Voller, Vanessa Kathryn2018-09-192018-09-192018https://hdl.handle.net/11299/200083This report was commissioned by Twin Cities Community Agricultural Land Trust (TCALT) and provides provides an analytic summary of the current challenges community land trusts (CLTS) face in implementing urban agricultural projects across the United States in addition to the best practices and lessons learned in implementing such projects. Moreover, this report provides a set of preliminary research tools, including a survey and focus group guide, for TCALT to implement in the future to better ascertain the unique challenges and opportunities for innovation that urban agricultural efforts that wish to employ a CLT model in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Specifically this project aimed to better understand how a CLT model could be utilized to dismantle barriers to sustained land access and better support under-resourced farmers, farmers of color, transnational migrant farmers, non-native English speaking farmers, and women farmers. Methods of analysis include a comprehensive literature scan that were coded thematically for major trends. Urban agriculture is attributed with many benefits for individuals, families, and communities: increased food security, improved public health outcomes, ecological restoration, and beautification and protection of public spaces (Gardening Matters, 2012). However, in spite of these numerous benefits urban agriculture faces significant challenges. Most notably, sustained access to land. 99% of urban farmers in the United States cite land insecurity as the chief barrier to their success (Yuen, 2014). In recent years, CLTs, have become a tool to facilitate urban agricultural projects. Currently in the United States there are nine urban agricultural projects that are registered in the national CLT registry as an urban agricultural project supported by a CLT. CLTs can aid urban agricultural projects in the following three roles: (1) securing land, (2) programmatic support, and (3) direct production (Rosenberg & Yuen 2014). This report will specifically examine the mechanisms by which CLTs can support urban agricultural projects in securing land.enReport