Dear friends,
As the land reawakens and buds burst into flower, we are thrilled to share the news that Land in Common is welcoming new land and new land stewards into our growing land justice commons!
In late April, with support from many collaborators and friends, we completed the purchase of a 15.4 acre farm in Porter, ME. This land is now the long-term home of La Finca Cooperative, a Black and brown majority worker-owned farming cooperative “committed to healing the mind, body, and soul of the individual and the collective.”
La Finca shares our vision of removing land from capitalist markets and placing it into the caring hands of communities who have been dispossessed by systems of colonialism, capitalism, and white supremacy, and who seek nourishing and transformative reconnection. They are already working to restore and revitalize the land, and plan to begin producing fresh vegetables and halal goat meat this season, and to grow their capacity to host events that center BIPOC land connection and collective healing. We’re so excited to welcome La Finca into our community, and to be welcomed into theirs!
The Porter farm is part of a larger effort to protect wildlands in the Porter Hills region from development and intensive logging. An additional 100 acres surrounding the farm has been purchased by Francis Small Heritage Trust (FSHT), creating a protected area of more than 500 acres–including the massive Porter Heath wetland area and the spectacular Devil’s Den ledges. We’re excited to deepen our collaborations with FSHT, and especially to work together to create pathways for ongoing Wabanaki cultural access and land reconnection in the area.
The work of land justice requires collective commitment, resources, and action. We only succeed together! We are grateful for the solidarity from our core partners and supporters in this project, whose participation and generous contributions have made this effort possible:
Cooperative Fund of the Northeast
and many community donors
Thank you! 
The work continues! We raised $58,600 in less than a month to make this purchase happen, along with a loan from the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast. We need to raise $45,000 more to pay off our debt on the land and complete the process of securing permanent land protection in the commons. You can donate here.
We are also seeking to free La Finca from higher-interest institutional financing by organizing a pool of small loans from community members. Through this community financing strategy, we can create our own community capital without the use of the formal finance system. Do you have money to lend? Please get in touch if you are interested in learning more!
Thank you for your solidarity and care!
With love,
Land in Common & La Finca Cooperative
