A Year in Review: The 16 Top wins for Sustainable Farming in 2016
2016 was a landmark year for many reasons, not all of them good. Though the election cast a dark shadow on the future of many public programs promoting sustainable agriculture, there have been some major wins for beginning farmers in our country. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has put together a list of the best […]
The Local Motive
Understanding our food system has grown increasingly difficult in today’s globalized world. Everything we could ever want to eat is at our fingertips, regardless of season or location, yet this accessibility is deceiving. Vermont PBS has created a six part series called The Local Motive which looks at Vermont’s local food system through various lenses including: production, processing, distribution, farm to […]
Virginia Outdoor Foundation stands up to Atlantic Coast Pipeline
The Virginia Outdoor Foundation stepped into the spotlight when they denied the applications of the Atlantic Coast pipeline from crossing land held by that trust under conservation easements. While the ACP submitted applications to VOF stating their intended crossing followed all regulations and would not change the status of the land, VOF saw it more […]
Farmland Affordability through Community Land Contribution
In Martin Adams’s new book Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World the author tackles the questions about land’s use and values through a plethora of lenses. In chapter 13, Adams delves into the impact of sustainable farming and farm access. Echoing Agrarian Trusts beliefs in land stewardship and the need for a affordable farmland […]
The Waning West
The landscape of the American West is diminishing so rapidly that we can literally see the change with our own eyes. According to the Center for American Progress, every 2.5 minutes a football field worth of land is lost to development in the American West. Click here to learn more about how and why natural areas are being lost […]
How Agrarian Trust is Fighting for Future Generations
Land access is one of the greatest barriers to entry that farmers today are facing. Arable land is decreasing, while land prices are increasing. Severine von Tscharner Fleming, the Board President of Agrarian Trust, talks to Rural America – In These Times about issues of land transfer and access, and how Agrarian Trust is working to […]
An Interview with Wes Jackson: Solving the 10,000-Year-Old Problem of Agriculture
Our dear friend and colleague, Wes Jackson, was interviewed by In These Times in 2016. His words continue to echo the truth:”In 1978, I wrote an essay for the Friends of the Earth publication Not Man Apart on the history of Earth abuse due to agriculture. I suggested building an agricultural system based on the way […]
Sustainable Capitalism and Farming
John Ikerd details a possible path for advancing Sustainable Farming in his article Farmland for New Sustainable Farmers: A Capitalist Approach to Land Reform.
Access to Land Animated Short
The video Access to Land is a short animated exploration of the question, “Why should we privilege access to land and natural resources for small agricultural operation?” Access to Land looks at the value of small farms in comparison to larger farm operations. Fewer pesticides and a higher net efficiency per acre are typical of small […]
Mapping the Poison
The data for this map was sent to Reverend Billy by the New York City Parks Department. Monsanto’s Roundup continues to be the major weapon in New York City’s arsenal of herbicides even though the World Health Organization says glyphosate is a probable carcinogen. In fact, the frequency and volume of glyphosate used by New York […]