U FARM AND HOME LAND ACCESS FUND DRIVE

Join us to make a major land access victory for our folx possible!

We are raising money to benefit U Farm and Home, which is an initiative focused on allowing Black Indigenous and People of Color to begin farming. This program includes training on how to farm and technical assistance on all other related aspects of farming as well as housing as the title suggests.

This particular fund drive will allow NESDAC to provide the down payment for a 370 acre piece of land that will provide immediate benefits for BIPOC folx to be able to grow food with and for their communities. The land is located in West Sacramento and also includes another 30 acre parcel adjacent to it that would be dedicated to housing and classrooms for training.

The leader of this initiative, Roosevelt Tarlesson, has been fighting for this victory for his people for decades and you can learn more about him and his journey below. Thanks for your donation! Every little bit helps and counts!

Roosevelt Tarlesson has a long and storied history in California as both a refugee from Liberia who arrived in the 1970’s with a wealth of knowledge on traditional West African farming systems, but little capital and no land to put that to effective use. Mr. Tarlesson was determined to not only help himself to be able to put his skills to use as a land steward and food producer, but also to allow the rest of his family to do the same as many of them were not afforded the opportunity to come to the United States at the same time he was. Roosevelt was able to work towards the rest of his family receiving asylum in California eventually, but he did not stop there. While Mr. Tarlesson knew nothing of “organic” agriculture when he first came west, he soon realized that the traditional methods he was familiar with were very much aligned and in compliance with the USDA’s definition of organic – which was just taking shape as the Tarlessons arrived in California.

Before long, the Tarlessons were able to achieve the dream of launching a farming operation in Guinda, California on a historic 50 acre farm. Guinda is of particular significance for African Americans in California historically because it was originally founded by Blacks who were fleeing slavery from the U.S. south. The Tarlessons established an organic farming enterprise and also held several cultural events that served to bring the West African refugee community together over the course of the past few decades. Unfortunately they lost their farm due to a terrible fire that occurred some years ago.

But Mr. Tarlesson did not give up there and nor did he quit. He continued to dream and work towards an even larger vision towards equity in agriculture and food systems in California. Roosevelt is a co-founder of the California Farmer Justice Collaborative, which spearheaded both the authorship and passage of the landmark Farmer Equity Act (AB 1348) in 2017. Now that almost 5 years have passed since the passage of AB 1348, Mr. Tarlesson continues to work towards a California, United States and world that has an equitable food and agricultural system through U Farm and Home LLC. Through all of his years as a farmer, as a trailblazer and human rights activist, one thing Mr. Tarlesson has realized is that words and talking are one thing, but actions and follow through are another. He has been promised many things over the years by representatives from USDA and CDFA, and while some of these have been fulfilled these instances have been too few and far between.

This circumstance is also reflected by the Farmer Equity Act itself, wherein California’s state legislature acknowledges the wrongs committed against BIPOC farmers over the course of decades if not centuries. But where those words fall short is in the consequent actions that need to be taken in order to right these wrongs. And that is where all of Roosevelt’s current energy and focus is directed, which is embodied in the existence of U Farm and Home.

U Farm and Home (www.ufarmandhome.com) is an LLC focused on the three pillars of any strong community: healthy food, housing and good jobs. As an agricultural cooperative focused on BIPOC farmers as well as farmers in training, U Farm and Home is focused not only on farmers of color being able to farm, but also to be able to make a good living and access good housing. That is why they are currently set to purchase a 370 acre property to provide the most critical resource that represents the difference between those who can farm and those who cannot: land, and also housing through another 30 acre property adjacent to it. The company already has a matching fund commitment of 50% from the U.S. Department of Commerce, which means rather than raising the full $3.9 million to secure the properties, the group needs to raise about $2 million. In addition to the funding for securing the land, U.S. Department of Commerce is also willing to fund 100% of infrastructure costs for classrooms and other infrastructure for the training components of the program to be built. There are also several other funders who are interested in supporting this project, including California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). U Farm and Home has already received letters of support from the following: Yolo County Supervisor; City Council; Mayor of West Sacramento; City Manager, and other officials.

As they say, many hands make light work, and these good works need your critical support and so we encourage those who can afford it to give to U Farm and Home LLC at this donation link.