Farm and Farmland Acquisition: A Curriculum for Farmers and Communities

Farm and Farmland Acquisition: A Curriculum for Farmers and Communities

Summary

This project focuses on land acquisition for beginning farmers. Access to land is one of the biggest challenges facing new farmers in New England. We are developing a comprehensive online curriculum on land acquisition. It is organized by topics such as financial readiness, leasing and leases, ownership, landlord and landowner relationships and community partners. Each topic has information, stories, worksheets and personal assessment forms. Those who work through the curriculum will develop a land acquisition plan. It will be made available for integration or add-on to educational materials of other groups that work with beginning farmers.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Design an effective online educational curriculum
  Pilot test the curriculum with beginning farmers
  Engage community leaders in curriculum development
  Have the curriculum used by other groups that teach and work with beginning farmers

Accomplishments/Milestones

• Researched existing information about land acquisition
  Consulted with adult education curriculum specialist
  Designed web-based, interactive format
  Writing curriculum sections, adding links, designing tools
  Made initial contact with groups including farm link programs, MOFGA, NESFI, NESFP, and FSA’s beginning borrower training
  Scheduled pilot farmer sessions to test and get input into the curriculum. One pilot group is in Vermont, and the other is in Connecticut

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

It is still too early in our project to discuss impacts and outcomes. Nonetheless, we believe we have designed materials that do not exist anywhere else, and for which there is significant demand.

Collaborators: