Speaking Engagements

"I was blown away by your talk. That’s the best speech I’ve heard in years. Thank you!"

"I should also point out that in our conference post-review yesterday the Sunday Plenary and your speech were noted by quite a few people as one of the highlights of the conference."

"You did such an amazing job, you spoke authentically, shared stories that captivated the entire audience, and you were so well-prepared. I heard SEVERAL people talking about how it needs to be on at TedTalk stage immediately!"

Available Workshops & Sessions

The Farmers Land Trust & The Farmland Commons

Hear about the history and work of The Farmers Land Trust, a national organization working to support farmland protection, transition, and secure access for farmers through the innovative Farmland Commons model, which decommodifies land by placing it in the ownership of local communities. Participants will:

Gain understanding of background on TFLT and the need and opportunity for commons land trusts
Learn about the legal structures and tools used to create Farmland Commons, and the intricate ways the model works.
Learn about current work and active FC

Overview of the Land Trust Movement: Conservation and Community Land Trusts

Hear about history and overview of the conservation land trust, community land trust and subscription / CSA based agriculture models and learn about the areas not serviced by them and the opportunities and needs for commons land trust models. Participants will:

learn about the first conservation land trust and the first community land trust and the first subscription farm and then the first CSA farms, the history, trajectory, strengths and limitations of these movements will be explored.
Gain tools to engage with these movements and to advocate for cross-sector collaborations toward commons land trust and/or specifically Farmland Commons

Deep Dive into farm transition Case Studies drawn from experience on any of the following focus areas:

Bodynamic, organic, and regenerative agriculture
Land Justice
Farm and School connections
Agrihoods
Conservation and Affordability
Communications and Marketing
Cultivating Farm projects and opportunities
Crowdsource fundraising and Farm acquisition and transition campaigns
Faithlands Commoning

Building a Local Farmland Commons

A focus on the structure, mechanics, and steps forward to develop, incorporate, and operate a Farmland Commons land trust model. Participants will bring forward and pre-share details on questions, status of work, overview of people, community, and land, and all other relevant material. A focus of time together will be tailored to meet participants where they are and to help equip everyone with knowledge, and move them and the project forward

Panel Discussion

We are happy to serve on a panel discussion to share our work, services, knowledge, experience, insights, inspirations, and more.

Something else?

Reach out if there is something else you would like us to be engaged in that you don't see on this list!

Speeches

Personal Journey and Current Work
- Farmland, farmers, and our food system and climate are all in crisis. Land is power, justice, equity, and wealth, yet colonization and privatization create and perpetuate land injustices. Land trusts have a profoundly impactful history of defining and structuring land ownership, access, tenure, and connection yet, by and large, do not address justice and equity and only benefit a small portion of the population. In this presentation, you will hear either Co-Founder Kristina Villa's or Co-Founder Ian McSweeney’s life journey that brought them to this work, and how The Farmers Land Trust is innovating and creatively addressing farmland ownership, access, tenure, and justice for farmers and stewards growing food for their communities using regenerative and sustainable practices.
Call to Action for Landowners
- Example from National Biodynamic Conference
Land: The Reparations Owed
- We find ourselves at a moment where 98% of land is owned by white people, and that is not an accident or coincidence. Rather, this reality we find ourselves in was created by many acts of violence and oppression, and through a system of racism. Hear about how we got here, and what we can and should do to arrive at a more just and equitable future for all. Example from Rooted East in Knoxville, TN