Our programs weave together the framework that the land trust requires to achieve our vision to advance permanent and secure land tenure for farmers and land stewards of color who will care for the land in a sacred manner that honors our ancestors' dreams for regenerative agriculture, sustainable human habitat, climate justice, ceremony, native species ecosystem restoration, and cultural preservation.
Relationships & Reciprocity Program
The RR program focuses on re-storying our relationship with land by building bridges with Indigenous communities, sharing stories with our network and supporters, organizing events and experiences to cultivate a strong, inclusive land-based community, and is dedicated to restoring and re-storying native species ecosystems and our relationships to them. We hold ancestral knowledge, respectful communication, and collaboration sacred and essential to achieving equitable land access and stewardship for BIPOC communities.
The Land Network Services Program connects people and land in the Northeast. They create models and tools for shared land stewardship, supporting BIPOC farmers with land access, training, business resources, and financial aid. This program aims to nurture a thriving land-based community with a focus on regenerative agriculture and equitable land ownership.
Black Land Stewardship Program
The Black Land Stewardship program is a new initiative supporting Black farmers in the Northeast US. It offers three programs: Black Farmers Learn, which provides educational subsidies; On the Way, a video tour showcasing sustainable farming practices; and Unearthings, which are community gatherings to understand Black farmers' needs. The goal is empowering Black farmers and securing land tenure through education, collaboration, and advocacy.
Policy, Climate Justice, & Advocacy Program
The Policy, Climate Justice & Advocacy program supports Black, Indigenous, and PoC land stewards facing the unequal impacts of climate change. We work collaboratively to develop policy platforms, advocate for reparations and rematriation, and promote ancestral land care practices. This program fights for investment in BIPOC-led initiatives and policies that provide resources for current and aspiring stewards, ultimately aiming to return land access to dispossessed communities and build thriving land relationships for generations to come.
The Reparations Program at NEFOC is focused on land return and resource redistribution designed to serve the NEFOC network, members of the Vermont Releaf Collective, and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the Northeast who have been harmed by settler colonialism and slavery.