In a conventional leasing model, farmers face the possibility of displacement, making it challenging to invest in permanent farm infrastructure. With the high costs of land and barriers to conventional lending, purchasing a farm outright is out of reach for most farmers. A community land trust holds land in perpetuity, legally protecting it and allowing it to be utilized, in our case for agricultural living and growing.

We work to support Black farmers in land stewards in cultivating culturally relevant, sustainable agricultural skills to prepare them for land stewardship. Through the Trust, ready farmers can enter a 99-year ground lease, typically at a nominal cost that allows makes them a member of the trust. While the land is held in the trust, farmers can own and build equity in the homes and infrastructure -- and have the security and financial freedom needed to invest in their farm businesses.

Through a ground lease, farmers are able to build equity through home ownership and infrastructure improvements in the land. Black Oregon Land Trust and its community partners works with farmers in ongoing infrastructure, mentorship and education support to encourage their success. In this model, land stewardship can also be passed to future generations -- as long as the land continues to be used for the purpose of agriculture.