Building Equitable Farmland Tenure Models for Minnesota Farmers

A total of 4 Equitable Land Tenure Trainings will be held over 2 years in Minnesota for 60 Agricultural Service Providers (ASPs). Over the course of two years, one introductory 3-hour Equitable Land Tenure Training will be held statewide for 30 ASPs (60 total), with virtual/remote learning video conferencing. Following each virtual workshop, a subset of 15 ASPs (30 total) will be recruited and self-select as Equitable Land Tenure Mentors who participate in one full-day Fall case study training will be held at a farm site in the Minneapolis-St Paul region (15 ASPs + farmers/landowners) and one at a farm site in the Duluth region of Minnesota (15 ASPs +farmers/landowners). This subset of 30 ASPs will each be trained to work specifically with at least 2 farmland owners considering transitioning their land to an equitable land tenure model, and 2 farmland seekers considering accessing land through an equitable land tenure model, reaching a total of 60 transitioning farmland owners and 60 farmland seekers.  Out of these, an estimated 5 farmland owners will begin the process of transitioning their land into some form of equitable land tenure, and 5 farmland seekers will begin the process of leasing or otherwise obtaining tenure on this type of farm.   

The 3-hour virtual trainings will cover the Agrarian Commons model and equitable land tenure resource materials in 6 sections:

1. introduction to community-held land models, purposes,
2. and how a Commons is being developed in their state/territory;
3.  comparison to other land access models with pros/cons of each
4.  land acquisition strategies/options with examples;
5. farm lease and related legal and governance overview with examples; 
6. justification for transitioning farm owners to consider; 

The full-day Fall trainings will include farm visits and study in-depth case studies of equitable land tenure, such as Agrarian Commons farms, community-held farms, cooperative ownership structures, and long-term leases with nonprofit organizations. 

Agrarian Trust, a national 501c3 land trust, and local community stakeholders and farmers in the Minneapolis-St Paul area have formed the Minnesota Agrarian Commons as a community-based, 501c2 landholding subsidiary organization. The mission of the Commons is to acquire, steward and lease farms to new farmers producing local food with agro-ecological practices. Equitable land tenure strategies empower communities to self-govern their land, and new and/or BIPOC farmers to have secure access to good land for life. Agrarian Trust, Minnesota Agrarian Commons, and equitable land access trainers serving BIPOC farmers will offer these 6 trainings and open source resource materials focused on co-learning about community landholding models for sustainable agriculture. As a result, total of 120 farmers will receive mentoring across Minnesota, 60 of whom are transitioning farmers and 60 of whom are land seeking farmers. A focus on community tenure case studies expands upon current land transition and land access options, adding layers of land justice and local self-governance, allowing ASPs, farmers, and farm owners in different communities within Minnesota to co-create equitable solutions to the land access crisis. 

Minnesota Agrarian Commons was formed during this time of uncertainty, due to COVID and in the wake of the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis and subsequent protests that spread worldwide, to address the concerns of land and food security that are on the minds of so many Americans. Local food supply chains run by small farm and food business owners are proving to have greater resiliency than vast national or international corporate food supply chains. Retiring farmers transitioning their farms, beginning and BIPOC farmers know that land and food security are about reconnecting our communities with the land, about healing the land and each other, producing healthy food for all. 

There is increased awareness about the importance of leadership among people of color in the farm and food movement, and increasing the number of BIPOC-owned and operated farms across the United States. Agrarian Trust is among a small number of emerging leaders in the US demonstrating how alternative land tenure models can work to address systemic problems which prevent our local food systems from flourishing. With the incorporation of 10 Agrarian Commons across the country, Agrarian Trust and its community-based partners are de-commodifying farmland by acquiring, stewarding, and providing long-term leases to next generation farmers who follow agro ecological practices. These real-world examples provide the case studies at the core of the equitable land tenure training and co-learning sessions to be hosted by Agrarian Trust and the Minnesota Agrarian Commons, based on curriculum developed by Agrarian Trust and Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust for a 2021 Northeast SARE Professional Development Program grant. 

With training and Equitable Land Tenure resource materials, ASPs across Minnesota will learn how various community landholding entities acquire land from transitioning farm owners through gift, bargain sale, and Fair Market Value sale, and provide affordable, long-term leases for new farmers to stay on land. Equitable Land Tenure Mentors who participate in 1-day farm-based trainings in 2023 and 2024 will gain an understanding of the acquisition, stewardship, and land tenure details of each case study farm from the perspective of transitioning farmers and beginning farmers. The training offers essential knowledge for new and BIPOC farmers excluded from owning land and building generational land wealth. ASPs will gain knowledge about community self-determination through successful acquisition, stewardship and equity in farms, supported by systems of finance, insurance, legal expertise, real estate and accounting, and sound organizational management. 

The primary backgrounds of ASPs will be land trust professionals, attorneys, extension agents, NRCS officers, and farm and food organizations in Minnesota. These ASPs will be identified by founders, advisors and partners of the Minnesota Agrarian Commons, including BIPOC-led networks who have expressed a need for equitable, affordable, secure land access strategies for next generation and/or BIPOC farmers and the need for equitable land tenure alternatives to conventional purchase, inheritance, and/or leasing of farmland. These are professionals associated with organizations who work with various farmland owners in transition (retiring farmers, recent heirs of farmland). They also include professionals who work with beginning and/or BIPOC farmers and farmland seekers launching their farm-based business.