Emerging Land Ownership Models: Agrarian Commons

The USDA National Agricultural Library is hosting a three-part series on alternative land ownership models organized by the Agricultural Law Information Partnership.

The second part, Emerging Land Ownership Models: Agrarian Commons will take place on Thursday, September 22nd at 2:00pm ET. This installment will feature a panel on innovative land access models, including community and agrarian trusts. It will feature Duron Chavis an urban farmer and educator involved in Central Virginia Agrarian Commons, and Kristin King-Riess, legal expert on Community Land Trusts and moderated by Francine Miller, Esq, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School.

The event will last one hour and the speaker will be announced shortly. Please stay tuned for more information.

The importance of alternative land models:

Wealth is more than money; it includes community resources, social networks, and physical assets. Land ownership is a significant generator of wealth in the U.S.; however, many lack access to acquiring land. This issue disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)and low-income communities. Throughout history, racist systems have denied historically excluded communities continuous land ownership, which hinders these communities from accruing individual and generational wealth. Alternative means of land ownership help create a more equitable system by supporting community needs related to both agriculture and conservation.