OUR COMMUNITY LAND TRUST MODEL

  • 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.

WHY WE ARE HERE, NOW

CLOSING THE RACIAL INCOME & WEALTH GAPS

The racial wealth and income gaps among farmers is stark: the average Black farm generates $3,500 in net revenue, compared to $160,000 net revenue of all other farms. These Black farmers are on the edge of viability and need support. By bringing Black farmers to parity on a revenue and profit basis, there is $5 billion in economic value that can be created across the nation.

REPAIRING BLACK LAND LOSS

Today, Black-owned farms account for 0.5% of total farmland in the U.S. and only 0.1% of farmland in Oregon – despite the prior existence of millions of acres of Black farmland during the reconstruction era. Black farmers in the United States lost roughly $326 billion worth of acreage during the 20th century — now, it’s time to rebuild.

OREGON’S OPPORTUNITY

With 2⁄3 of Oregon’s agricultural land poised to change hands in the next 10 years, we have an opportunity and responsibility to create accessible pathways for Black farmers to build sustainable, agricultural businesses that can be passed down to future generations. 

RESTORING BROKEN PROMISES

We know that our communities cannot thrive economically, culturally or physically without secure access to land – and that financial wealth is the primary barrier. In current policy conversations about food security, land is rarely discussed. When Black farmers and their communities are able to own land, food justice and economic security will not only be a possibility, but a reality.