael Ekers, Department of Human Geography, University of Toronto; Charles Z Levkoe, Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University. 2016.
Ecological Farming with Interns and Volunteers in Ontario. For Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario Newsletter Michael Ekers and Charles Z Levkoe. 2015.
Will Work For Food: agricultural interns, apprentices, volunteers, and the agrarian question. In Agriculture and Human Values. By Michael Ekers, University of Toronto; Charles Z Levkoe, Wilfrid Laurier University; Samuel Walker, University of Toronto; Bryan Dale, University of Toronto. 2016.
Presentations and Conferences
Identities of Ecological Farm Interns: Growing the Next Generation of Ecological Farmers and the Future of Food Justice Movements. Paper presented by Charles Levkoe, Lakehead University; Abina Offeh-Gyimah, McMaster University, American Association of Geograpfers Annual Conference (April 2017).
Chaynovian Aspirations; Leninist Realities? The Curious Case of Agricultural Interns and Agro-Ecological Farms. Paper presented by Michael Ekers, University of Toronto and Charles Levkoe, Lakehead University; Canadian Association for Food Studies Annual Meeting with Agriculture and Human Values and the Association for Food and Society (June 2016); XIV World Congress of Rural Sociology (August 2016).
Farm Interns and Volunteers: The Implications of Unpaid Labour for Farmers, Workers and the Food Movement. Bring Food Home (November 22, 2015). You can listen to the audio from this session here.
Responsibility for Food System Sustainability: The Motivations of Non-Wage Farm Workers and Implication for Food Movement. Paper presented by Charles Levkoe, Wilfrid Laurier University; Michael Ekers, University of Toronto, RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2015 (September 2, 2015)
Agricultural Labour and the Food Movement: Perspectives and Politics- Part I and Part 2
Presenters: Sandy Brown (University of San Fransisco), Michael Ekers (University of Toronto), Maggie Gray (Adelphi University), Charles Levkoe (Wilfrid Laurier University), Joann Lo (Food Chain Workers Alliance), Emily Reid-Musson (University of Toronto), Joshua Sbicca (Colorado State University), Anelyse Weiler (University of Toronto). American Association of Geographers, Chicago (April 24, 2015)
Farm Interns and Volunteers: The Implications of Unpaid Labour for Farmers, Workers and the Food Movement at the 2014 ACORN Conference – November 12th, 2014 Charles Levkoe (Wilfrid Laurier University), Allison Scott Butler (FarmWorks Investment Cooperative, Friends of Agriculture in NS, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment)
Other Media
Podcast from The Ruminant (July 24, 2016)
e.88: Cut Flower Maintenance, Farm Internship Workshop
Farm Worker Awareness Week (March 24-31st, 2015) Blog Series from Food and Labour Team Member Anelyse Weiler
- Migrant farm workers and Ontario’s food movement: Finding common cause
- Farm workers and food activism in Canada: Unearthing root causes of injustice
- ‘Hot potatoes’ and migrant farm worker health
- Cultivating equitable ground in a food system that sows dissension: Farm employer and industry perspectives
- Know farm workers, know food: A food justice and food sovereignty approach
- Levelling the field: Filling Ontario’s policy gaps in migrant farm worker rights
- From ideas to collaborative action: Seeking feedback on our Know Farm Workers, Know Food blog series
Podcast from The Ruminant (March 3 2015)
e.39: Farm Interns, Labour Laws, and Fair Compensation for Your Farm Help
This episode looks at the legality and ethics of unpaid and low-paid farm internships, and some best (and worst) practices in hosting farm interns. In light of two recent cases of disgruntled farm interns suing their hosts for unpaid wages, The Ruminant delves into the matter. This jumbo-sized episode features four guests: Dennis O’brien, a farmer who was sued for unpaid wages in 2014; Mary-Alice Johnson and Robin Tunnicliffe, both long-time apprenticeship hosts with lots of good advice on who should and shouldn’t be offering apprenticeships, and how to keep your apprentices happy; and Michael Ekers, a University of Toronto professor who has studied labour challenges and solutions on small farms in depth.