The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism offers ten $10,000 postgraduate Food and Farming Journalism Fellowships in a program established by Michael Pollan, the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley and Malia Wollan, the fellowship’s director. Aimed at early and mid career journalists, the fellowship presents an opportunity to report ambitious long form print and audio stories on the full range of subjects under the rubric of food systems: agricultural and nutritional policy, the food industry, food science, technology and culture, rural and urban farming, agriculture and the environment, food and climate change, global trade and supply chains, consolidation and securitization of the food system and public health as it relates to food and farming.

The fellowship is open to print and audio journalists. We will give preference to U.S. focused stories, but will also consider international stories with a strong U.S. angle or connection.

Online applications are due March 15, 2022, and should include a one-page pitch with a clearly defined story idea, not just a subject. The pitch should reflect some preliminary reporting, providing a clear sense of place, characters, and narrative. The application also requires a resume, two letters of recommendation and published clips.

Travel for workshops We will meet in Berkeley in June and again in November. During the first session, fellows will refine their story pitches with the help of the editors, and develop a reporting and publishing or broadcast strategy. Reporting, writing and producing will take place between June and November. Our second workshop week will take place in November when we will go over completed drafts. Travel and lodging expenses for in-person workshops will be covered by the fellowship.

The fellowship is supported by a grant from The 11th Hour Project, a program of The Schmidt Family Foundation.