Connecticut program aims to address historical inequities in agriculture
Connecticut's Land, Capital and Market Access Program will provide financial and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Land Trust Alliance, its staff, its board of directors or any other individuals associated with the organization.
Big news was made recently for BIPOC farmers in Connecticut: The state announced plans to be the first in the nation to offer grants and technical assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Increasing Land, Capital and Market Access Program.
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture, in partnership with UConn Extension, the Connecticut Farmland Trust and American Farmland Trust, announced an LCMA grant of $2.5 million over the next four years. With this federal grant, Connecticut becomes the first state to serve as a project lead in the program, which was formed through the American Rescue Plan Act and Inflation Reduction Act.
The LCMA Program aims to address historical inequities in agriculture by providing financial and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers. This includes helping them purchase farmland, improve their business plans and access new markets. By increasing access to land, capital and markets, the program will empower these farmers to build sustainable and profitable agricultural enterprises.
Connecticut designed the LCMA Program to consist of three elements.
The first element is the Farm Business Navigator: Developed by UConn Extension, this new tool will help eligible farmers navigate and connect to technical assistance opportunities across the state.
The program will also provide free technical assistance. Eligible farmers will be able to access resources for managing legal, tax, marketing, accounting and other financial matters from an approved list of consultants being created by UConn and the state’s Department of Agriculture.
And finally, the program will provide grant funding to purchase agricultural land. Partners are using federal funds to establish the Connecticut Farmland Access Fund to aid eligible partners in purchasing farmland. Additional information and application materials for this new funding opportunity will be announced in the spring of 2025.
The launch of the Land Capital Market Access Program is inspired in part by the Connecticut Land Conservation Council’s research and our findings in the Farmland Access & Ownership Report, released in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture in 2024.
This publication aimed to address challenges and opportunities for ensuring equitable access to secure farmland for BIPOC farmers, who comprise less than 2% of farmers statewide. The report outlines nine strategic actions and key steps the state’s agricultural stakeholders, including land trusts, can undertake to ensure secure land tenure becomes a reality for BIPOC farmers. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture put these recommendations to use in applying for, and securing, this new LCMA grant.
This post originally appeared on the Connecticut Land Conservation Council website.