If you’re a farmer or land steward, Land For Good and Maine Farmland Trust invite you to share your farmland story at the 6th annual Farmland Access and Transfer Conference.
We welcome everybody and are particularly interested in making space to hear from Black, indigenous and persons of color.”
Stories sought include land access models – success and/or challenges, communication between farmers and landowners, and farmland transfer/succession. If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out. Follow the link below for more information.
For more stories from the farm, check out Jamie Coelho’s update for Rhode Island Monthly. All year long she’s been following the Rhode Island farmers who shared their stores of accessing land at “Landing on the Right Acre,” a storytelling event Land For Good co-hosted with the Young Farmer Network of Southeastern New England. This check-in reviews each of their start-up stories as well as how they’ve adapted each of their farming operations to meet the current COVID-19 moment. Follow the link below.
American Farmland Trust announced the Brighter Future Microgrant Program. This new grant program will provide awards of up to $5,000 to help growers improve farm viability, access land, improve land security, facilitate farm transfers and increase resilience to climate change. Eligible applicants and proposed projects must be located within counties approximately 100 miles of the following northeastern cities: New York City and Hartford/Springfield. Applications are open now and will be reviewed as they are received on a rolling basis. Find details to apply below.
Congratulations are in order. Last week Thomas W. Mitchell, a property law scholar who has helped secure state protections to keep Black families from losing their land won a MacArthur “Genius Grant” award. Professor Mitchell plans to use the $625,000 grant to create a law center where staff will study reforms to protect the real estate and wealth of disadvantaged property owners. Also congratulations to our friends at Somali Bantu Community Association (SBCA) in Maine who received US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA)’s 12th Annual Food Sovereignty Prize. Jennifer Taylor of Lola’s Organic Farm in Georgia, also of the USFSA, said:
Particularly inspiring is SBCA’s new Little Jubba Central Maine Agrarian Commons, an innovative model of collective land ownership and farming, inspired by the traditional Somali ishkashito model of cooperative sharing.”
Our week in review is a digest of noteworthy items that we are seeing, sharing, and saying on social media. We’re sharing it here to our farmers, supporters, and fellow farming advocates who may not follow us on all social platforms. If you do follow us on one social platform you might not be seeing all that we share, so this blog digest is a good place to get access to highlights from across platforms.
Share Your Farmland Story
- Spread the word: Land For Good and Maine Farmland Trust are seeking panelists for November’s Farmland Access and Transfer Conference
- Read: The Future of Farming in Rhode Island, Jamie Coelho for Rhode Island Monthly
Funding Available for New England Farmers
- Apply: American Farmland Trust announced the Brighter Future Microgrant Program
Extending Congratulations to Recent Awardees
- Read: Black Landowners Will Benefit From New Funding to Prevent Land Loss, Lizzie Presser for Pro Publica
- Attend: All Land is not Creating Equal: Unleashing Family and Community Wealth through Land Ownership, a virtual Aspen Institute Event on November 18th
- Read: As COVID unfolds into hunger crisis, prize recognizes transformative solutions, US Food Sovereignty Alliance
If you’d like more, you can find the rest of what we’re saying and sharing on social media — Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
