Agriculture Policy & Legislative Intern

EDF internships provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Program/Department Overview

The Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Policy Team analyzes, develops, and advocates for public policy that can help accelerate the adoption of agricultural practices that reduce GHG emissions and build on-farm resilience. The CSA team works closely with farmers, ranchers, foresters and policymakers to create responsible public policy that delivers incentives, removes barriers, and advances science to better utilize working lands for natural climate solutions.

Overall Function

This intern will provide research, policy, and administrative support to the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Federal Affairs teams to execute their strategy to deliver a climate-smart Farm Bill and other agriculture policy priorities in 2026. Deliverables will include researching the climate impacts of various agriculture policy proposals within Congress and the Administration, gathering intel on ongoing Farm Bill negotiations for regular readouts to the Federal Affairs and Climate-Smart Agriculture teams, developing background materials to assist EDF lobbyists in preparation, and assisting in managing work with external consultants to ensure streamlined delivery of contract requirements. The intern will report to the Senior Director of Federal Affairs for Agriculture Policy and work closely with the Federal Affairs Manager for Agriculture Policy on EDF’s Federal Affairs team.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Conduct research and analysis of agriculture policy proposals aimed at helping farmers, ranchers, and foresters adopt climate-smart practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to a changing climate.
• Participate in regular congressional and stakeholder engagement and advocacy training to gain exposure on lobbying and influencing agriculture policy.
• Collaborate with internal EDF staff, external consultants, and multistakeholder coalitions focused on promoting climate-smart agriculture.
• Perform literature reviews on EDF reports from the Climate-Smart Agriculture team to centralize key findings and create quick reference materials.
• Prepare background materials on Members of Congress and their districts/states with relevant metrics to assist lobbyists in targeted advocacy efforts.
• Track legislative developments and provide regular updates to the team on congressional activities related to the Farm Bill, including relevant hearings, amendments and events.
• Assist in regularly reporting Federal Affairs agriculture policy staff activities to the Climate-Smart Agriculture Team, Political Affairs, and other internal audiences.
• Contribute to developing a cohesive advocacy strategy that accomplishes the goal of enacting a climate-smart Farm Bill.
• Participate in advancing EDF’s organizational effectiveness and culture goals, so people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included and empowered to address environmental and organizational challenges in ways that align with EDF values.
  
  

Qualifications

• Enrolled in an undergraduate degree program and/or has demonstrated interest in environmental, agricultural, conservation or rural energy policy.
• Coursework in agricultural studies, environmental science, or natural resources conservation recommended.
• Experience in farming, agriculture policy, environmental protection, and/or conservation of natural resources/wildlife/habitat.
• Work experience for a state/federal legislator preferred.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across all cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem-solving skills.
  
  

Location

Hybrid out of Washington, DC. Intern supervisor is in Washington, DC and many team members are in DC, NC, NY, and CO.

Term

Summer 2026 (10 weeks)

Hours

Full-time (35 hr/week)

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $18/hr.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.

Learn more about internships at EDF -http://www.edf.org/environmental-careers/internships