Rightful Heritage: Stewardship and Conservation for a Tumultuous Time
In a new biography by Douglas Brinkley, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s legacy is examined through a conservationist lens. Interactions between his economic and environmental policy did not always have effects that reflected his focus on stewardship and had long ranging consequences for the recovery of American soil after the Dust Bowl and agribusiness policy for years […]
Investing in Our Future: Understanding the Challenges and Benefits of Sustainable Farming
A recent report written by the Conservation Finance Network news team at Yale Center for Business and the Environment investigates whether sustainable farmland investments bring about social, economic and environmental returns. The findings of the study reveal current challenges and risks, successful models currently in place and suggested next steps to heighten returns from sustainable farmland investment. Read an expanded […]
The Waning West
The landscape of the American West is diminishing so rapidly that we can literally see the change with our own eyes. According to the Center for American Progress, every 2.5 minutes a football field worth of land is lost to development in the American West. Click here to learn more about how and why natural areas are being lost […]
Landmark Climate Case Won by Youth in Oregon
On Thursday, November 10th a district court in Oregon ruled in favor of a group of youth climate activists and climate scientist James Hansen. Their motion was to secure the right to hold the government accountable for failing to protect future generations from the effects of climate change. The bedrock of the successful case was […]
Regional Land Access Project, Phase II
Our partner organization Land for Good has concluded the first year of its Land Access Project, Phase II (LAP2). This coalition of farmers from across 6 New England states has been working build power for farmers of all types in the region and make certain that farmland is passed to the next generation of farmers […]
Succession Schools offer options for New England’s Retiring Farmers
Agrarian Trust’s underlying goal is to ensure that the farmland in this country continues to be so after it has left the hands of its current owners. 400 million acres of farmland will change hands in the next 20 years and for many farmers in New England ages 65 and older, there is uncertainty about […]
Help Make Our Story Hill a Farm for Good
The Organization for Refugee & Immagrint Success (ORIS) has worked since 2012 to build a program for resettled refugee farmers to continue their agricultural careers on American soil. The group has been farming land in New Hampshire for almost 5 years and now, with collaboration from the Russell Foundation, has the opportunity to purchase the 57 […]
New structure for OAO could mean more access for underserved farmers
In an announcement from the USDA this past week, the promise of the Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) has come closer to fruition. The OAO was created by the 2008 Farm Bill to give voice and opportunity to beginning, minority and underserved farmers. Most notably, OAO administers the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged […]
Black Agrarianism: Resistance
Food First continues to break down walls in their Dismantling Racism in the Food System series in their newest piece, Black Agrarianism: Resistance. The piece serves as a study of the historical context of black farming, how slavery and freedom influenced the Black Agrarian Liberation Movements of the 1960’s and 70’s, and the declaration of sovereignty of […]
How Agrarian Trust is Fighting for Future Generations
Land access is one of the greatest barriers to entry that farmers today are facing. Arable land is decreasing, while land prices are increasing. Severine von Tscharner Fleming, the Board President of Agrarian Trust, talks to Rural America – In These Times about issues of land transfer and access, and how Agrarian Trust is working to […]