LITTLE JUBBA CENTRAL MAINE AGRARIAN COMMONS
Model

Local Agrarian Commons Board
Leasehold Farm:
Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine: Muhidin Libah, Lana Cannon Dracup
Community Stakeholders:
Gamana A. Yarow
Sahal A. Jimale
Agrarian Trust:
Ian McSweeney
Ashley Bahlkow, Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine
Contact: littlejubbacentralmaineAC@agrariantrust.org
The Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons is organized and shall be operated exclusively for the purpose of holding title to property, collecting income therefrom, and turning the entire amount, less expenses to the AGRARIAN LAND TRUST within the meaning of Section 501(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”). Agrarian Land Trust, the parent corporation of Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons, is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) and described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Code.
CONTEXT
Click here for state and regional agricultural snapshotLand Acknowledgement & Commitment
The Agrarian Commons acknowledges that it is located on the ancestral, occupied, and, in many cases, unceded land of Indigenous people. In acknowledging this legacy of genocide and theft, we are in turn committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty. Please see the Resources and Information from Maine’s Indigenous Communities section below for more.
Somali Bantu Resettlement & Community Building


Local Agrarian Commons
This collaboration between the SBCA and Agrarian Trust over the past year has meant visioning and land seeking support and guidance. Agrarian Trust continues to support the Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons in fundraising for land, financing, and administration of the Commons. We look forward to continuing to work together to envision and plant the seeds of regenerative, community-centered agriculture in Maine. Click here to watch a webinar presented by Ian McSweeney on the Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian CommonsSNAPSHOT OF MAINE AGRICULTURE & SOMALI BANTU CONTEXT

Food Security & Hunger
Maine has the 7th highest rate of hunger in the nation (USDA) and the highest rate of child food insecurity in New England. As of 2019, 13.6 percent of Maine residents are food insecure, including 6.4 percent who are experiencing very low food security.Framing Food Security and Hunger in the Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons
For the Somali Bantu Community Association (SBCA) food security is inherently tied to land security, hence the reason SBCA started this land search. Since 180+ farmers in the Liberation Farms program can grow their own, culturally preferred foods, they have enhanced food security via better control of the source of their food. That being said, leasing land on a short term basis had proven challenging for many reasons, notably the inability to make long term investments on infrastructure and the lack of long term security of sustained access, which significantly threatens food security and would be a major loss for the 180+ families growing on this land. The Agrarian Commons model is an example of working to counter the food insecurity that exists in the region by securing land for farmers to directly improve their food security.Maine Farmland Facts

- Average Age: 58
- Beginning farmers: 4,398
- Farmers of color: 452
- White farmers: 13,086
- American Indian or Alaska Native farmers: 39
- Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin farmers: 124
- Black farmers: 146*
- Asian farmers: 33
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander farmers: 8
- Female farmers: 5,859
- Male farmers: 7,555
Resources on Maine Agriculture
- 2019 USDA NASS State Agriculture Overview - Maine
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, NRCS - Maine
- Land Values 2019 Summary, USDA
- American Farmland Trust, Farmland Info Center, Maine
- National Young Farmers Coalition Chapters
- Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)
- Maine Farmland Trust
Learn More About Maine’s Somali Bantu Community
The Somali Bantu Community Association (SBCA) partnered with Agrarian Trust in 2019 as part of the organization's search for permanent farmland. The SBCA realized the need for secure land in order to guarantee true food security for the community of farmers that their Liberation Farms Program serves. Partnering with Agrarian Trust to form this Agrarian Commons means the SBCA has an incredible opportunity to access farmland for the long term via a 99-year renewable lease, as well as capacity for regenerative and sustainable management of this land.- Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine (SBCA) - Finding Our Own Land
- Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine (Duke University Press)
Resources and Information from Maine’s Indigenous Communities
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- Cultural and Historic Preservation Department of the Penobscot People
- Aroostook Band of Micmacs
- Passamaquoddy Tribe @ Indian Township
- Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
- Sunlight Media Collective
- Maine-Wabanaki REACH
- Abbe Museum
- Midcoast Indigenous Awareness Group
- Nibezun
- Penobscot Nation Website Homepage
- Passamaquoddy at Sipayik History and Stories
- Passamaquoddy at Sipayik Treaties and Land Claims Information
- Houlton Band of Maliseets Homepage
- Aroostook Band of Micmacs Homepage
- Aroostook Band of MicMacs History
- Aroostook Band of Micmacs Recommended Links
- The Missisquoi Abenaki Tribal Council Page
- Koasek Traditional Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation Webpage
- Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation
- Elnu Abenaki Tribe
Farm and Food Reports on Maine
- This Land is My Land: racism and antiracism in farmland succession in Auburn, Maine. Honors Thesis, Jesse Bull Saffeir, Bates College, 2020
- Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan Lewiston-Auburn - St. Mary’s Nutrition Center
- Auburn’s Agriculture and Resource Protection Zone
- Community Food Assessment: Lewiston, ME
- Building Support for Community-Based Foods in the Lakes Region of Maine (2 counties, 2016). Partners: Town of Bridgton and County of Cumberland. PDF Report.
- Lewiston-Auburn Regional Food Hub Feasibility Study. Lewiston + Auburn Region (Maine, 2015). Partners: Karp Resources and Grow L+A.
State of Maine Reports
*Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's most recent Census of Agriculture
FOUNDING FARMS, RANCHES & AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
Liberation Farms Overview
Liberation Farms is food justice in action. It is a demonstration of the success that is possible when marginalized communities have the opportunity to organize and lead themselves. It provides new American families struggling with food insecurity with the tools and resources to grow healthy, culturally-appropriate foods for themselves and their community. This investment in growing nourishes body and soul as farmers ground into familiar traditions and meaningfully utilize their agricultural roots as they build new homes here in Maine. Program Goals:- Food Justice – Access to growing fresh, chemical-free, culturally-relevant produce for themselves and their families
- Community Building – Enhancing the economic, social, environmental, and cultural vibrancy and health of Lewiston-Auburn, ME
- Education – Intercultural and intergenerational exchange and reciprocal learning of farming traditions
Watch Dream Purpose - Somali Bantu Community Association from Duran Ross to learn more about Liberation Farms. Little Jubba Central Maine Bylaws
Local Agrarian Commons Documents
- Bylaws
- Articles of Incorporation
- Principles
- Lease Template
PARTNERS & ALLIES
Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine
Top left to right: Osman Hassan (SBCA farmer), Hasan Barjin (SBCA Farm Manager), Ethan Miller (Land in Common), Jim Hanna (Cumberland County Food Security Council), Kristina Kalolo (SBCA Markets Manager), Jesse Saffeir (Bates College), Ian McSweeney (Agrarian Trust).
Bottom left to right: Habiba Salat (SBCA farmer), Lana Cannon Dracup (SBCA Farm Operations Manager), Erica Buswell (formally Maine Farmland Trust), Muhidin Libah (SBCA Executive Director), Abby Sadauckas (Land for Good), Ashley Bahlkow (SBCA Program Advisor /Land Acquisition Project Lead), Bonnie Rukin (Slow Money Maine), Catherine Padgett (SBCA AmeriCorps VISTA).
Thank you to our Advisor Members:
Farmers participating in the SBCA’s Liberation Farms Program
Abby Sadaukas - Land for Good
Bonnie Rukin - Slow Money Maine
Erica Buswell - (Formally) Maine Farmland Trust
Bill Toomey - Maine Farmland Trust
Catherine Besteman - Colby College
Julia Harper - Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn
Jesse Saffeir - Land in Common
Ethan Miller - Land in Common
Francis Eanes - Bates College
Jason Lily - UMaine Cooperative Extension
Jonah Fertig-Burd - Cooperative Development Institute
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

PRESS

- Civil Eats: Could Putting Farmland in the Commons Support Land Justice and Sustainability?
- WGME (Video): Somali immigrants find dream farming land in Wales
- FOX22: Farmers help Somali Bantu community buy community farm
- Duran Ross (Video): Dream Purpose