Agrarian Trust

As the current generation of farmers and retire, millions of acres of land will change hand in the next 20 years. The goal of the Agrarian Trust is to ensure that this land comes under stewardship and care of next-generation farmers producing food in a sustainable regional economy. It wants to prevent land from becoming a speculative asset in the hands of agribusiness corporations and investors.

Principles

The commons

• Transitioning land from private ownership to local, community-governed commons
• Collectively stewarding land, water, soil, and ecosystems for the benefit of all people and species, now and into the future, and
• Freely sharing knowledge and information to support and inspire others in developing alternative approaches to holding land in common.

Equity and dignity for farmers

• Creating opportunities for affordable access to land and infrastructure for farmers of diverse backgrounds,
• Ensuring secure land tenure through transparent and fair lease agreements that allow farmers and land stewards to build financial equity through ownership of houses or other infrastructure, and
• Supporting the self-determination of farmers through representation on local commons boards and national advisory board.

Racial equity and the just transition of land

• Prioritizing projects that create opportunities for land access and secure tenure that benefit dispossessed people and communities,
• Uplifting land justice work centered on reparations, healing, and land return, and
• Supporting reconnection to land, wealth creation, and mutual care.

Community food security and sovereignty

• Pursuing locally rooted land projects that strengthen regional food systems with community-led governance,
• Supporting farmers and land stewards invested in providing fresh, healthy food affordably for their local communities, and
• Cultivating resilience through diverse land stewardship practices that incorporate culturally important, nutritious, and climate-adapted varieties of plants and animals.

Social and spiritual openness, listening, and collaboration

• Respectfully tracing the roots of our work and principles to Indigenous perspectives, activists, abolitionists, revolutionaries, and land reform movements,
• Acknowledging that the work of creating alternative models for land ownership is a radical solution that operates within the constraints of existing, and harmful, legal frameworks, and
• Seeking to evolve new ways of stewarding and governing land in partnership with the many individuals and organizations who share the goal of changing the way land is held.

Agrarian land use

• Keeping farmland in active use by farmers and stewards who provide food, fiber, and medicine to their communities,
• Ensuring affordable and secure access and tenure, and
• Using community-centered land ownership to decommodify land and remove the threat of development, speculation, and corporate ownership.

Agroecological and regenerative practices

• Recognizing the inherent value and interconnectedness of land, water, people, and all living beings,
• Facilitating farming practices that leave the whole farm ecosystem healthier year-to-year, and
• Protecting farmland from damage and extraction so the earth can continue to care for future generations.