News in Farm Justice from Agrarian Trust Advisor Elizabeth Henderson
Farmworker Organizations Give Strong Support to the Agricultural Justice Project By Elizabeth Henderson Unique among domestic fair trade claims, farmworkers and farmers negotiated directly with one another to hammer out the standards of the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP). The goal of these standards, which are the basis of AJP’s Food Justice Certified label, is to […]
At Long Last . . . Legislation
For those of you following the Illiad of the 2014 Farm Bill (once called the 2012 Farm Bill . . .), the final passing gives us 5 years of regulation surrounding Agriculture and other national food concerns. This graphic from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition helps show the ups and downs of the version passed […]
Where did the land go?
From the newly freed slaves of 1863 to today’s black farmers, African-Americans have fought to acquire and maintain land, and have encountered crippling obstacles along the way. In 1910, nearly one million black farmers in the U.S. owned a total of 15 million acres; by 1969 they held only 6 million acres. In 1920, blacks […]
How Globilization Effects Farmers and the Food We Eat
Early in 2013, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), published this paper on what we call “land grabs”, or purchase of farmland by non-farming parties. Land Grabs and Fragile Food Systems: The Role of Globalization, by Sophia Murphy Used under creative commons license from CIMMYT. Farmers around the world are having land they’ve […]
Women Taking Over the Land
The fate of farm and ranchland transferred into the hands of the next generation is not always a continuance of the agricultural legacy. Deep in the heart of Texas, women farmers may change that fate. Read this Texas Tribune story about women farmers taking over the land.
Land is the New Gold
The three year-old Land Access Project (LAP), an initiative of New England-based Land for Good, has made countless contributions to defining and solving issues around farmland access. Their report on farmland investment directly addresses the financial side of farmland for the next generation. The report, Farmland Investors: An Exploration for New England and Beyond, presents […]
Report Addresses Helping the Farmers that Feed New York City
GrowNYC has put out a report detailing the challenges of the farmers that supply New York City’s Greenmarket. The report is Farmers on the Edge: An Assessment of Greenmarket Farmers Needs, and the Growing Challenges of Keeping Their Farms Viable. The report details various regions throughout the Northeast and the challenges faced by beginning farmers […]
Land Conservation Efforts Need Re-evaluation
The National Young Farmers Coalition released a report yesterday that reveals how current farmland conservation practices are failing working farmers. Farmland Conservation 2.0: How Land Trusts Can Protect America’s Working Farms surveyed 200 land trust leaders from across the United States. The report discovered that one-quarter of land trusts have seen protected farmland move out of […]
Giving Voice to the Soil
The methods we use to gain attention for agricultural land access must be as diverse as the land we aim to preserve. Doug Nopar, a farmer and program organizer for the Land Stewardship Project, authored a creative dramatization about land gifting called “Look Who’s Knockin.’ The play gives life to the ethics and motives behind […]
Back on Home Soil: Veteran Small Farm Training
The 2013 Armed to Farm training begins tomorrow in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The week-long session of farm tours and practical information is offered free to a limited number of U.S. veterans and their spouses. It is organized and hosted by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). Priority was given to returning service personnel from Operation […]