Creating an Agrarian Commons
How do we cooperatively own and steward land for food sovereignty, soil and ecosystem health, community benefit, service to the watershed, and more? Agrarian Trust’s proposed method is a new form (legal, cultural, and financial) of land ownership to support land access for the next generation of farmers, and we make the path by walking it.
Re-imagining Politics Through the Lens of the Commons
Why are the more wholesome alternative visions so scarce and scarcely believable?
Young Farmers in Minnesota get a hand from new land access bill
From the National Young Farmers Coalition: Saint Paul, Minnesota – On Tuesday evening, Governor Mark Dayton signed ten budget bills that included a first-of-its-kind beginning farmer tax credit. Authored by Rep. Nels Pierson (R-Rochester) and Sen. Mike Goggin (R-Redwing), the bill supports the transition of land to young and beginning farmers through a tax credit […]
Visions for a Farm Community: Thoughts for the Land Owner
Some thoughts from Faith Gilbert of the Letterbox Farm Collective for land owners and entrepreneurs seeking to partner with a farmer. This was written as a direct response to a particular farmer/landowner partnership idea involving agritourism activities; however the principles contained are broadly applicable. I want to offer a sincere welcome into the effort to […]
Local Food: Animated
Advocacy group Local Futures has just released this short video about how buying local food impacts local economies. The 2-minuted animated short highlights the essence of the problems of the global economy, and the multiple benefits of localization. Like it? They have a booklet too.
This May Day: Land, Food Workers and the Commons
Traditionally May 1st has been a day to recognize worker contributions and advocate for better rights. Today thousands, maybe millions will take to the street worldwide to take a stand for workers, just as workers did in 1886 in Chicago. Workers, particularly food and agricultural workers cannot be removed from the conversation of land access and […]
Access to Land in Europe
this video show what our counterparts in Europe are up to. also — learn how the European Parliament is weighing in on Land Access in this blog post.
Center for a Livable Future provides Policy and Community Solutions for Food System Health
The Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University released a series of policy recommendations for the new administration to bring the health of food systems and communities to the forefront of policy discussion. Agrarian Trust’s work all ultimately connects communities with the food being grown by their people from their soil, and according […]
From Small to Large: America’s farmland shift
The societal shift from small to large farming in the United States is undeniable. As the 20th Century marched forward so did the mass-production methods of agribusiness and the destruction of the small family farm. When the majority of all farm land and water rights in the most productive regions of the nation are held […]
Micro-loan Program Provides Options for Small Farmers
In a report released just before the New Year, the USDA’s Economic Research Service outlined the progress of the micro-loan program. Since 2013, the USDA has been granting small infusions of cash for farmers through the micro-loan program. The ERS report reveals that these loans are indeed going to their targeted group, small farms and […]