Announcing Farmland Commons Legal Templates!
Dear <<First Name>>,
Land trust and nonprofit land ownership structures have a profoundly impactful history of defining and structuring land ownership, access and tenure, protection, and connection, yet, by and large, do not address justice and equity and only benefit a small portion of the population.
We believe that commons land trusts are a necessary and innovative land-ownership model to address and transform the current realities of how land is owned, how tenure and equity are conveyed, and how land stewardship is carried out. This model builds upon and evolves the 120+ years of conservation land trust practice and the 60+ years of community land trust practice. This model challenges the current options of land ownership, protection, transition, and legacy to offer a new, generational approach to community supported farmland commons for regenerative agriculture.
We believe farmland should be held in common and so should knowledge and resources, and that is why we have created the Farmland Commons model as an open-source resource for all.
In gratitude,
The Farmers Land Trust Team
Farmland Commons Open-Source Legal Templates AVAILABLE NOW!
| We are so excited to announce that the Farmland Commons template documents are available for you, your community, and land trusts and food and farming organizations all across the country to use! These legal templates were created from decades and lifetimes of experience in farmland transfer, protection, and tenure work rooted in community. The Farmers Land Trust worked in collaboration with Sustainable Law Group’s Land Clinic, and an extensive network of diverse reviewers to give valuable input, guidance, and feedback. These documents are best used with understandings from the Farmland Commons Process page. |
| Farmland Commons are community-driven organizations designed to own and manage lands, offer secure and affordable leases, and provide farmers with equity opportunities for place-based regenerative agriculture and ecological stewardship. |
>>> Watch introductory video here
Opportunities to Watch and Listen
You can watch the full 20 minute speech, “Land: The Reparations Owed” that Co-Executive Director Kristina Villa gave at the most recent Rooted East Community event in Knoxville, TN by going to The Farmers Land Trust YouTube page!
New Episode with Co-Executive Director, Ian McSweeney, from The Farmers Land Trust is up! We talk about the framework around creating an Ag/Community based land trust to protect not only the land but also the farmer. There’s a lot of smart tools and approaches to keeping land as agricultural these days.
>>> Listen here
“Today we are joined by Kristina Villa of the Farmers Land Trust who is confronting one of the most intractable challenges and deepest inequities within our food system today: Land access and tenure.”
Jeff Poppen, author of “Barefoot Biodynamics” available through Chelsea Green Publishing, shares about his life, farm, community, advice for young farmers, and visions for the future.
>>> Watch here
Through OpenTEAM, a project facilitated by Wolfe’s Neck Center, The Farmers Land Trust gave an in-depth presentation about the Farmland Commons model and the work happening nationally.
Thank you to the over 300 people who were interested in joining our team and who applied to the writer position! It was challenging to select only one among the many qualified applicants, but we are excited to share with you our newest team member, Darby Weaver!
We are excited and grateful for the work ahead, and can’t wait to share it with you!
We are fully funded by donors like you.
Thank you for following our work!
