Welcome to Regeneration CSA

Here is the text of an article I wrote for the Green Times this summer. It is a short overview of current non-profit efforts, and hown a CLT differs from them:

Community Land Trusts; community based non-profit models for preserving working farmland, open space, and affordable housing in the Hudson Valley.

 Most of us recognize the challenges facing our rural townships where
working farmland, affordable housing, and ecological habitats are all
threatened by development and rising land values.  Across our region
the value of farmland for its potential as a new subdivision, second
home, or country estate far outstrips its agricultural "carrying
capacity".  This is more that just another pressure on the next
generation of farmers;  it is a real threat to the long term food
security of the millions of people throughout our region.

While many efforts are being made at preserving open space, much still
needs to be done to realistically ensure farmland affordability to the
next generations of farmers that our region will need as our
economies, and communities "re-localize".
What makes a Community Land Trust different from other Non-profit Land Trusts?

Current open space and farmland protection primarily takes two forms;
Donation of Development Rights "DDR's" or Purchase or Development
Rights, "PDR's".   Most Land Trusts across the region focus on the
strategy of Donated Development Rights. As non-profits they hold the
voluntarily donated rights of private landowners, and in return the
landowner receives various income and property tax reductions. While
these tax-incentive based strategies have so far been successful at
protecting open space from development, they have had other impacts in
our communities as well. Few farmers have the personal income to
benefit from these incentives, and as a result across the country
these programs have had the unintended consequence of helping drive a
rural land market that has only pushed the value of farmland further
out of reach of new farmers, especially in those areas like the Hudson
Valley where the private estate market is so high.  There is another
crucial risk to these donated rights as well; they may or may not be
permanent.  As relatively new legal creations they have not yet been
fully tested in the court system when such protected land changes
hands, and new owners fight to remove such restrictions.

As a result, many in the conservation movement who are concerned about
working farmland are focusing their time and resources on PDR
programs. When non-profits or others purchase the development rights
from current land owning farmers, these farm families are strengthened
economically, and often use the money they receive to pay off debts,
capitalize new farm operations, or even buy more land.  This strategy
is an important one in protecting the existing farm operations that
have been the heart of our communities for generations. There is still
a risk, though, in that there is no complete guarantee that this
protected land will remain as working farmland, or even that it will
be affordable to the next farmer when the land is sold because
protected land retains such a high value in the market as a personal
estate.  And it does not effectively address another critical need in
our region if we are to build a sustainable food supply; how do we get
the next generation of farmers onto the land to feed us all?

This is where a Community Land Trust can be important.

At the heart of  Community Land Trust's (CLT) mission is assuring
permanent affordability of farmland and housing.  CLT's work by
purchasing critical farmland directly, and making it available in
long-term inheritable leases to farmers. This effectively separates
the farmers needs for long term security, limited equity, and the
opportunities of homeownership and farmland access from the pressures
inherent in a speculative market where farmland is seen as just
another "commodity".  Through a CLT model,  farmers have wide
opportunities to build equity in a home and agricultural business, and
even transfer that equity to their heirs, while knowing that the lands
they are working are going to stay in farming for generations to come.
 The additional benefit to the community of assuring affordable access
to land for farmers is that farmers are much more likely to farm using
sustainable methods if they are not under the financial pressures of
high debts that force many farmers to use inputs and methods they know
are not the best for the environment, but that they feel forced to use
in order to survive economically.

Additionally, as democratic, community-based organizations, CLTs allow
for genuine local control over  critical land-use decisions that
affect us all now, and will do so long into the future. Through a CLT
model, farmers and the communities they are part of, can be better
assured that farmland and farm families will continue to be part of
the landscape for generations to come.

The Sustainable Land Stewardship Alliance (SLSA)  is a new regional
CLT that is just one of several across the country that is focussing
on the related issues of farmland and housing affordability in our
rural communities. To find out how to be part of the Sustainable Land
Stewardship Alliance, visit: www.Sustainableland.org

To learn more about CLT's, and the CLT movement visit: www.cltnetwork.org/

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) BURLINGTON ASSOCIATES IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
P. O. Box 994
Burlington, VT 05402
T 802-651-0730
F 802-651-0730
BurlAssoc@aol.com
www.burlingtonassociates.com
Burlington Associates in Community Development LLC is a national consulting cooperative specializing in the creation of community land trusts, along with other strategies for building community assets like limited equity cooperatives, community development corporations, and community development financial institutions.

COMMUNITY LOTS
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
113 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-3400
T 617-661-3016 or 800/LAND-USE (800/526-3873)
F 617/661-7235 or 800/LAND-944 (800/526-3944)
communitylots@lincolinst.edu
www.lincolninst.edu/subcenters/CL/
The community land trust section of the Cambridge, MA-based Lincoln Institute for Land Institute, provides for “peer-to-peer” exchange of information on the community land trust model, its challenges and solutions. The web site also includes a resource library with papers about various community land trust issues, conference announcements, and information about industry best practices.

E.F. SCHUMACHER SOCIETY
140 Jug End Rd.
Great Barrington, MA 01230
T 413-528-1737
efssociety@smallisbeautiful.org
www.schumachersociety.org
The EF Schumacher Society is dedicated to achieving the goals of economic and ecological sustainability through the principle of decentralism. In support of these aims, the Schumacher Society offers lectures, educational programs, and extensive research resources.

INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY ECONOMICS
57 School St.
Springfield, MA 01105-1331
T 413-746-8660
F 413-746-8862
info@iceclt.org
www.iceclt.org
The Institute for Community Economics is a nonprofit organization that promotes community land trusts as a tool to support sustainable economic development through its Revolving Loan Fund.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST NETWORK
c/o Madison Community Land Trust
305 S. Paterson St.
Madison, WI 53703
T 802-862-5430
www.nationalclt.org
Backed by the Cambridge, MA-based Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the National Community Land Trust Network’s founding conference, held in Boulder, Colorado in July 2006, was attended by over 300 housing leaders. Already more than 50 community land trusts have joined the network. The group aims to develop a strong system of education and training for the growing community land trust sector.




Community Land Trusts seem like a great way to go for farmland protection and affordable housing at the same time.
We have been involved in one project like that for awhile, though it has been slow getting off the ground.
Community based food systems,  based on community held land.

Check out: http://sustainableland.org/

http://www.schumachersociety.org/clts.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_land_trust
http://www.schumachersociety.org/publications/essay_new_lease.html
http://www.newfarm.org/features/2005/1205/peacework/henderson.shtml

Well, we are coming into September in the third season of our CSA, and the garden is offering a real abundance!

This year has been a good growing season, for the veggies, and for us. We have developed a lot of confidence in our methods, and they have really proven themselves. So it has all been good....at least as far as the veggies go.

We are fortunate in that we get to spend some time with other Permaculture designers, (when they visit-you'll are welcome you know!)  show off our work to, and learn what other folks are doing out there.  So we chat about compost tea recipes, greenhouse design, the best place to get fungi spawn, or enthuse about some new cool perennial vegetable or another;  all the  great and exciting parts of Permaculture.    

And then we ponder, and all too often get stuck on the tough one: how do we build the relationships in our communities, and among ourselves, that really embody the lasting values we profess and are so passionate about?

We are trying to figure that out ourselves, and within that how best to create a home for the CSA in current area.  We are at a turning point with this question, as we have lost one of our growing areas.

This week it was confirmed to us by the folks a Camp Epworth that the gardens there were no longer going to be available to us. It is a complicated situation, but ultimately it seems a CSA just isn't something that they can support as an institution. I think that is a shame, and shortsighted, but they have their own economic and other pressures, and it's their choice, and the choice of the Green Phoenix Permaculture managers there for us to move on.

We have had a good couple of years, and have felt really supported by the community at large, and by the private landowner where we have been living and also growing, but unfortunately her land can't support a full CSA.  Toby is great. She is among a growing number of private landowners (who aren't farming themselves) putting their land in conservation and trying to make it available to farmers. It is one model, and hopefully more  of it will continue.  We will need the farmers on the land, esp as time goes on.  It is not unfortunately, in and of itself a practical model for many farmers though, as it does not have the opportunities for building equity, it usually means difficulties in housing, and usually many other difficulties as well.  At it's best it can be a positive relationship between an enlightened owner, happy growers, and a well fed community. At it's worst it is a kind of return to a sort of quasi feudal model of land tenure where actual (tenant) farmers have little or no control or long term security, - and neither really does the community, in terms of food security.

So,.... we are looking for another home, and would love to see it be on a supportive non-profit landbase.  It just seems like a CSA -Community Supported Agriculture- and its agriculturally supported community! would all best be served by farms that are in place by and for the community and for the long term. Farms that are affordable to the growers so that they can actually afford to grow affordable food!  Just think about it- at the same time the Hudson valley region  (like so many other places) is in the midst of a booming local food movement, most of the healthy locally produced food is only affordable to the privileged few. (the same ones who have driven the price of land far out of reach of any new farmer! ) It is a real dilemma. Even if a young farmer can get it together, and go into enormous debt to purchase a small farm, they are basically forced to maximize their income in order to service that debt, meaning whatever they grow is going to have to go for top dollar- hence all the NYT's success stories about all the wonderful "boutique" farms, or three star farm-to-table restraunts at 50-100$ a plate.  Meanwhile the working people shop for food at walmarts.....  

Ok, that was a rant....but surely there has to be a better way?

Tues, July 8 2008

So, now we have a blog -  what do we do?  Surely we must have some important wisdom and news to share with the world!

We may not even have the time to post here much, so maybe we'll just start with some random thoughts about the season up to now.

So far it has been pretty rewarding to see how all the no-till beds are working- they are really producing some food.  And high quality too.  It is especially nice to see at the farmers markets how our stuff compares to what else is available.  It has been a good season so far, and there is a lot of good looking veggies out there,  and our stuff is consistently high quality in comparison.  It is nice to be developing some loyalty at the markets for that, esp as we don't have the quantity that others have available.

The markets have been fun, and the Woodstock one on weds evenings is esp nice. We  talk to folks about our methods, and what Regenerative farming is. People definitely seem to be getting it these days, with all the fears out there of Peak oil, collapsing financial markets and the like- lot's of people thinking we are all going to have to "eat local" eventually. 

anyway, it is great to see and be part of in our small way this new localization movement. and if you're reading this, i guess that means you are probably part of it too-thanks!