Good Community Food Fellowship Application 2027

About the Fellowship:

Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s Good Community Food Fellowship is an initiative designed to strengthen the local food system in Birmingham, Alabama, by providing an exceptional training opportunity for urban growers.

This free program will establish a cohort of passionate advocates dedicated to the cultivation of healthy communities. Over the course of 11 months, Fellows will attend a series of workshops led by local farmers, chefs, and Jones Valley staff where they will gain practical skills & knowledge in agriculture, culinary arts, food justice, & community gardening.

Optionally, Fellows can also deepen their practice by applying what they learn in the management of individual garden plots at the Center for Food Education.

 

Application Details:

Please submit ONE application per individual.

If it is a hardship for you to complete a written application, please email Jessica at community@jvtf.org or call (205)453-7268 to discuss other potential options.

Please read the 2027 schedule and make sure you can attend at least 9 out of 11 classes.

TIMELINE:

Applications due: Sunday, January 3rd 2026
Fellowship Cohort Announced: End of January 2027
First Fellowship Class: Saturday, February 20th 2027

Monthly Workshops

The fellowship cohort will meet once a month for workshops where participants will deepen their knowledge and skills around agriculture, culinary arts, food justice, and community gardening.

To help us prioritize Fellows who are able to participate and take full advantage of the Fellowship resources throughout the year, please read the schedule and make sure that you can attend at least 9 out of 11 classes. 

Click here to view the schedule.

Community Garden Beds

For folks who live or work in Birmingham and don't have access to a growing space, you can choose to garden in a raised bed at the at the Center for Food Education (701 25th St. N. Birmingham, AL 35203).

*Garden plots are limited. If you check yes, please make sure you can commit 3-5 hours per week from February-December 2027 to maintain your garden plot. This may also include daily watering when germinating crops.

We offer a Junior Fellowship for children of the Fellows ages 4-15. This programming is run by our team of instructors during our Saturday classes from 9am-12pm.

It is not required to work with a garden or farm in order to join the fellowship.

This information helps us better understand the needs and interests of accepted fellows and to track the impact our fellows make.

It is not required to have experience in farming or gardening in order to join the Fellowship.

This information helps us better understand the needs and interests of accepted fellows and to track the impact our fellows make.

It is not required to have experience in cooking or culinary arts in order to join the fellowship.

This information helps us better understand the needs and interests of accepted fellows and to track the impact our fellows make.

It is not required to have experience in food justice in order to join the fellowship.

This information helps us better understand the needs and interests of accepted fellows and to track the impact our fellows make.