How can we support an ecosystem of businesses and services that will create the conditions for Black farmers and non-Black farmers of color to thrive in our region? The answers to this question were the topic of a CFF webinar held on July 2, in partnership with Surdna Foundation and Philanthropy New York, titled Funding a Racially Just Regenerative Regional Food System.
We heard from two emerging organizations, the Northeast Farmers of Color (NEFOC) Land Trust and Black Farmer Fund (BFF) about their work. NEFOC Land Trust is working to create land access for BIPOC farmers, earth workers, and land stewards through a community land trust model that will acquire land by reparations, rematriation, land return, land donation, tax lien sale, and purchase. Black Farmer Fund is a charitable community investment fund that seeks to make blended capital investments to black farmers and food system entrepreneurs in New York State to create a more equitable food system.
The speakers were:
- Christine Hutchinson, Board Member, NEFOC Land Trust
- Stephanie Morningstar, Coordinator, NEFOC Land Trust
- Olivia Watkins, President, Black Farmer Fund
- Melanie Allen, Program Director, Black Farmer Fund
The slides are visible in the video below, but you can also download the presentations by NEFOC Land Trust and Black Farmers Fund here. The following time markers can be used to jump around to different sections of the video:
- Start – Welcome and intro by Adam Liebowitz, CFF Director
- 7:50 – Framing the conversation by Kellie Terry, Program Officer, Surdna Foundation
- 15:50 – NEFOC Land Trust presentation
- 34:50 – Black Farmer Fund presentation
- 53:15 – Q&A