Name: Cross-State Approaches to Equitable Farmland Tenure and Purchase
Start: 2026-09-23T09:00:00-0600
End: 2026-09-23T10:30:00-0600

Cross-State Approaches to Equitable Farmland Tenure and Purchase

Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am MDT

Ballroom

Agricultural land consolidation is accelerating across the United States, squeezing out small and mid-sized operators at a time when the next generation of sustainable producers most needs a foothold. This 90-minute session brings together practitioners from California, Georgia and other states to share what policies are actually working in farmland access, what has failed, and where the field needs to go next. The session is structured in two parts: PART 1: Practitioner Presentations (50 minutes) California (20 min): Kitchen Table Advisors and California FarmLink will present findings from the Agricultural Land Equity Task Force (A-LETF) Report, including the $1M TA contract that emerged from California Farmer Equity Act to advance equitable land access. Presenters will be candid about what has moved the needle and what hasn't. We will share lessons for advocates in other states looking to translate policy wins into on-the-ground impact. The Conservation Fund (20 min): The Conservation Fund will present a start-to-finish farmland transition model refined across 25+ transactions in multiple communities and states. A process that combines acquisition, technical support, conservation easement, and stepped-down pricing to make land ownership accessible for small and mid-sized operators at an inflection point and ready to scale. Presenters will share what it takes to replicate this model in new communities and will invite feedback from the room. Q&A for Presenters (10 min) PART 2: Facilitated Panel Discussion (40 minutes) Using the two state examples as a jumping-off point, the session will open into a structured peer discussion organized around three questions: • What are practitioners in your region trying to accomplish around farmland access and where are you hitting walls? • What's working, what isn't, and what do other states' experiences tell us? • Where do we go from here? What policy, financial, and cross-state coordination moves are needed to achieve meaningful land reform? Learning Objectives: Attendees will leave with (1) a concrete understanding of two distinct state-level approaches to equitable farmland transition. One policy/TA-driven (CA) and one transaction/conservation-driven (GA); (2) honest analysis of what has and hasn't worked in each; and (3) actionable ideas for what peer organizations and cross-state coalitions could do next.

Speakers

Liya Schwartzman

Senior Program Manager, California FarmLink

Since 2010, Liya Schwartzman has been a trusted partner for California farmers and ranchers, helping them secure the land, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. Through her work with California FarmLink, she has guided hundreds in land access, strong tenure agreements... Read More →

James Nakahara

Program Manager, Ecosystem Building, Kitchen Table Advisors

James Nakahara is Program Manager for Ecosystem Building at Kitchen Table Advisors (KTA), a nonprofit farm business advising organization based in California. In this role, he oversees strategic initiatives that connect food system stakeholders to improve equitable economic opportunities... Read More →

Krisztián Varsa

Director, Farms Fund, The Conservation Fund

Kathryn Lyddan

Principal, Convivial Land Consulting

Kathryn works with land trusts, nonprofits, and local governments on farmland access and conservation projects, including strategic planning, policy development, program design and real estate and financing innovation. Kathryn has served as the Director of Conservation for the Marin... Read More →

Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am MDT
Ballroom

Land Access Retention and Transfer, Accessing Capital

Tickets

Success you have shared X tickets.

National Farm Viability Conference

Liya Schwartzman

James Nakahara

Krisztián Varsa

Kathryn Lyddan

Attendees (3)

Get help with the event

Success you have shared X tickets.

National Farm Viability Conference

Liya Schwartzman

James Nakahara

Krisztián Varsa

Kathryn Lyddan

Attendees (3)

Sign up or log in to save this to your schedule, view media, leave feedback and see who's attending!

Get help with the event