In 2013, Equity Trust launched the Secure Land for Urban Agriculture initiative within our Farms for Farmers Program to explore and address the issue of land tenure for urban agriculture. In the first phase of work, we interviewed and hosted a gathering of representatives from urban agriculture organizations and their allies to more fully understand their land tenure needs and challenges and to share our farm preservation tools and techniques.
Those conversations identified a clear interest in developing strategies and identifying funding sources for acquiring, protecting, and stewarding land for urban gardens and farms. In the summer and fall of 2015, we partnered with some foundations and funder groups to convene conversations about land and urban agriculture and also reached out to engage funders through a short online survey. We recently released this report highlighting what we learned: Secure Land for Urban Agriculture: Seeking funders’ perspectives.
April 2016