Land Access
Growing on Solid Ground: A Land Access course
A 9-week hybrid course for preparing small to medium-sized, low-resourced farmers and ranchers to access land.
What you'll get out of this course
Have you started your farm business journey but struggle to secure stable land? This course offers the tools, knowledge, and connections to help you take the next step toward long-term sustainability in the San Diego region.
Build a plan for equitable land access
Peer-to-peer learning with other landseekers
Connections to educational and financial resources
One-on-one technical assistance such as:
Land Linking and Site Assessment
Negotiating and Building Agreements
Referrals to Professional Services
Upcoming Course Details
Growing on Solid Ground: A Land Access Course
Next Session:
Wednesdays, September 2, 2026 – October 28, 2026
Location:
Zoom | 2 In-Person Sessions in San Diego | Farm Tours
Duration:
9 weeks
Cost:
$200 (refundable after course completion)
Time:
TBD
Prerequisites:
2+ years farming or ranching experience
Language:
English with Spanish translation available
Application Deadline:
August 3, 2026
Instructors:
More About this Course
For years, California FarmLink has provided personalized support to landseekers and service providers for increasing access to land. However, there are not many resources available in the state for guiding landseekers step-by-step through the process for finding and securing land. We have listened to the needs of farmers and ranchers, and we created this course to provide personalized support in accessing land, whether through leasing, purchasing, or other creative options.
Growing on Solid Ground Overview
Growing on Solid Ground: A Land Access course is a program that is focused on preparing landseekers for land access pathways, helping them secure long-term and equitable land tenure in the San Diego Region.
In partnership with local organizations, the 9-week course will provide culturally sensitive and multifaceted support to empower landseekers on topics ranging from land suitability assessment, land access planning, water access, climate smart farming practices, and land tenure.
The program will entail personalized technical assistance, group education, field visits, peer-to-peer learning, and professional connections and resources. By employing a planning workbook, it will prepare landseekers to set realistic goals to evaluate land, negotiate agreements, advance climate-smart practices, and connect with landholders and agricultural organizations for additional support.
There will be six evening webinars, two in-person, half-day classes, and an optional final farm tour celebration day. Attendance at all classes is required to receive the incentives.
Eligibility
The Course is primarily intended for small to medium-scale, low-resourced farmers and ranchers in the San Diego region, who have:
- At least two years of paid employment or management experience a farm or ranch business, or
- Significant field experience or agricultural training
The course is suitable for farm or ranch businesses engaged in production of federally legal crops, livestock, cultural resources, medicine, fiber and value-added products.
After the Course
When you complete the course, you become eligible for a free year on the Land Portal and one-on-one technical assistance. You also become eligible for an interest rate discount when you apply for financing from California FarmLink.
Important Information:
Graduates of The Resilerator/Resilerador, Employment Resilerator/Resilerador Laboral, and Regenerator can qualify for a 1% discount on the interest rate for a subsequent loan for each course they complete, up to a maximum of 3 courses/3 loans, with a maximum discount of 1% per loan. For example, after completing the Resilerator and utilizing the incentive, Client will have to graduate from another program of similar commitment (e.g Employment Resilerator or similar) to be eligible for another discount on a subsequent loan.
Discount limitations:
- The amount of the discount is limited to $100K per loan. The total loan amounts may each be greater than $100k, but the discount only applies to the first $100K, after which the remaining portion of the loan will accrue interest at the standard rate.
- The term of the discount is up to 5 years per loan. The total loan terms may each be longer than 5 years, but the discount only applies for the first 5 years, after which the loan will resume accruing interest at the standard rate.
- Loans to purchase or refinance land/real estate are not eligible for this discount.
- This discount may not be combined with any other discounted loan rates.
- Discount may only be applied to loans closed within 3 years of course completion.
