Volunteer Technical Advisor – AI & Systems and Midsize Farmer Legal Educati

Opportunity Overview

This is an opportunity to work with an Ashoka Fellow

Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs that have been taken through a rigorous selection process, testing the quality of their ideas and character, to become part of the Ashoka Fellowship and Network. Ashoka Fellows take on the challenges of building innovative system change ideas to make and spread social impact in a world wrought with challenges. They refuse to let the ‘impossible’ stand in their way to creating a better world.

This is an unpaid, volunteer opportunity

Farm Commons’ mission is to empower agricultural communities to resolve their own legal vulnerabilities within an ecosystem of support. We achieve our mission by providing plain‑language, values‑centered legal education that supports farmers in making critical decisions. As a result of our work, farmers are able to grow more resilient operations. Our core audience is made up of farmers that are otherwise shut out of traditional legal systems.

These farmers are small to mid‑sized, sell directly to customers, and are majority owned by women and BIPOC entrepreneurs. We reach a nationwide audience. Education is just the beginning. At Farm Commons, farmers are the best source of solutions to their legal challenges. We develop leaders that foster and share local solutions with their peers. We also support the farm educators and advisors that farmers turn to locally, nationwide by expanding their ability to educate on legal matters.

Farm Commons was founded in 2012, inspired by founder Rachel Armstrong’s firsthand experience of rural poverty and the destabilizing role legal problems can play for farm families. In the 13 years since, Farm Commons has developed a strong track record of success. Over 70% of the businesses we reach make at least 1 significant, risk‑reducing change to their operation within 3 months.

Farmers sleep better at night and feel more confident in addressing legal matters after using our materials. As small business owners nationwide know, the United States has a crisis around access to affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate legal counsel in this country. Farm Commons is showing the away forward with community and peer centered legal education. We're proving our model works in sustainable and local agricultural communities.

Farms that address their legal vulnerabilities can stay in business longer and suffer fewer setbacks. We're proud to witness stronger community economic development and better environmental stewardship result, not to mention better access to healthy foods within those communities.

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Farm Commons is conducting a structured exploration of whether AI‑assisted tools could responsibly support searching and synthesizing materials from our legal and educational resource library. This is an evaluation and advisory project, not a software build. We are seeking an experienced technical professional to help us assess feasibility, risks, and options before any implementation decisions are made.

The goal of this project is to enable informed organizational decision‑making by clarifying what AI‑assisted library search would entail in practice, particularly in the context of legal and educational content. By the end of the engagement, Farm Commons aims to have a clear understanding of:

• The technical and organizational assumptions behind common AI‑search proposals
• Whether these approaches are appropriate given our accuracy, citation, and trust requirements
• What realistic paths forward exist (including choosing not to proceed)

Scope of Work:
The volunteer will serve as a technical advisor and translator, bridging between AI concepts and organizational decision‑making. Anticipated activities include:

• Interpreting and contextualizing technical claims related to AI‑assisted search (e.g., vector databases, retrieval‑augmented generation, setup timelines)
• Assisting staff in evaluating input from external advisors, vendors, or partners
• Reviewing a representative subset of Farm Commons’ library materials to identify…