In keeping with recent years, the King County Conservation Futures grant program continues investing in nonprofit-led projects by purchasing land for food production.
These farmland access awards promote equity in farmland ownership, as land access in King County continues to be a major challenge for farmers looking to start or expand their businesses.
This year, two non-profit organizations have been recommended Conservation Futures funding: Black Farmers Collective and Modest Family Solutions.
Black Farmers Collective
Project Name: Land Back
Black Farmers Collective is an organization whose mission is to build a Black-led food system by developing a cooperative network of people involved in the local food system, acquiring and stewarding land, facilitating food system education, and creating space for Black liberation in healing and joy.
Their project seeks to expand farmland available to Black, Indigenous, and people of color farmers that will deliver fresh, healthy foods to all consumers while providing a livable wage to the farmers who grow local food.
This project is looking for a 40- to 50-acre property with good soil and access to water to provide larger plots for farmers who want to expand their business, along with equipment sharing, technical assistance to farmers as they expand, and access to an already well-established food distribution network that brings healthy produce to low-income families in King County.
“Black Farmers Collective see this opportunity as a way to advance our mission to build a Black-led food system,” said development consultant Krista Almon. “We are honored to be considered and look forward to working alongside global majority land stewards who wish to reclaim land back over the next decade and beyond.”
Modest Family Solutions
Project Name: Agroecology Growth and Resilience Opportunity Urban Project – A.G.R.O. U.P. Farm
Modest Family Solutions is an organization that works across the U.S., European Union, and the West African Atlantic corridor to further community-rooted applied agroecology, intergenerational stewardship, and the conservation of land and place.
With Conservation Futures support, Modest Family Solutions is advancing land access, open-space equity, and community-rooted agroecology through its Agroecology Growth and Resilience Opportunity Urban Project. MFS designs models that correct structural gaps in supply chains and expand community control of land-based resources by integrating regenerative agriculture and applied agroecology with community-driven logistics to build resilient, community-held infrastructure.
“This Conservation Futures award enables us to advance the A.G.R.O. U.P. model and address structural gaps in the regional supply chain,” said Founder & Executive Director Adasha Turner. “We look forward to contributing to long-term stewardship and open space equity in King County.”
From securing farmland for creating collaborative farming opportunities, to growing culturally relevant food for the community, the various agricultural projects that Conservation Futures has funded over the years contribute to the robustness of King County’s local food economy.
If you would like to learn more about Conservation Futures, check out the website.