The 100 Year History of the San Pedro Commons
2018 marked the hundred-year anniversary of the privatization of the San Pedro Land grant, the place where I was born and still call home. It is an arid piece of high desert, covered in piñon and juniper, located in the eastern and northern foothills of the Sandia Mountains in central New Mexico. It was an anniversary no one marked publicly, not even the heirs to the land still living in San Antonito, the village just down the road. It is part of a story lost, for the most part, to so-called progress.
Video: Sustainable Farming & Food Sovereignty in Cuba
“Cuba is a great example of how organic farming could supersede conventional agriculture.” —Food First’s Madaly Alcala
Earthseed Land Collective: Farmers of Color Create Space for Collective Living & Liberation on the Land
The Earthseed Land Collective was formally established in 2012 by a group of black and brown farmers and social justice organizers. All in their 30s and early 40s at the time of its founding, the group currently includes seven founding members. Over the past decade, they have sought to establish a stable land base for their families and an equally grounded, self-sustaining, and welcoming hub for community building, particularly among farmers of color and food justice advocates…
New Hampshire’s First Affordable Whole Farm: Keeping Wingate Farm in the Family, Permanently Conserved, and Affordable for Future Farmers
The story of Wingate Farm is firmly grounded in the rich and complex dynamics of multi-generational family farming, in which everyone must come together to plan the future of the family’s farm. Through their shared commitment and use of innovative tools to promote farmland affordability, the farmers at Wingate have ensured that the farm will remain accessible to future generations.
New Agrarian Commons Poster: Many Communities, One Trust
We commissioned and presented a new poster to visually explain how we’ve mapped out the structure of an agrarian commons and engaged in discussions with a number of legacy farmers who expressed interest. Check out our new Agrarian Commons poster (version 1.0) and let us know what you think!
Building an Agrarian Commons: Learning from Farmers & Community Organizers
Agrarian Trust staff had the pleasure of meeting with farmers, landowners, and organizers at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, NY and The Watershed Center in Millerton, NY in late October. We learned a lot from our colleagues in the Hudson Valley and reflected on the economic and social aspects of our beginning agrarian commons work. Above all, it was an honor to spend time with organizations and people engaged in such compelling and inspiring place-based work with larger justice implications.
Thirty Years of Trailblazing a Farm Community at Temple-Wilton Community Farm
The story of Temple-Wilton Community Farm is one of community and commitment, persistence, and vision. As a community-based farm, Temple-Wilton provides support for its farmers and food security for its members. The farm exemplifies how Agrarian Trust might protect a working farm in perpetuity as a kind of ‘agrarian commons’ while upholding the values of access, affordability, and land security.
New Land Access Training Program Will Help Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Secure Land and Succeed in Agriculture
NORTHAMPTON, MA, July 18, 2017—American Farmland Trust announced today that 24 Land Access Trainers will help beginning farmers and ranchers secure agricultural land as part of a nationwide, four-year-long project. AFT selected the trainers, who are located in each of the 10 U.S. farm production regions, through a competitive process. AFT picked professionals from Cooperative Extension, state departments […]
Barnraiser to train Future Farmers!
Free Land: Farming Under Pressure
This video from the BBC shows “how farms confiscated from Sicily’s mafia are providing food and wine, helping to fight crime and providing a future for a new generation on the island.” The project, a not for profit farming operation called “Libera Terra” (which translates as “Free Land”), was made possible by an Italian member of […]