This is what equitable land access looks like.
The USDA recently announced the awardees of the $300 million dollar Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program: 50 community-based projects working to improve access to land, capital, and markets for underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners.
This is a moment of celebration in the decades of advocacy work around land that many have led before us and in the progress of our One Million Acres for the Future campaign, which is centered around asking Congress to make a historic investment in equitable access to land in the 2023 Farm Bill. This program has resulted in $300 million in federal dollars going out the door to directly benefit community-led land access solutions, with a focus on underserved producers.
This is what we mean when we talk about advancing equitable land access and USDA access and accountability, and this is work that we will continue pushing USDA to lead.
This program was a one-time funding opportunity that we believe should be made permanent. The Increasing Land Access, Securities, and Opportunities Act (S.2340, H.R.3955) would expand on the promise of the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program to bring more funding and support for land access initiatives in the 2023 Farm Bill.
Contact your members of Congress today to call for community-led land access initiatives!
We are excited to highlight some of the incredible organizations receiving this funding to show what is possible when we resource innovative, equity-oriented organizations.
Learn more about the 50 Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program Projects here.