Securing the future: an investment in the next generation of farmers

Lana Mustafa and her colleagues from the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) in front of the Capitol building. (Photo courtesy of Lana Mustafa)

CLIFTON, NJ—As a Palestinian American farmer in urban Northern New Jersey, and a Land Advocacy Fellow with the National Young Farmers Coalition(Young Farmers), I recognize that the 2023 Farm Bill will dictate U.S. food and land policy more than any other policy decision over the next decade. It will set the stage for how our communities use the land they are rooted in and will decide who has access to that land. 

In dense communities like ours here in Passaic and Essex Counties, the Farm Bill will play a huge role in what land can and can't be protected. My hometown of Clifton was once mostly sun-kissed farmland. Clifton used to be known for its fertile land and provided food for neighboring communities. Today, there are only two parcels of farmland left in town after the third was recently sold to developers. 

As an urban farming professional, I am asking the frightening question: where will our communities grow their food?  

I know firsthand that access to land is deeply intertwined with all aspects of farmers’ success, and it does not just impact farmers—land access is critical to the health and well-being of our environment, economy, and marginalized communities, especially those living in food desert communities like ours here in Essex and Passaic Counties. 

I discovered my love of nature at a very young age and fell in love with growing my own food in the second grade. I was raised in a traditional Palestinian family, and it was in Palestine that I was instilled with a true, deep love of the land. My family moved between New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Palestine frequently, but gardens were the common denominator wherever we went, offering solace from the chaos of the world. 

My grandparents were once young farmers who migrated to the United States in the early 1960s. They arrived in America with little in their pocket and bartered off their connection to the land in pursuit of the “American dream.” In the ’70s, my grandparents became door-to-door salespeople and, later, entrepreneurs in Bergen County. Through all the trials and tribulations they faced as immigrants, they maintained a strong connection to Palestinian land. After all, it was the land they were born on, which they farmed, and which sustained them in return. 

Though I have always enjoyed growing my own food, I only realized it was a possible career path at the age of 30 when I applied for a part-time Farm Manager position with Montclair Community Farms (MCF) in 2018. By then, I was a mother of three and had converted my 50X100’ plot of land in Clifton into a self-sustaining homestead. My (now former) husband was highly controlling, and my family life and homestead were the extent to which I could use my creative abilities. With little connection to the outside world, my homestead is where I invested all my time and energy. In just a few years, I mastered growing vegetables, planted seven fruit trees, began raising chickens and bees, and started an Instagram account that connected me to like-minded individuals.

Some of my fondest memories are of tending to our family's olive groves and climbing fig trees with my grandparents in Palestine. My career in farming has allowed my childhood memories to remain fresh in my spirit. Farming supported my liberation by giving me the financial freedom and strength to leave an abusive relationship and gain the autonomy I have always wanted.

After a successful 2018 season, I was asked to return to work at the Farm. In two short years, I would become Farm Director and MCF’s first full-time employee. However, paid jobs in Urban Agriculture are hard to come by. My current position is funded by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmer Market Promotion Program (FMPP)  grant and is set to end in 2023. Though our work is essential, and the need for more farmers is growing by the day, positions like mine are not secure or easily funded. I would love nothing more than for my next step to be owning my own farm business, but I don't see how this will be possible for someone like me because of my lack of access to capital. My dream is to continue farming for myself, my family, and, most importantly, my community. 

Lana Mustafa stands in front of the Capitol building. (Photo courtesy of Lana Mustafa)

However, the challenge I am facing is the same problem that stands before many young farmers: how can we farm if we do not have access to land? 

It's clear young people want to farm, but we are faced with the challenge of finding land to farm on, especially in urban communities. With land prices increasing and development taking over many of the open spaces, it can be difficult to find a place to grow food. Many young farmers like myself are turning to community gardens and urban farming as a way to access land and build community.  

Research from the USDA shows that across the country, the current generation of farmers is aging out of the profession–the average farmer in the U.S. is nearly 60 years old–while prime farmland is being lost to development at a rate of more than 2,000 acres per day. According to the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers), finding affordable land to buy is the number one reason farmers are leaving agriculture, the top challenge for current farmers, and the primary barrier preventing aspiring farmers from getting started. Finding secure access to land is an even greater barrier for farmers of color. While fifty-nine percent of overall respondents to the Young Farmers' survey said finding affordable land was very or extremely challenging, sixty-five percent of BIPOC farmers named the same issue as very or extremely challenging. 

People like me, who did not inherit generation land, wealth, or knowledge, need policymakers' support to secure farming careers for BIPOC and historically marginalized farmers. Policy has shaped the present reality and must be part of building a more equitable farming future. Regardless of geography or farming background, finding secure access to viable land is the most significant barrier faced by farmers and aspiring farmers alike.I joined the National Young Farmers Coalition’s Land Advocacy Fellowship along with 99 other farmers and ranchers from across the country because I know that farming is the foundation for good health. 

Now, more than ever, we need our communities to access good food. 

The Coalition’s One Million Acres for the Future Campaign is calling on Congress to make a historic investment of $2.5 billion in equitable access to land in the 2023 Farm Bill. This investment could make one million acres of land accessible to a new generation of farmers.

We believe that policies implemented through the 2023 Farm Bill can help to ensure that valuable agricultural land is not lost and that access to it is equitable for my generation and those to come. I encourage policymakers and political representatives to see the upcoming farm bill as an opportunity to make historic investments in 2023.

We are calling on Congress to invest $2.5 billion over ten years in the 2023 Farm Bill to facilitate equitable access to one million acres of land for the next generation of farmers.

We need the 2023 Farm Bill to include the voices of young farmers like myself. We are asking representatives to: 

• Invest in funding from USDA that would be distributed directly to community-led land access projects.

• Increase staff capacity at USDA to coordinate federal land access work and services to young farmers, including establishing a new office and coordinating position focused on equitable access to land. 

• Help farmers compete in the real estate market with more appropriate and quicker credit options, including an FSA pre-approval mechanism.

• Prevent land loss in communities of color, particularly at the time of farm transition; specifically, continue investing in the Heirs’ Property Relending Program.

It’s time that our voices are heard. Young Farmers across the country need the support of the United States Government to access the necessary capital for farmland. We want the opportunity to grow food that feeds our communities and strengthens our local economy. 

We believe that policies implemented through the 2023 Farm Bill can help to ensure that valuable agricultural land is not lost and that access to it is equitable for my generation and those to come. I encourage policymakers and political representatives to see the upcoming farm bill as an opportunity to make historic investments in 2023.