Agrarian Commons

An agrarian commons is a unique model of nonprofit land ownership that places farmland in the hands of community management. The concept of an “agrarian commons” originated with the nonprofit Agrarian Trust, but depending on the organization helping manage the commons, it might also be called a farmland commons.

Much like a traditional land trust or a community land trust, farmland is either donated or purchased by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and held in a 501(c)(2) or 501(c)(25) title-holding corporation. Through a deed, the land is put in control of a commons, which then leases the land affordably to farmers via 99 year leases.

What makes a commons different from a traditional land trust is its management structure. A commons is managed by a board that can be comprised of community members, farmers, lawyers, stakeholders, and/or other nonprofits. This collective management structure bucks traditional understandings of land ownership. However, it also places a large amount of control outside the hands of the farmers stewarding the land.

Each commons is uniquely structured and involves different stakeholders from different communities. Commons can exist before having land attached to them, and often precede a physical land acquisition for the purpose of accomplishing land access.

Thus far, all agrarian commons have been created through the advice, oversight, and assistance of Agrarian Trust, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that invented the concept. A different nonprofit, the Farmers Land Trust, is a newer organization looking to create similar concepts called farmland commons.

Farmers can never own farmland or build equity through land ownership with the farm commons model, but they can build equity in other ways. The 99 year leases are often ground leases, meaning farmers can work in opportunities to own infrastructure built on the leased land. The leases can also be inheritable or sold to incoming farmers.

While the agrarian commons model is a new and innovative way of thinking about farmland access in the Western world, it’s important to note that collective and common “ownership” existed far before imperialism and colonialism changed the landscape of what it means to “own” property. Land reappropriation from the wealthy to the community has been practiced in other cultures and countries before as well. The Agrarian Trust acknowledges inspiration from the Bhoodan Movement in India, where wealthy landowners voluntarily gave land over to peasants, as well as the Terre de Liens in France.

It is also important to note that while the agrarian commons model aims to reimagine traditional models of land ownership, it can still be encumbered by limitations existing legal constraints, restrictive power dynamics, and white supremacy culture engrained in nonprofits with majority white leadership.

Learn more about agrarian commons

• Learn more about Agrarian Trust and agrarian commons

• Learn more about the Farmers Land Trust and farmland commons

• Step-by-step guide to creating a farmland commons

• Watch a video about the Somali-Bantu Community Association and their journey to access land through an agrarian commons

  • Read more about the continuing journey of the SBCA to achieve land access and land ownership in this case study

• Community land trusts are a similar land access model traditionally used for affordable housing, but could become increasingly relevant to farmers

  • Read about community land trusts in relation to farming on page 26 of the Greenhorns Affording Our Land Guidebook

  • Learn about a two-tier community land trust and its similarities to the agrarian commons/Agrarian Trust model