Blog - Agrarian Trust

Land Trusts and the Commons Sector

May 19, 2023 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity • By Noah Wurtz

Land Trusts and the Commons Sector … “In my mind, the great challenge for the twenty-first century is to make the commons visible, to give it proper […]

Regenerative Farmers Need Land

May 23, 2023 • Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies, Sustainable Farming, Uncategorized • By Noah Wurtz

Regenerative farming is on the rise. According to the 2022 survey by National Young Farmers Coalition, 83 percent of new farmers report that “one of their farm’s primary purposes for […]

Agrarian Trust and Partner Organizations Receive USDA Grant Funding

May 11, 2023 • Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security, Press Releases and Announcements • By Sarah Holdeman

Twelve organizations, including Rural Action on behalf of the Central Appalachian Network, Agrarian Trust, and New Roots Community Farm, have been selected to establish USDA Regional Food Business Centers that […]

Agrarian Commons Farmers go to DC

Feb 21, 2023 • Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity, Press Releases and Announcements • By Noah Wurtz

Agrarian Commons farmers Cam Terry, Duron Chavis, and Tyrone Cherry III joined the National Family Farm Coalition’s (NFFC) first national fly-in in three years. A progressive policy organization committed to fighting corporate control of agriculture, NFFC gathered farmers, fisherfolk, and nonprofit leaders to lobby their congressional representatives. Our shared objective was to create a more equitable farm system for all.

Introducing Commons Groundswell, the Agrarian Trust Podcast

Feb 16, 2023 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Press Releases and Announcements • By Noah Wurtz

Over the course of the podcast’s eight episode first season, Commons Groundswell will cover a wide range of themes, from decommodifying the land through the Agrarian Commons to rebuilding land ownership for Black farmers, and the importance of rekindling spiritual connection with the land. Listen to leading voices in the fight for equitable land access, like Dr. Shakara Tyler of Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund, and Leah Penniman of Soul Fire farm as they share their perspectives, and expand and explore what it means to live on the land.

Food Sovereignty & Regenerative Agriculture at COP 27

Feb 12, 2023 • Food Systems and Security, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

A growing body of evidence, including a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, supports Regenerate International’s claim. Regenerative agriculture practices, many of which are used by Agrarian Commons farmers, have the potential to remove carbon from the atmosphere and greatly mitigate the effects of climate change.

The Bhoodan Movement and Land Gifts as Revolutionary Practice

Feb 04, 2023 • Agrarian Trust, Giving and Fundraisers • By Noah Wurtz

The Bhoodan movement serves as an example of the limitations of land-gifting, as well as its immense potential. On the one hand, land donations should be considered as one part of what should be a multifaceted approach, and cannot fully replace a concerted effort to influence policy and decentralize land holdings and power dynamics. On the other hand, the role of land donors should not be underestimated. Bhave and the Bhoodan movement showed that landowners are willing to make serious sacrifices in the name of a deeply moral cause.

Butz’s Law of Economics

Jan 23, 2023 • Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

In 1977, two of the most influential figures in the history of American agriculture met at Manchester College in North Manchester, Indiana, to debate two widely differing visions of farming, culture, and the future of American farmland. Wendell Berry, the renowned poet, farmer, and writer defined the difference between himself and his rival, Earl Butz—the Secretary of Agriculture (1971 to 1976) widely credited with setting in motion the rapid consolidation of farmland in the United States—in simple terms. “We may never meet,” said Berry, “because he’s arguing from quantities while I’m arguing from values.” Where Berry saw the widespread loss of community, rural values, and care for the land, Butz saw an opportunity for increased profits.

What is the Dead Sea Declaration?

Jan 04, 2023 • Land Justice and Equity • By Noah Wurtz

The Dead Sea Declaration comes at a critical moment in the movement for a more just and sustainable system of land governance. Time and time again, the stewardship of land by communities who live there has proven to be the most effective way to conserve the Earth’s ecosystems and climate. Eighty percent of the Earth’s biodiversity is on land controlled by Indigenous tribes: not as a matter of coincidence, but as a result of the centuries of knowledge and care practiced by Indigenous people. These bastions of biodiversity need to be defended at all costs. The knowledge and practice of these stewards can help inform efforts to expand people-centered land governance around the globe.

New Roots Builds Connections Between Local Farms and Schools

Dec 27, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security • By Noah Wurtz

For the past year and a half, every Wednesday has been West Virginia Wednesday. On these days, the ingredients for students’ meals, including the frozen chickens, are sourced directly from local farms, providing a major source of income for farmers and access to healthy, locally grown food to students. This dual benefit is a key feature of Farm to School programming in Fayette County.

Give the Gift of the Commons

Dec 16, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Giving and Fundraisers • By Noah Wurtz

As 2022 draws to a close, we want to take a moment from the bustle of the season to reflect on some of these successes, and to share the work that still needs to be done. We ask that you consider the variety of giving options Agrarian Trust provides, including our Alternate Gift Catalog, the Caring for the Commons Fund, and the ongoing fundraisers in Maine, Southwest Virginia, and Central Virginia. With your help, we can chart a new path for land ownership in the United States.

Weaving Webs of Connection with the Tennessee Local Food Summit

Nov 19, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security • By Noah Wurtz

When Poppen founded the Tennessee Local Food Summit in 2010, it was the latest in a decades long lineage of organic farmers independently organizing events to support themselves and one another.

What Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” Can Teach Us About Preserving the Land

Nov 09, 2022 • Op-Eds • By Noah Wurtz

One sight that has become conspicuously absent from modern life is the small, biodiverse farm. In the 35 years before Big Yellow Taxi was released, the United States lost over five million farms, or more than half of the farms that existed in 1935. While the United States certainly has never been a paradise—most of these lost farms were stolen from Native Americans in the first place—this loss has had dire consequences for rural economies. As small farms disappear, we’ve seen an explosion of industrial farming practices that favor monoculture over diversity, productivity over soil health, and profit over community well-being.

The Ogallala Aquifer, Water Depletion, and the Promise of the Commons

Oct 31, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

In California and the Midwest, extended droughts have already caused farmers to draw heavily on aquifers (large, underground reservoirs of water) to water their crops. The Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches across much of the Midwest, a region which produces one-fifth of U.S. wheat, corn, and cotton, and over a third of its beef, has already been significantly depleted.

The Global Roots of Community Land Ownership

Oct 27, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Noah Wurtz

A CLT, according to Center for Community Land Trust Innovation, “is a nonprofit corporation that holds land on behalf of a place-based community, while serving as the long-term steward for affordable housing, community gardens, civic buildings, commercial spaces and other community assets on behalf of a community.” Like the Agrarian Commons, CLTs are based on the premise that land should be held and managed for the benefit of local communities.

Combatting Climate Change

Oct 24, 2022 • Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

The good news is, while emissions reduction is still the most important way to mitigate climate catastrophe, there is a growing body of evidence that shows that carbon can be removed from the atmosphere—and stored in soil. This process, known as soil sequestration, is being championed by farmers, climate scientists, and nonprofit organizations, including Agrarian Trust, who see it as one of our most valuable tools in the fight against climate change.

Agrarian Trust Co-sponsored the 2022 Food Week of Action

Oct 21, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security • By Noah Wurtz

Last week, food justice organizations around the country observed the Food Week of Action, an initiative led by Presbytarian Hunger Program. This year’s Week of Action had the theme People and Planet First, and centered the work of farmers, fishers, and other agriculturalists as they fight to build food sovereignty across the globe. As part of the Week of Action, participating organizations hosted events, actions, and worship services supporting this critical effort.

Global Spotlight: Community Land Scotland

Oct 12, 2022 • Land Access Stories • By Noah Wurtz

The Agrarian Trust is just one of many organizations across the world dedicated to the advancement of community control of the land. In Scotland, state-level land reform and grassroots organizing have led to the widespread practice of community land ownership. In 2010, Community Land Scotland (CLS) was founded to act as a shared voice for community landowners in Scotland and to provide support for communities as they navigate the complex world of purchasing and managing land as a community body. Today, its members “manage 560,000 acres of land, home to some 25,000 people.” As models like the Agrarian Commons gain traction in the United States, it is worth studying the examples of our global partners. CLS deploys a compelling mix of policy work, training, and networking opportunities to support community land ownership in Scotland.

The Legacy of Land

Oct 09, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Giving and Fundraisers • By Noah Wurtz

While these are the most common options donors use to transfer land into an Agrarian Commons, every donor is different. Agrarian Trust will work closely with prospective donors to ensure that they are able to make the gift in a way that best suits their needs, while continuing to support the Agrarian Commons. For example, donors can choose to donate only part of their land, or to spread their donation out over a couple of years in order to receive the optimal tax benefits. Nonprofits and land trusts are also welcome to donate land to Agrarian Trust.

Envisioning the Future of Black Seed Agroecological Farm and Village

Oct 04, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

Black Seed Agroecological Village and Farm is still in the beginning stages of development. As is the case with most new farming operations, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done before the farm can begin operating at full capacity. New fields need to be cultivated, perennials planted, and new buildings constructed. Turner is currently working with the Washington State Department of Agriculture to define water rights on the farm, and to identify the source of surface water that covers part of the land.

What is Agroecology?

Sep 30, 2022 • Food Systems and Security, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

Agroecology is simply a continuation of these millennia of knowledge accumulation. Any one definition of agroecology as a practice would be incomplete. It reaches beyond a limited set of techniques or ideas, instead embracing the efficacy of agricultural techniques produced on a regionally, culturally, and ecologically specific level.

Key Findings From National Young Farmers Coalition’s 2022 Farmer Survey

Sep 29, 2022 • Food Systems and Security, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

According to the survey, 59 percent of farmers surveyed reported that finding affordable land was “very or extremely challenging.” An even higher percentage of BIPOC farmers—68 percent of Indigenous respondents and 66 percent of Black respondents—gave the same response.

Rebuilding the Soil with Steve Normanton

Sep 23, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

Rotational grazing is an exercise in balance and careful observation, requiring the farmer to time the movements of their herd around the life cycles of the grass and the decomposition of manure. If a plot of land is overgrazed, the soil can be polluted by excess manure. If it is not grazed at all, the grass loses the rich nutrients provided by manure and goes to seed, creating fibrous “lignified” organic matter that is less nutrient dense and difficult for cattle to digest.

Ensuring Donated Land Gets Managed Equitably

Sep 12, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Giving and Fundraisers, Land Justice and Equity • By Noah Wurtz

For Callie, successfully conserving agricultural land with issues of racial equity and environmental sustainability in mind took a lot of time and plenty of careful planning. After inheriting the land in 2015, Callie enrolled in classes at the local college and attended conferences on biological farming in search of farmers who shared her vision. Callie found a number of farmers who were interested in working the land, but only one couple was able to make a long-term commitment. Finally, after years of looking for a good fit, Callie and her husband found the Agrarian Commons model.

Building the Foundations for Food Sovereignty at Lick Run

Sep 07, 2022 • Agrarian Commons • By Noah Wurtz

Community engagement and youth education play key roles in Terry’s vision for Lick Run Farm—even when it comes to creating a viable farm infrastructure. Building a greenhouse, Terry pointed out, can be an opportunity for teens to acquire important career skills. “Something I learned firsthand when I first started farming was that farming is so much more than raising plants,” said Terry. “You at least have to be competent with plumbing, carpentry, maybe even a bit of electrical work.”

The Agrarian Commons, Land Stewardship, and the Racist History of Land Conservation

Sep 05, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity • By Noah Wurtz

As a land conservation organization, it is important for Agrarian Trust to grapple with the racist history of land conservation, and to imagine new models of land stewardship rooted in racial equity and active care for the land. The Agrarian Commons model is a clear step in this direction.

Ostrom’s Eight Design Principles for a Successfully Managed Commons

Aug 31, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust • By Noah Wurtz

Torbel came to international attention in 1990, when Ostrom published her groundbreaking study of commons, Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. In the book, Ostrom argued against the dominant understanding of the commons, as exemplified by Garret Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons, which held that the commons would inevitably—and tragically—be depleted by rational, self-interested actors. The existence of communities like Torbel was evidence enough for Ostrom that Hardin’s model was too abstract.

La Via Campesina

Aug 29, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

La Via Campesina coined the term food sovereignty in 1996, against the background of an increasingly globalized food system, which heavily favored large agribusinesses over small-scale farmers. The World Trade Organization (WTO) pressured countries to dismantle their local agricultural system, to lower prices, and become competitive on the global market. In order to drive labor costs down, farming became increasingly centralized, driving peasants and Indigenous people off their land at unprecedented rates. Aggressive copyright law and genetic engineering by large agribusinesses robbed peasants of their seeds, rendering them reliant on a volatile global market of pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Cheap produce flooded local economies, destroying the livelihoods of farmers who were unable or unwilling to compete.

What can we learn from Deshee Farm? A Visual History

Aug 23, 2022 • Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

While farms like Deshee failed to take hold in the United States and had significant limitations, its story serves as a reminder that the privatized corporate farming that dominates U.S. agriculture was anything but inevitable. Grassroots organizing by tenant farmers played a key role in securing innovative, state-funded programming whose scale and vision matched the needs of the moment. Had there been more resources to fund similar efforts and more time and autonomy for the members of RA farms to develop the necessary institutions and cultural practices to effectively govern their shared resources, we might have been living in a different, more cooperatively focused world.

Restoring Native Pollinator Habitats with the Agrarian Commons

Aug 15, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

In the past twenty years, habitat loss, pests, pathogens, a lack of genetic diversity among pollinator species, and the reckless use of pesticides has caused a drastic drop in the United State’s pollinator population. Between April 2020 and April 2021 alone, beekeepers report losing 45.1 percent of managed honey bee colonies. This loss of pollinators impedes the function of successful ecosystems and poses a direct threat to farmers’ ability to successfully grow food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), about “one mouthful in three in our diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.”

What are the Rights of Nature?

Aug 09, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

An ecologically responsible, regenerative approach to land management is at the center of Agrarian Trust’s effort to conserve and increase access to farmland across the United States. When a farmer signs on an Agrarian Commons lease, they agree to adhere to a high standard of ecological land management, and to respect specifically defined “Rights of Nature,” which are included explicitly in the lease. Listed here, the Rights of Nature in the Agrarian Commons lease include, but are not limited to:

Enclosure: Old and New

Jul 25, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Land Access Stories • By Noah Wurtz

The Agrarian Commons is part of a long history of innovative commoning practices that have been formed in opposition to the commodification of land. Yet the dominant narrative in history textbooks frames the commons as a relic of the past, rendered obsolete by the “enclosures,” or widespread land grabbing that lasted from the 15th to 17th century. This narrative has been challenged by thinkers and activists who recognize that around the world, commoners are still actively fighting against efforts to grab their land and overturn traditional land rights. Agrarian Trust stands with these commoners as they seek to articulate a new, just vision of land tenure.

Commodity or Commons: Finance Capital and the Commodification of Land

Jul 13, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security • By Noah Wurtz

The first major entity to begin investing in farmland as an asset was Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA)—one of the largest pension firms in the United States, with $1,375 billion in assets. In 2007, the TIAA began purchasing enormous tracts of land. By 2017, the TIAA owned more than 1.9 million acres of farmland worldwide— an area significantly larger than the state of Maryland—including over 490,000 acres in Brazil alone. TIAA’s purchases in Brazil led to the consolidation of power in the hands of a small number of agribusinesses specializing in soy monoculture, driving farmers off their traditional land in record numbers, and leading to widespread deforestation, wildfires, and loss of biodiversity.

Oasis and Community in Petersburg, Virginia

Jun 30, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security, Giving and Fundraisers, Land Justice and Equity • By Noah Wurtz

“What it means for our community... it means a sense of hope,” said Cherry. “It’s a light in a very dark time, not just for our city, but even for our country. And its potential for our youth, to know that something besides a place like Walmart exists here—that’s big. Something to be proud about, to say we have a community farm, something we’ve worked for—to have that kind of light in Petersburg.”

Studies of the Agrarian Commons in the Higher Education Community

Jun 24, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies • By Wendy Stevens

The Agrarian Commons model, now in its implementation phase, is being studied by researchers, professors, and students throughout higher education and law school institutions.

Virginia, a Resettlement State

Jun 22, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security • By April Jones

America has always been a mix of cultural food traditions. We enjoy the freedom to explore taste and see the bounty of the many foodways, which allows us to be a part of the expansive American awareness. As cities become more culturally diverse, it is a chance for a renewed cultural fusion.

The state of Virginia has a resettlement program that makes space for this cultural interchange, facilitating new boundaries of cultural storytelling.

Mark Lancaster Joins Agrarian Trust as Development Director

Jun 21, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Giving and Fundraisers • By Agrarian Trust

There is little doubt that over the next 5-10 years upwards of 400 million acres of land in the U.S. will change hands as farmers and ranchers retire. What will happen with that land is of great concern to me and to Agrarian Trust.

Press Release: Announcing New Land Acquisition Project for the Central Virginia Agrarian Commons

Jun 16, 2022 • Giving and Fundraisers, Press Releases and Announcements • By Kristina Villa

The Central Virginia Agrarian Commons (AC) is announcing its first land acquisition project. The Central VA AC needs to raise $145,000 through a fundraising campaign to acquire the 5.12-acre urban farm that sits right next door to an elementary school in Petersburg, Virginia. The Central VA AC is a collaboration between Agrarian Trust, Virginia Foodshed Capital, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, the Petersburg Healthy Opportunities Project, Petersburg League of Urban Growers, and Sankofa Community Orchard to support urban food production and habitat diversity, and to counter high rates of food insecurity.

Juneteenth: A Celebration of Black Resistance

Jun 13, 2022 • Land Justice and Equity • By April Jones

Using land as a pathway for growth and upward mobility has always been an American tradition, but was only afforded to Black people after Juneteenth. New generations are now benefiting from the long legacy and history of the Black farmer. Juneteenth is an excellent chance for our country to celebrate Black resistance, resilience, and land practices.

Healing the Land Through Community Collaboration in the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons

Jun 02, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Sustainable Farming • By Noah Wurtz

As the campaign to raise $426,250 to purchase Lick Run Farm gains momentum, the Harvest Collective, a Virginia-based collaborative farming group, is already hard at work preparing Lick Run for its new place in the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons. Along with Cam Terry, the head farmer at Garden Variety Harvests, the collective has been mowing grass, laying tarps, and completing small construction projects around the land.

Fighting for Domestic and Global Food Sovereignty

May 23, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security • By Noah Wurtz

The high cost of land, racial inequity and land grabbing that underpins agriculture in the United States is part of a global trend of expropriative land practice, founded upon centuries of corporate greed and colonial violence. Agrarian Trust is an active member of a global movement that seeks to heal from these destructive forces, while charting a new path forward—beginning with Indigenous knowledge, local control of the land and agroecological growing practices. Since its founding in 2010, the United States Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA) has worked “to end poverty, rebuild local food economies, and assert democratic control over the food system” as a partner organization of the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty.

Cultivating Resiliency in Roanoke, Virginia

May 17, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security, Giving and Fundraisers, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity • By Briana Olson

As a recipient of Roanoke City’s share of American Rescue Plan funding, LEAP is working to create a centralized food hub about a mile down the road from Lick Run Farm farm, where Cam plans to take his vision for growing food and building community to the next level. Once the funds are raised, the land will become the founding farm for the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons: a space where Cam can build soil, host workshops, and raise vegetables to be sold on-site as well as through LEAP’s new food hub.

Equity & Justice Research Grant

May 15, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Press Releases and Announcements • By Katie Horner

The Gund Institute for Environment, based out of the University of Vermont (UVM), recently announced their inaugural Equity and Justice research grant, which supports projects that aim to address inequities and injustices underlying environmental crises. I was honored to receive one of these grants to support my collaboration with Agrarian Trust exploring how creative approaches improve equitable farmland access and sustainable on-farm practices. To date, land access policy initiatives in the United States have focused exclusively on expanding private property ownership. Recent research, however, indicates that such efforts may not fully address the systemic and structural barriers to equitable farmland access.

The Diggers Today: Enclosure, Manure, and Resistance

May 13, 2022 • Agrarian Trust, Land Access Stories • By Noah Wurtz

Such historical examples of commoning practices and resistance to land enclosures not only provide ample opportunity to learn from past struggles, but also serve as proof that, rather than being a static relic of the past, the commons are continuously defended and transformed in the struggle against the exploitative and dehumanizing forces of enclosure. Agrarian Trust and similar grassroots organizations are part of this long lineage of commoners fighting for a more equitable and ecologically oriented relationship with the land. Over three hundred years before the founding of Agrarian Trust, Gerard Winstanley and the Diggers championed a compelling alternative to the early capitalism of the seventeenth century. Their platform centered on the democratic control of land and the restorative power of a simple but often overlooked fertilizing agent—manure.

Explore the Farm and Fundraise with Frankie the Cat

May 09, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Giving and Fundraisers • By Noah Wurtz

The authors of Frankie Explores the Farm, Courtney Taylor and Harmony Marquardt, are donating the proceeds from their new book to the fundraising campaign for Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons. By purchasing a copy on Agrarian Trust’s website, you can contribute to Southwest Virginia Agrarian Common’s effort to raise more than $250,000 to purchase Lick Run Farm and ensure that the farm’s 3.5 acres remain accessible and productive.

The International Land Coalition Commits to New Strategy Centered on Restoring Land Rights to Dispossessed Communities

May 07, 2022 • Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Noah Wurtz

The International Land Coalition has released a new strategy that centers on securing land rights for “women, youth, family and peasant farmers, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, forest dwellers, fisher folk, afro‑descendants and local communities.” The Agrarian Trust is a member of the International Land Coalition (ILC), a global coalition of over 300 members dedicated to the advancement of people-centered land governance.

All Against All to All for One: Moving Beyond the Tragedy of the Commons

May 02, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust • By Noah Wurtz

In April 1651, the political theorist Thomas Hobbes published his most well-known literary work, Leviathan. An ardent royalist writing primarily in response to the discord of the English Civil War, […]

Press Release: Announcing New Land Acquisition Project for the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons

Apr 26, 2022 • Giving and Fundraisers, Press Releases and Announcements • By Kristina Villa

The Southwest VA AC needs to raise $251,329 through a fundraising campaign to fully fund this $426,250 project and acquire the 3.5-acre Lick Run Farm in Roanoke, Virginia.

Redlining’s Legacy: Disinvestment in Black Communities in Virginia

Apr 18, 2022 • Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Uncategorized • By April Jones

Redlining was a red mark against these robust neighborhoods, meaning that they could not connect to federal funding for home loans. Race was the defining factor in redlining and prevented these communities from gaining full access to the federal support that was needed and that they paid into through the federal tax system.

Defending Workers and Supporting the Commons: A Q&A with Sam Petsonk

Apr 08, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Land Justice and Equity • By Briana Olson

Sam Petsonk has spent his career challenging injustices in the courts and the legislature, and has won game-changing results for countless workers across West Virginia and Appalachia.

Creating Land Access & Tenure for Black Farmers in Virginia

Mar 28, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Land Justice and Equity • By Kristina Villa

While securing land tenure is a challenge facing farmers of every race in this country, Agrarian Trust knows that land access is a greater barrier for farmers of color, and is centering the work of making affordable land security available to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) farmers. More than 98% of farmland in the U.S. is owned by white people while more than 70% of the farmworkers who seed, cultivate, weed, and harvest the crops that feed us are people of color. This gross injustice needs to change.

Beyond Protection: New River Land Trust Builds on Conservation Successes to Pave the Way Toward Farmer-Led Stewardship

Mar 06, 2022 • Commons Alliance, Land Access Strategies • By Janna Siller

The New River Land Trust has been protecting parcels of land in the New River region of southwest Virginia for two decades. The primary mechanisms it has leaned on are […]

Black-led Modest Family Solutions has been selected as the long-term leaseholder and steward for the Puget Sound Agrarian Commons farmland

Feb 21, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Land Justice and Equity, Press Releases and Announcements • By Kristina Villa

The Puget Sound Agrarian Commons (AC) has chosen Adasha Turner, founder and director of Modest Family Solutions, as the long-term leaseholding steward of the land gift that started the Puget Sound Agrarian Commons and the Agrarian Commons movement.

A Community Land Trust Seeds the New Hampshire Agrarian Commons

Feb 08, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Land Access Stories, Land Access Strategies • By Briana Olson

In June 2021, the first farm was transferred into the New Hampshire Agrarian Commons. The 63 acres of farmland were a gift: the Monadnock Community Land Trust (MCLT) donated the land to the Agrarian Commons so that it could continue to be protected for farming.

Changemaker Profile: Renard Turner and the Central Virginia Agrarian Commons

Jan 25, 2022 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Briana Olson

A Q&A with Renard Turner, co-owner and operator of Vanguard Ranch and founding board member of the Central Virginia Agrarian Commons.

Muhidin Libah and Ian McSweeney Share a Recounting on America’s Test Kitchen

Jan 19, 2022 • Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Wendy Stevens

America's Test Kitchen Reporter Ashia Aubourg recently produced a story about the successful creation of a land commons in Maine, one of the first of its kind. She interviews Muhidin Libah, a farmer, and President of the Somali Bantu Community Association, and Ian McSweeney, Director of Agrarian Land Trust.

Principles of the Commons

Dec 03, 2021 • Agrarian Commons, Land Justice and Equity • By Tao Orion

Farmer, permaculturist, and author Tao Orion writes about the commons as a means to land stewardship rooted in reciprocity.

Building Equitable Farmland Tenure Models for Farmers in the Upper Midwest

Nov 19, 2021 • Press Releases and Announcements • By David Harper

We are thrilled to announce that Agrarian Trust has been awarded a grant from the North Central SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) Professional Development Program! This generous funding will […]

West Virginia Farmland Fundraiser Paints a Picture of Connection

Oct 26, 2021 • Agrarian Commons, Giving and Fundraisers • By Wendy Stevens

Agrarian Trust fully funded its third fundraiser on October 12th, 2021. Working together with the West Virginia Agrarian Commons, the fundraiser reached total completion in ten months, surpassing the goal of $258,000, raising $261,346*.

Foodlands Cooperative of British Columbia

Sep 27, 2021 • Commons Alliance • By Taylor Plett

If you drive east from Vancouver for about an hour and a half on a Saturday morning, you can join the group of city dwellers, expats, artists and others gathering for the weekend harvest at Abundance Community Farm. “We call it the farmily,” chuckled Amir Niroumand. He purchased the land for Abundance in 2016 as a place for intentional community and collective farming. It was a risky investment – an experiment in communal responsibility – and it worked. Now, Niroumand is thinking about the future.

Changemaker Profile: Jillian Hishaw and Systemic Land Theft

Aug 11, 2021 • Agrarian Commons, Land Access Stories, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Jillian Hishaw

A reflection from author, attorney, and landowner advocate Jillian Hishaw as she discusses her new book, Systematic Land Theft.

Changemaker Profile: Adam Hodges and the West Virginia Agrarian Commons

Jul 09, 2021 • Agrarian Commons, Land Access Strategies • By Briana Olson

A Q&A with Adam Hodges, founding board member of the West Virginia Agrarian Commons, Community and Economic Development Extension Agent for Fayette County, and author of Destination: Beautification - A Community Resource Guide, released in 2015.

Reparative Justice: From Theory to Reality

Jun 14, 2021 • Faithlands, Land Justice and Equity • By Briana Olson

In celebration of Juneteenth, we’re posting an excerpt from the FaithLands Toolkit. While the toolkit’s overview on strategies for reparations was conceived for an audience of faith communities, any community can make use of these strategies.

Food, land, and farm businesses are working together to transform land ownership in the US

Dec 06, 2020 • Giving and Fundraisers • By Agrarian Trust

Businesses recognize our collective stake in the earth and are willing to direct energy and profit toward preserving the earth for future generations and restoring human connection to land.

Vermont Agrarian Commons – A New Model of Community Land Partnership for Regenerative Farms

Nov 23, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Land Access Stories, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

Corie Pierce of Bread and Butter Farm on why the Agrarian Commons offers a strong and vibrant future for the farm.

Tito’s Vodka and Greenleaf Restaurant in NH raising funds to support Agrarian Trust

Nov 16, 2020 • Giving and Fundraisers, Press Releases and Announcements • By Agrarian Trust

Greenleaf in NH has announced that they are joining with Titos Vodka to support Agrarian Trust!

Press Release: Local Agrarian Commons Co-founders Honored with Food Sovereignty Prize

Oct 17, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Press Releases and Announcements, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

Please join us in congratulating the Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine (SBCA), co-founders of the Little Jubba Maine Agrarian Commons, on being honored by the US Food Sovereignty Alliance’s […]

Agrarian Trust featured in Catalytic Capital and Agriculture

Oct 16, 2020 • Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Press Releases and Announcements, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

The team at Agrarian Trust is thrilled to see the Agrarian Commons model of community-held farmland featured in a new report on innovative models for agriculture. As the report’s authors […]

The Fault in Our Farming

Sep 23, 2020 • Food Systems and Security, Sustainable Farming • By Frankie Wallace

Humanity can no longer afford to ignore the myriad ways in which monoculture is unsustainable and dangerous. Widespread environmental sustainability is virtually impossible under the monoculture farming model. It seems as though we must look to the farmers and stewards of the past to protect public health into the foreseeable future.

How we fundraised $367,000 in 8 weeks for land justice

Aug 26, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Giving and Fundraisers, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

Together, we’ve just finished our first farm acquisition fundraiser at Agrarian Trust in support of the Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons, a new model for community-centered farm ownership.

Action & Commitment for Racial Equity

Aug 19, 2020 • Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

The recent uprisings are shaking the world. We are again at a tipping point that is a long time coming. Just as it always has, it will require not only weeks, months, or years of protest but decades and centuries of commitment to create a culture of equity and justice.

Agrarian Trust & Patagonia Invest in Pollinator Habitat Design & Implementation at Two Agrarian Commons Farms

Aug 18, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Sustainable Farming • By Wendy Stevens

Agrarian Trust and Patagonia are both investing to support ecological stewardship on two Agrarian Commons farms.

Agrarian Trust’s First Farm Fundraiser

Aug 11, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Commons Alliance, Giving and Fundraisers, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

Agrarian Trust, with the support of our incredible community has launched ten Agrarian Commons, and made significant progress on our first farm fundraiser. We are proud to report that we raised $324,000 in just over one month to support the Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons...

Harnessing the Power of Local

Aug 03, 2020 • Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Frankie Wallace

Agrarian Commons farms, which operate under the joint stewardship of farmers across a community, focus on farming techniques that preserve the land and create a reliable source of product.

Could Putting Farmland in the Commons Support Land Justice and Sustainability?

Jul 15, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

The Agrarian Trust aims to help farmers access land and stay on it, while fostering a system of community supported, environmentally sustainable agriculture.

Guest Post: Teaching the Next Generation Through Sustainable Agriculture

Jul 15, 2020 • Sustainable Farming • By Frankie Wallace

One of the most important gifts we can pass on to future generations is the reconnection to agrarian heritage and sustainable agricultural practices.

New Report: “Driving Dispossession: The Global Push to “Unlock the Economic Potential of Land”

Jul 14, 2020 • Commons Alliance • By Agrarian Trust

Driving Dispossession: The Global Push to “Unlock the Economic Potential of Land,” sounds the alarm on the unprecedented wave of privatization of natural resources that is underway around the world. Through six case studies—Ukraine, Zambia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Brazil—the report details the myriad ways by which governments—willingly or under the pressure of financial institutions and Western donor agencies—are putting more land into so-called “productive use” in the name of development.

Press Release: Somali Bantu Community Association Finds Dream Farm – Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons

Jun 23, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Giving and Fundraisers, Land Justice and Equity, Press Releases and Announcements • By Agrarian Trust

The Little Jubba Central Maine AC found their dream farm (107 acres in Maine). Agrarian Trust is now fundraising to make this farmland purchase possible.

Antiracism Resources

Jun 16, 2020 • Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

Do the work to become antiracist. Continually seek to educate yourself and your community.

Guest Post: How Farmers’ Markets Have Been Affected by COVID-19

May 28, 2020 • Food Systems and Security • By Frankie Wallace

The struggle to legitimize farmers' markets as essential services has been a hard-fought battle. Here are three reasons why the farmers' market is important to our economy — and why you should support them.

Press Release: Agrarian Trust Selected for the Chipotle Aluminaries Project 2.0 Accelerator Program

May 28, 2020 • Agrarian Trust, Giving and Fundraisers, Press Releases and Announcements • By Agrarian Trust

Agrarian Trust has been selected to participate in the Chipotle Aluminaries Project 2.0 which supports ventures from across the country in advancing innovative solutions that empower the next generation of farmers.

Agrarian Commons: A New Model for Community-Owned Farmland

May 13, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies • By Agrarian Trust

On May 4th, 2020, Agrarian Trust announced the launch of a transformative new model for community-based farm and ranch ownership and tenure, the Agrarian Commons. After several years of development and […]

Vernon Family Farm: Joining the New Hampshire Agrarian Commons

May 13, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Press Releases and Announcements • By Darby Weaver

Situated on 33 acres in Newfields, NH, Vernon Family Farm is a pastured poultry operation focused on regenerating soils, community, and connections to food. The chickens are raised with non-GMO grains, are USDA certified, Halal inspected, air chilled, and every part of the animal is processed and used. Along with a value added product line named “Wicked Chicken” which includes a rotisserie chicken, soup, and pot pie, the farm offers an incredible selection of cuts and preparations for their customers such as chicken sausage, ground, offal, skins, and broths. In addition to their meat offerings, Vernon Family Farm also sells rainbow eggs from their pasture raised hens and a variety of farm products from Brookford Farm and other local NH farms.

Press Release: Agrarian Trust Launches the Agrarian Commons, A National Model for Community-Centered Farm Ownership

May 04, 2020 • Press Releases and Announcements • By Agrarian Trust

Today Agrarian Trust announces the launch of the Agrarian Commons, a transformative new model for community-centered farm and ranch ownership and tenure, in 10 states across the country.

Reflections from Agrarian Trust on the Coronavirus Crisis & Our Food System

Apr 14, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

Ian McSweeney “While the crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic is significant, it also simply holds a mirror to truth in our world and society. The pandemic is a […]

Resources for Farmers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr 14, 2020 • Food Systems and Security • By Agrarian Trust

In moments of crisis, immediate interventions and resources offered by service providers are necessary and life-saving. We applaud these efforts from the bottom of our hearts. Because Agrarian Trust does […]

Globalize the Struggle! Globalize Hope! Course Held

Apr 14, 2020 • Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

A reflection on participation in the U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance first national Political Education Course By Megan Browning In a recent teach-in hosted by The Rising Majority on Movement Building […]

Guest Post: Idaho is Losing Farmland Fast

Apr 07, 2020 • Agrarian Commons, Land Access Strategies, Sustainable Farming • By Frankie Wallace

Could Sustainable Agriculture Save It? As farmland in Idaho begins to disappear in favor of large agricultural businesses and home construction projects, sustainable agriculture is more necessary than ever. Forward-thinking […]

How to Win Land Justice in a Decade

Jan 17, 2020 • Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

By Neil Thapar, Food and Farm Director, Sustainable Economies Law Center Originally posted on the Sustainable Economies Law Center blog This is part two of #DemocratizeDecolonizeDecarbonize, a three-part essay series exploring […]

Struggles and Strategies of the Farmland Trust Movement Across Europe

Dec 16, 2019 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies • By Sarah Holdeman

In September, I participated in a convening on land access alongside a group of 90 participants from 16 European countries in Chaussy, France and presented on our local Agrarian Commons […]

A Landscape in Transition

Dec 02, 2019 • Agrarian Commons, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Darby Weaver

Frost and early snow over the last month and the last of the brown and yellow leaves are subtly transforming the scene in these Northern Vermont hills. This time of year […]

Sweet Land: The Story of a Collaborative Farming Model that Saved Two Dairies

Nov 17, 2019 • Agrarian Commons, Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Stories • By Eliza Spellman Taylor

This is the story of the revival of two dairy farms as a result of regenerative farming practices, savvy marketing, and an openness to sharing land and cows. It’s written […]

The 100 Year History of the San Pedro Commons

Sep 30, 2019 • Agrarian Commons, Commons Alliance, Land Access Stories, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

2018 marked the hundred-year anniversary of the privatization of the San Pedro Land grant, the place where I was born and still call home. It is an arid piece of high desert, covered in piñon and juniper, located in the eastern and northern foothills of the Sandia Mountains in central New Mexico. It was an anniversary no one marked publicly, not even the heirs to the land still living in San Antonito, the village just down the road. It is part of a story lost, for the most part, to so-called progress.

Land in Common: A Bold and Patient Model for Agrarian Reform in Maine

Sep 30, 2019 • Agrarian Commons, Commons Alliance, Land Access Strategies • By Eliza Spellman Taylor

Land in Common is a Community Land Trust in Maine, born out of a community-focused, land justice centered living space that has evolved over the past twenty years. Officially founded in 2008, Land in Common is a nonprofit organization that removes land from the commodity market and places it into a member-run trust where it can be stewarded by residents. Its goal is to create “a multi-generational land base for sustainable livelihoods that supports communities working for just, cooperative, and resilient futures.”

Portraits of the Agrarian Trust Collective: #Inktober

Sep 30, 2019 • Agrarian Commons • By Agrarian Trust

This October, Agrarian Trust is spotlighting the farmers and ranchers who put food on our plates, the advocates who support equitable land tenure and community commons based ownership, and the collaborations that are creating the local Agrarian Commons across the U.S.

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