Transcript:

Farmers often spend decades caring for their land. And when they retire, many hope to pass it on to others who will farm in an environmentally responsible way.

Some are even willing to donate part or all of their land – or sell it at a discount – to keep it in good hands.

Villa: “It’s not just the land that they’re protecting. They’re also trying to pass on this legacy of a farm that they’ve built.”

Kristina Villa is cofounder of the Farmers Land Trust, a national nonprofit.

Her group helps landowners transfer their land into communal nonprofit ownership.

The land is then leased at affordable, long-term rates to new farmers who might otherwise struggle to buy land.

Villa: “We see that helping that aging, retiring population to find a new way and model to transition their farmland will actually help improve land access for young and beginning farmers.”

The new farmers pledge to use organic, regenerative farming methods, like planting cover crops and applying compost.

This improves soil health without using fossil-fuel-based fertilizers that cause climate pollution. And it can reduce erosion and runoff during extreme storms.

So Villa says the model protects climate-resilient farmland and helps new farmers afford land.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media. Thanks to Pasa Sustainable Agriculture for logistical support.