A win-win for aspiring farmers and their communities

Pictured: EliYahu, Asa, and Kaziyahu Ysrael on the Local Lands property secured for the farm business

There are those who still dream of running a thriving farm that produces locally-grown-and-raised food for their communities.

But for most, the financial realities of securing farmland and the related operational costs prevent the dream from becoming reality.

Thanks to a lead investment from the GoATL Community Capacity Fund and The Conservation Fund, there are two shining exceptions within 60 miles of Atlanta.

GoATL made a low-interest loan to the Working Farms Fund, a program of The Conversation Fund that purchases farmland by leveraging conservation easements that preserve farmland for perpetuity. The land is then leased to a farmer who, over time, purchases the property.

“We’re working with farmers to have a patient path to affordable farmland ownership,” said Conservation Fund’s Georgia Program Manager, Krisztián Varsa. “We secure farmland under threat of development. It’s important farmland outside major metro areas with the need for fresh, healthy local food.”

The program prioritizes supporting populations that have been historically marginalized in agriculture. Of the 18 farms purchased outside Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago, 60% of the farmers are people of color.

In 2021, two Georgia farms — one in Woodbury County, the other in Meriwether County — were purchased by the Working Farms Fund utilizing GoATL capital. The farms encompassed 265 acres of certified organic land.

The Working Farms Fund is an ongoing resource for the farmers, connecting them with experts and programs that further support their efforts.

Both Georgia farms are thriving, with the farmers getting closer to full ownership of their farms. The food they are producing is helping their neighbors and communities lead healthier lives.

“It’s really a win-win,” Varsa said. “We’re helping build farms and the farmers in turn are creating access to fresh, healthy, local food in their communities.”