Agrarian Trust

Agrarian Trust has the mission to support land access for next generation farmers. In the next two decades, 400 million acres of U.S. farmland will change hands, and the question of what will happen to that land when it reaches the market is crucial to the future of our food system. Just in time for this pivotal land transition is a new generation of young farmers, eager to become stewards of our land and healthfully provide for their communities. However, these farmers face ever greater odds in accessing affordable and secure land tenure; the price of land in the US has skyrocketed in the past decade, and one acre of farmland is lost to development every minute. A sea change is needed to ensure secure, affordable tenure for this new generation of land stewards in this crucial moment of intergenerational land transition. Agrarian Trust was initiated in January 2013 by a group of stakeholders in sustainable agriculture; many of them farmer service providers and beginning farmers who have witnessed firsthand the formidable obstacles we face – there is great work being done to help farmers access land, but it is not enough to make the change needed. Working together for 3 days, this group came up with a plan of action to address the needs of service providers and next generation farmers.