Community Land Trust History: Interview with Bob Swann
An Interview with Bob Swann Conducted by Kirby White (1992) Originally published in Community Economics (Summer 1992): 3– 5. COMMUNITY ECONOMICS: Would you talk about how the community land trust model was developed, and how your own experience led to the development of the model. BOB SWANN: As a conscientious objector during world War II, I spent two years […]
Gaining Ground
GAINING GROUND, a feature-length documentary film by Elaine Velazquez and Barbara Bernstein, tells the stories of farmers making extraordinary changes in their farming practices so they can feed their local communities sustainably grown produce and grains. From farms in Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley to underserved communities of color in Richmond, California, GAINING GROUND reveals the tenacity and courage […]
100 Years of Anti-Corporate Farming Laws
An article the Center for Rural Affairs wrote in 2007 on the importance of anti-corporate farming laws has new resonance in light of the recent decision by Nebraska’s legislature to allow meatpackers to own hogs prior to slaughter (LB 176). Here is a look back to the roots of the issue.
Shifting African policy towards women and agroecology
The role of rural women and smallholder farmers in African society has been highly undervalued. This is so despite the fact that around 80% of Africa’s population is dependent on smallholder agriculture, it is the backbone of the rural economy, and women provide over two-thirds of the farm labour. There is clear evidence that agroecology […]
The Gates Foundation and the Plunder of African Agriculture
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is dangerously and unaccountably distorting the direction of international development, according to a new report by the campaign group Global Justice Now. With assets of $43.5 billion, the BMGF is the largest charitable foundation in the world. It actually distributes more aid for global health than any government. […]
Young Agrarian movement is growing and bursting out in Canada!
Out here on the temperate BC Coast we’re lucky to already be enjoying the early blooms of the colourful crocus and daffodils as well as the tender, nutrient rich, greens of late winter which are beginning to push their way up through the forest floor. We’re overjoyed to have new branch of Young Agrarians budding in Alberta this season; we hope our burgeoning network […]
Life in Syntropy
“Life in Syntropy” is the new short film from Agenda Gotsch. It tells the story of Brazilian farmer Ernst Gotsch, who bought 1,200 acres of completely deforested land on the edge of the rainforest in 1984 and transformed it into a remarkably biodiverse working farm that reverses climate change by sequestering carbon.
Map of My Kingdom
Who’s going to get the farm? And what are they going to do with it? Will your plans create harmony or strife for your family? Map of My Kingdom, a play written by Iowa poet laureate Mary Swander and commissioned by Practical Farmers of Iowa, deals with the critical issue of land transition. This one-woman show features […]
How we farm is how we govern
In this lecture (starting at about minute 30), Professor Donald Kagan describes the changes in agricultural organization and ownership that may have brought about the Greek golden age. Following the lead of Victor David Hanson, he describes how the farmer became the backbone of the polis.
Use-Value Assessment of Rural Lands – Time for Reform?
Use-value assessment (UVA) is the practice of valuing rural land in the United States based on its current use rather than its market value to reduce property taxes. Originally this practice was put in place to slow the loss of farms, reanches and forests to urbanization. This report, published by the Lincoln Land Institute, looks […]