$20.5 Million in Farmland Protection Funding Announced in NY

May 17, 2014 • Food Systems and Security, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

Governor Cuomo Announces $20.5 Million Available for Farmland Protection Grants Offered for First Time in Five Years May 14, 2014 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the availability of $20.5 million to aid farmland protection efforts and help prevent viable agricultural land from being converted to non-agricultural use. Eligible entities, including municipalities, counties, soil and water […]

Featured Resource: Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund

May 14, 2014 • Faithlands, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

The Federation of Southern Cooperatives was founded in 1967. The following is from their website and explains their history and mission: In the four decades since the founding of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, there has been significant work, participation and development of low income people and their communities. There are three major themes of […]

Farming Without Profit: NPR Looks at Part-time Farmers

May 10, 2014 • Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Stories, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

Listen to the Story by Dan Charles from NPR Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture carries out a census of farmers: who they are, and what they are doing on their farms. The agency just released the , and it’s a feast for all ag geeks. And here’s the very first, most basic […]

New Food First Backgrounder Addresses Land Reform and Resistance in the United States

May 06, 2014 • Agrarian Commons, Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Land Access Stories, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

OAKLAND, Calif., May 1, 2014 – The disastrous effects of widespread land grabbing and land concentration sweeping the globe do not affect all farmers equally. The degree of vulnerability to these threats is highest for smallholders, women and people of color—the ones who grow, harvest, process and prepare most of the world’s food. A new […]

A New Perspective on Succession

May 01, 2014 • Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

On the weekend of April 4th- 6th, I was lucky enough to have attended The New Farmers Summit hosted by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services (MOSES). The diversity of people in attendance was truly astonishing. From teenagers to veterans of the farming community, we all came together to learn, discuss and network. Many […]

FarmHer: Documenting Women in Agriculture

Apr 30, 2014 • Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Justice and Equity • By Agrarian Trust

Check out Iowa photographer Marji Guyler-Alaniz’s work to document the rise of women in agriculture. From FarmHer: Photography My name is Marji Guyler-Alaniz and I am a photographer from Iowa. My goal is to use my camera and my vision to further this cause. FarmHer is about documenting women in agriculture. The only way for […]

Solutions Farms Teaches Homeless to Grow

Apr 26, 2014 • Commons Alliance, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

This story is from the U-T San Diego website. It was written by Teri Figueroa. A small Vista aquaponics farm run by a nonprofit that works with homeless families is about to, well, grow. If all goes to plan, the agricultural enterprise called Solutions Farms will cultivate more produce for its biggest client: the Vista […]

The Cuban Agroecological Experiment

Mar 12, 2014 • Food Systems and Security, Land Access Stories, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

Small farms thrive under Cuba’s unique blend of agrarian reforms, farmer autonomy and state support By Christina Bronsing-Lazalde, Food First Cuba Tour Coordinator and leader of upcoming Cuba delegation.  The son of two pioneers of the Cuban agroecology movement, Fernando Funes-Monzote has been steeped in sustainable farming his entire life. Two years ago, he decided […]

Wall Street Banks Eye American Farmland

Feb 18, 2014 • Agrarian Trust, Commons Alliance, Food Systems and Security, Land Access Strategies, Land Justice and Equity, Sustainable Farming • By Agrarian Trust

From the Oakland Institute: The wolves of Wall Street are eyeing millions of acres of U.S. farmland that will soon come up for sale, much of which has been in the hands of family farmers for generations, according to Down on the Farm, a new study from the Oakland Institute. “Institutional investors”–including hedge funds, private equity, […]