Bridging Food Systems: Advancing Land Availability and Food Sovereignty in the Catskills

Commodities

Practices

West Branch Commons (WBC) is a 157-acre community land trust located at the headwaters of the Delaware River in Delancey, NY. Created by the Catskills Agrarian Alliance (CAA) to preserve a four-generation dairy farm, WBC's mission is to support farmers with long-term land access and strengthen sustainable food systems. This project has three core objectives:

First, WBC will build its operational capacity by collaborating with other agrarian commons in the Northeast. With a dedicated coordinator and expert facilitators, WBC will develop democratic processes, including governance structures and conflict resolution procedures, while sharing lessons learned through open-source resources to benefit other land access projects.

Second, the project will foster urban-to-rural connections by offering Bronx-based community gardeners seasonal apprenticeships at Serra Vida Farm at the Commons. Apprentices will gain hands-on experience in agroecological practices, scaling techniques, and sustainable farming, returning to their gardens equipped to improve local food systems. Reciprocal visits from WBC farmers to the Bronx will deepen knowledge-sharing and strengthen partnerships.

Finally, the project will improve market access for WBC farmers by providing technical assistance and logistical support through CAA's distribution network. This will allow farmers to access markets and expand mutual aid food distributions, ensuring culturally relevant produce reaches underserved communities in NYC and the Catskills.

Through measurable outcomes such as trained apprentices, distributed produce, and expanded partnerships, this project creates a replicable model for equitable land access and interconnected food systems.

The project scope includes three key outcome areas:

(1) Build strategic capacity for West Branch Commons through cooperative learning on the community land trust model.

We will kick off the project by hiring a part time coordinator dedicated to project implementation and outcomes. In coordination with project leader Francis Yu, Catskills Agrarian Alliance's co-executive director, we will develop connections with similar northeast 'commons' / community land trust (CLT) organizations focused on agriculture - potential collaborators are Unadilla Community Farm and Ceiba Arbor. This process will involve multiple qualitative information gathering sessions to understand shared values of CLTs, organizational strengths and challenges, approaches to land stewardship, and best practices for fostering equitable land access and resource sharing. Additionally, we will examine specific strategies for funding, governance, and community engagement, ensuring that the lessons learned are adopted to strengthen the West Branch Commons (WBC) model.

Through documentation of these case study learnings, we will embed an open source information sharing model to WBC. By sharing our CLT development process in real time, other equitable land access projects can learn from our successes and struggles. We will share ongoing project updates through an in-depth narrative newsletter (potentially using the platform Substack) that is freely accessible for readers.

In addition to the network-building between CLTs, this project will build the capacity of WBC by creating a set of democratic procedures to govern the organization and serve farmer lessees. WBC will work with expert facilitators to create and implement organizational procedures including working group structure and organizational roles, membership schema, and conflict resolution process that align with our values of equity and transparency. Additionally, we will develop a "farmer relationship plan" that will provide a framework for how the organization will determine what farmers to offer land to, what the expectations of those farmers will be, communication and logistics between lessees, etc.

(2) WBC will partner with three Bronx-based community gardens to create an urban-to-rural exchange program designed to build agroecological skills, strengthen food systems, and foster reciprocal learning. WBC will partner with Ujamaa Bronx Community Garden, New Roots Community Farm, and Morning Glory Garden over two years (2026-2027) and focus on three annual immersive experiences at Serra Vida Farm at WBC.

Program Structure and Timeline

Each year, one apprentice from each partner garden will participate in the program, totaling six apprentices over two years. Participants will engage in:

• Spring Session (4 days): Apprentices will prepare the land, plant seeds, and learn agroecological techniques such as crop rotation and soil health management. These skills will be tailored to urban applications, enabling participants to adapt practices to smaller-scale contexts.
• Summer Session (7 days): Apprentices will participate in harvesting and large-scale farm operations, gaining insights into logistics, efficiency, and infrastructure management, including irrigation, pest control, and greenhouse systems.
• Fall Session (4 days): Apprentices will focus on end-of-season tasks such as seed saving, final harvesting, and mutual aid food distribution, while reflecting on their experiences and outcomes.

All apprentices will receive housing, stipends, and mentorship throughout the program.

Urban Application and Sharebacks:

Upon returning to their community gardens, apprentices will host workshops to share their newly acquired skills with peers and neighbors. These "sharebacks" will foster broader knowledge exchange and enhance local food production. The urban application of skills will directly improve community garden practices, boost food sovereignty, and strengthen food security in underserved areas.

Reciprocal Engagement:

WBC members will visit Bronx gardens to provide technical assistance, deliver produce grown during the immersions, and reinforce partnerships. These reciprocal visits will ensure continuous collaboration and bridge rural and urban food systems.

Outcomes and Impact:

The Urban-to-Rural Exchange Program will provide underserved growers with opportunities to engage in rural food production at a scale that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. This initiative not only equips apprentices with technical skills but also cultivates a deeper understanding of their role in interconnected food systems. By creating pathways for urban farmers to apply agroecological principles in their community gardens, the program builds collective capacity for resilience and sustainability.

Through reciprocal learning and shared goals, this program actively fosters enduring relationships between urban and rural communities, addressing shared challenges in land access, education, and food production. By embedding these values into the operations of West Branch Commons, the program transforms the land into a hub for systemic change, ensuring a future where equitable land access and food sovereignty are realized across diverse communities. This collaboration demonstrates how urban and rural agricultural initiatives can be unified to sustain ecosystems, empower marginalized growers, and create vibrant, interconnected food systems.

(3) Create access to markets and business development support for WBC farmers through direct technical assistance and mutual aid food distributions to partners in the Catskills and New York City

Additionally, Direct technical assistance on business planning will be provided to WBC farmers Serra Vida Farm and Iridescent Earth Collective through program partner the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE). CADE will engage 1:1 with the farmers to provide:

• 2 new or revised business plans
• Increased business and financial acumen vis-a-vis financial literacy education
• Increased access to capital though support on business grants and loans (i.e., NRCS programs)
• Increased knowledge of marketing, market strategies, market opportunities through market readiness education
• 1-3 new, local sales outlets per business support access to markets that are local to WBC in Delaware and the surrounding counties through market planning and buyer matchmaking technical assistance

Trucking support for WBC farmers via CAA Logistics

With trucking support from CAA Logistics, WBC farmers will gain access to regional markets, including the 607 CSA, which serves over 600 members through a sliding scale. Additional channels include institutional buyers, wholesale markets, and mutual aid partners like the Delaware County Food Pantry, the New Roots Community Farm CSA in the Bronx. Through this collaboration, 15,000 pounds of produce are moved annually from WBC farmer lessees, ensuring fresh, culturally relevant food reaches underserved communities. This integrated approach ensures consistent market access for WBC farmers, empowering them to sustain and expand their operations.