Agricultural and Food Law

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Farmland is uniquely tied to food security. It is this land, and the soil that it is made up of, that truly feeds the world. Farmland also, however, sustains local rural communities, is a source of political power, and is intractably tied to the rural economy of a nation. As we begin to feel the effects of global climate change, the value of farmland has increased, and many new investment strategies have arisen. How will the food system, local economies, and environment be impacted? This session explores how farmland tenure affects food security, natural resource consumption, environmental sustainability, rural livelihoods, and political power. An introduction to global land tenure trends will be provided, followed by presentations that target three discreet perspectives: U.S. farmland tenure in a generational transition, land tenure struggles in developing nations, and complex land tenure issues that arise on U.S. tribal lands.