•  Food Justice Certification trainings for certifiers, worker organizations, and independent inspectors interested in the Food Justice Certification process. Also open to members of the general public who want to understand the FJC program.
• FJC Reviewer trainings for support staff working for approved certifiers or worker organizations.
• “Training the Trainer” for farmworker organizations who train workers on their rights and privileges under Food Justice Certification.
• 5-Year Refresher courses for reviewers and inspectors.

We offer these trainings by request and as needed. If you are interested in attending our next training, please contact us.

 

These trainings are designed for certifiers, worker organizations, and independent inspectors that have interest in participating in the Food Justice Certification process. The training is also open to the general public, educators, advocates, and researchers who want to understand the technical aspects of the Food Justice Certification program.

The training devotes a day-and-a-half to presentations and discussions, then conducts three field inspections where the participants first observe inspections, then assist the trainers in guided inspections, and finally perform an inspection while observed by their trainers. Classroom work alternates formal presentations with participatory exercises and covers the following topics:

• History, background, and mission of the Agricultural Justice Project;

• Overview of AJP certification system, eligibility, and labeling;

• The challenges of social auditing: skills and characteristics of a good interviewer; and

• The AJP verification process: the cooperative relationship between certifier and farm worker representatives, selecting workers to interview, inspection process, final review, and decision on certification.

The training concludes with a written exam. Once the exam and final paperwork are completed a certificate is awarded to the participant, enabling them to participate in the first domestic social justice certification program to launch in North America.

Reviewer trainings cover the same classroom material as the full inspector training, but they do not include the day-and-a-half of field inspections. This training is geared towards support staff working for approved certifiers or worker organizations that would like to review files and learn more about the Food Justice Certified program and process. By completing the Reviewer Training and successfully passing the exam, trainees are qualified to review files for Food Justice Certified applicants being processed by an approved certifier or worker organization.

AJP offers Training the Trainer for farmworker organizations. The training focuses on labor rights and privileges covered under Food Justice Certification. This training prepares participants to facilitate a 2-3 hour worker training, which is a requirement for certified farms. The typical Train the Trainer session takes 2 days. The following topics are covered:

• Introduction to AJP
• Legal Rights
• Health and Safety
• Food Justice Certified Standards
• Conflict of Interest Principles

Every five years trained inspectors and file reviewers must complete a refresher course to maintain their status. The refresher course can be completed remotely and must be completed within the fifth year (dated from certificate of completion) to remain active. The course consists of a series of training videos and an exam.