About Us

Learn more about TCALT, its members, and its history.

About Us

Learn more about TCALT, its members, and its history.

How we guide our work

TCALT advocates for and supports communities who seek long-term, affordable land access for collective stewardship and food cultivation to further racial and economic justice.

TCALT envisions a Twin Cities region in which all people who seek to grow food will have an array of tenure options that support sufficient and stable land access. In this future, land will be used to produce nourishing and culturally-significant food using sustainable agricultural practices. Food shared through care networks and markets will help meet community food needs.

Through partnership, outreach, networking, and education, we will work with organizations, residents, growers, and local governments to enact anti-racist and de-colonial policies and structures. Black, Indigenous, and other communities that have been marginalized by historical and current systems will be centered in creating liberatory relationships with land and food. Ultimately, TCALT sees an integration of agriculture and collective food cultivation into our neighborhoods, cities, and counties as a valued land use to establish cultural centers, build community wealth, nourish each other, and care for environments.

The Twin Cities Community Agricultural Land Trust holds that permanent access to affordable land is the foundation of a healthy local food economy, including a commitment to:

  • Long-term land access: Permanent land access is a powerful tool to repair community foodways. It fosters stewardship of soil, water, and more-than-human ecosystems; develops a deeper relationship between farmers and community members; and ensures preservation of healthy land for future food cultivation.
  • Value of growers: People who grow food for themselves, their families, or their communities are a critical part of agriculture, our society, and our economy. We involve growers in our work and decision making, particularly by centering growers from communities who have been excluded from secure land access, to create just land and food systems.
  • Equity and justice: Long-term land access and collective stewardship for growing food are important to building just and equitable societies. We believe that anti-racism is a critical framework for working towards a more just food system. Our work targets policies that exclude communities of color and low-income communities from being able to grow food and maintain access to community green space.
  • Public benefit: Increasing land for agriculture improves quality of life by supporting physical and mental wellness; nourishing relationships with environments; creating jobs; providing space to practice cultural and familial traditions related to growing and eating foods; and maintaining green spaces that foster community building.
  • Local Food Systems: A strong local food system has the potential to foster resilience, connectedness, wellness, and economic opportunities. Community-based food systems build our ability to mitigate harm from climate change, racism, etc. Growers hold and share food knowledge that is vital to our shared stories and cultural centers.
  • Community-based process: We strive to embody collaboration, action, respect, creativity, and transparency in our process. We are committed to following the leadership of people of color, and being able to engage and collaborate with people from many backgrounds. We believe in supporting existing community assets, sharing decisions, power, knowledge, and resources among stakeholders.
Photo of Man Standing Surrounded by Green Leaf Plants

How we guide our work

TCALT advocates for and supports communities who seek long-term, affordable land access for collective stewardship and food cultivation to further racial and economic justice.

TCALT envisions a Twin Cities region in which all people who seek to grow food will have an array of tenure options that support sufficient and stable land access. In this future, land will be used to produce nourishing and culturally-significant food using sustainable agricultural practices. Food shared through care networks and markets will help meet community food needs.

Through partnership, outreach, networking, and education, we will work with organizations, residents, growers, and local governments to enact anti-racist and de-colonial policies and structures. Black, Indigenous, and other communities that have been marginalized by historical and current systems will be centered in creating liberatory relationships with land and food. Ultimately, TCALT sees an integration of agriculture and collective food cultivation into our neighborhoods, cities, and counties as a valued land use to establish cultural centers, build community wealth, nourish each other, and care for environments.

The Twin Cities Community Agricultural Land Trust holds that permanent access to affordable land is the foundation of a healthy local food economy, including a commitment to:

  • Long-term land access: Permanent land access is a powerful tool to repair community foodways. It fosters stewardship of soil, water, and more-than-human ecosystems; develops a deeper relationship between farmers and community members; and ensures preservation of healthy land for future food cultivation.
  • Value of growers: People who grow food for themselves, their families, or their communities are a critical part of agriculture, our society, and our economy. We involve growers in our work and decision making, particularly by centering growers from communities who have been excluded from secure land access, to create just land and food systems.
  • Equity and justice: Long-term land access and collective stewardship for growing food are important to building just and equitable societies. We believe that anti-racism is a critical framework for working towards a more just food system. Our work targets policies that exclude communities of color and low-income communities from being able to grow food and maintain access to community green space.
  • Public benefit: Increasing land for agriculture improves quality of life by supporting physical and mental wellness; nourishing relationships with environments; creating jobs; providing space to practice cultural and familial traditions related to growing and eating foods; and maintaining green spaces that foster community building.
  • Local Food Systems: A strong local food system has the potential to foster resilience, connectedness, wellness, and economic opportunities. Community-based food systems build our ability to mitigate harm from climate change, racism, etc. Growers hold and share food knowledge that is vital to our shared stories and cultural centers.
  • Community-based process: We strive to embody collaboration, action, respect, creativity, and transparency in our process. We are committed to following the leadership of people of color, and being able to engage and collaborate with people from many backgrounds. We believe in supporting existing community assets, sharing decisions, power, knowledge, and resources among stakeholders.

Our History

TCALT formed out of community interest in establishing permanent spaces for neighborhood-based community food systems. In a 2010 meeting attended by a broad base of individuals and organizations, working groups were formed to plan for this goal. These groups became the core three committees that are the center of TCALT’s work: 

1

Communication and participation

Raises awareness, shares community stories, and supports affirmative process for inclusive work

2

Land access programming and services

Works on pilot projects, develops more land access strategies, and delivers educational programming related to land access and land policy

3

Community wealth

Raises money and supports participatory budgeting processes

Partners who worked together to build the Twin Cities Community Agricultural Land Trust included:

  • Gardening Matters
  • City of Lakes Community Land Trust
  • Land Stewardship Project
  • Farmers’ Legal Action Group
  • The Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women
  • The Food Group (via Big River Farms and The Minnesota Project)
  • Minneapolis Homegrown and the Saint Paul Ramsey County Food and Nutrition Commission
  • Minneapolis Farmers Markets
  • Urban Farm and Garden Alliance

Our History

TCALT formed out of community interest in establishing permanent spaces for neighborhood-based community food systems. In a 2010 meeting attended by a broad base of individuals and organizations, working groups were formed to plan for this goal. These groups became the core three committees that are the center of TCALT’s work: 

  1. Communication and participation: Raises awareness, shares community stories, and supports affirmative process for inclusive work
  2. Land access programming and services: Works on pilot projects, develops more land access strategies, and delivers educational programming related to land access and land policy
  3. Community wealth: Raises money and supports participatory budgeting processes

Partners who worked together to build the Twin Cities Community Agricultural Land Trust included:

  • Gardening Matters
  • City of Lakes Community Land Trust
  • Land Stewardship Project
  • Farmers’ Legal Action Group
  • The Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women
  • The Food Group (via Big River Farms and The Minnesota Project)
  • Minneapolis Homegrown and the Saint Paul Ramsey County Food and Nutrition Commission
  • Minneapolis Farmers Markets
  • Urban Farm and Garden Alliance

Who we are

Board Members

  • Stephen Carpenter
  • Skyler Hawkins
  • Theresa McCormick
  • Megan Mathew
  • Jennifer Nicklay (Chair)
  • Vikas Singhal (Treasurer)

Board Organizers

  • Valentine Cadieux (Learning Coordinator)
  • Kara Komoto (Program Coordinator)
  • Kieran Morris (Organizer)
  • Rachel Saladin (Accountant)

Collaborators

TCALT has recently worked on projects with these organizations:

Who we are

Board Members

  • Stephen Carpenter
  • Skyler Hawkins
  • Theresa McCormick
  • Megan Mathew
  • Jennifer Nicklay (Chair)
  • Vikas Singhal (Treasurer)

Board Organizers

  • Valentine Cadieux (Learning Coordinator)
  • Kara Komoto (Program Coordinator)
  • Kieran Morris (Organizer)
  • Rachel Saladin (Accountant)

Collaborators

TCALT has recently worked on projects with these organizations:

Newsletters

Sign Up Past Newsletters

Tax Info

2022 990 Form

Meetings

2024 meeting minutes

Newsletters

Sign Up Past Newsletters

Tax Info

2022 990 Form

Meetings

2024 meeting minutes