Internship Vision

The CAN field internship program builds mutually beneficial relationships between interns and Latin American farming communities. Community members open their homes to interns, working collaboratively with them to exchange knowledge and share ways of living. Farm families receive supplemental income and build friendships. Perspectives are challenged and shared, while respect is given to knowledge steeped in place and local experience. Through hands-on work, interns apply diverse skills and learn more than they ever anticipated. They participate in projects aimed at moving the communities toward economic and ecological sustainability. Interns and community members do not work in isolation but as interactive links in the CAN network of farm families, consumers, community organizations, researchers, students, and interns. The relationships that are formed build personal connections with the realities of global trade and agriculture.

               Above: Roberto Jimenez talks to CAN student group during a delegation visit between CAN and partner community in Costa Rica