CAGJ’s AGRA Watch campaign supports African-initiated agricultural programs rooted in agroecological and indigenous farming practices in coordination with African food sovereignty networks to challenge the corporatization of African agriculture led by the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and their initiative, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

Potential Projects Include:

  • AGRA Watch Media & Communications: As a part of our commitment to building awareness and story-telling, AGRA Watch has ongoing media and communication projects for the intern to support and lead. The intern will read content then write summaries and synopses of research, publications, reports, and articles from African food sovereignty and farmer partners to post on our blog and lists. Tney will draft social media posts related to this content and work on a team to help implement changes to our educational materials and resources. In addition, they will work with the  team to decide how these are formatted on our website and blog. Other project components may include copy-editing, authoring an original blog piece on campaign updates and/or analysis, and co-writing communications such as media releases regarding our campaigns.
  • Research Reports & Writing: A core activity to our AGRA Watch organizing is strategic research. Research initiatives are usually a response to requests from our African partners, sometimes resulting in publication and sometimes provided to partners for their use. Other research initiatives have come from a need in the community to understand concepts such as philanthrocapitalism. The UCBI intern will support the completion of ongoing research reports (with due credit for any contributions) through further research into specific institutions and actors involved in the public relations of Gates Foundation’s agenda and writing report sections based on outlines. In the event that we pursue other research areas based on outcomes of our strategic planning process, the UCBI intern may take leadership on doing online investigation to these areas, with an expectation to provide a written briefing overview.
  • Updating our internal database on Gates Foundation and AGRA-specific agricultural programs: As a watch-dog campaign, AGRA Watch maintains ongoing data on the Gates Foundation’s grants and investments into agricultural development projects and initiatives. The UCBI intern will take the leadership on spearheading the organization and research of our database, conducting online research into the Gates Foundation projects (using our protocol and guidelines) with clear documentation of the results.

Responsibilities

Daily tasks may vary to include: 

  • Read publications and media from partner organizations
  • Write summaries for our blog
  • Draft social media and other communications as described above
  • Update and format blog resources and materials
  • Research related to our research projects and database

Required: 

  • Strong skills in writing and online research (checking sources and careful documentation,)
  • Aptitude for social media
  • Ability to communicate directly and honestly
  • Commitment to learning about and engaging in anti-oppression practices

Desired: 

  • interest in the food sovereignty movement, community-driven development, and other issues we address
  • Commitment to social, racial, economic justice and global solidarity
  • Experience with grassroots organizing is a bonus but not required

Schedule:

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are preferred days for interns to work virtually.

Contact contact_us@cagj.org for more info