USA: Initiatives that promote the farmers of the future

The average age of the American farmer is 58, New Hope reports – for every one farmer or rancher under 25, there are five who are over 75. With the growing interest in food and sustainability, however, many young people are inspired to pursue careers in sustainable farming.

Greenhorns use self-made tools, including films, books, radio programs, and public events, to engage and inspire their local community. Farm Fairies structure creative financial agreements that allow farmers to purchase land and set down permanent roots. Specifically, these people help protect farmers from being priced out of the land market by speculators.

The Growing Farmers Initiative at Stone Barns is designed to increase the number of sustainable small and mid-size farms through internships, workshops and conferences focusing on increasing technical knowledge of organic and sustainable agriculture production and processing. They also show small farmers how to enhance their operations, build qualified staff, and gain access to land and market and provide opportunities for beginning farmers to build strong networks of personal and professional support. More information as well as the short film calles  57 (which was the average age of the American farmer in 2013) is available here.