Located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Fresno is the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley – the most productive farming region in the world. Although the region generates nearly $3.5 billion in annual agriculture revenue, it is also the fastest growing region in California and unprecedented real estate development is slowly turning farmland into Fresno’s most vulnerable agricultural resource.

This spring, American Farmland Trust (http://www.farmland.org), a national non-profit that works to stop the loss of United States farmland, purchased a 40-acre plot of prime Fresno farmland that had been slated for development. When American Farmland Trust announced this purchase, Tolou persuaded the organization to resell much of the tract to low-income Fresno farmers. Through this transfer and deeding, American Farmland Trust can ensure the preservation of this tract indefinitely for farming while also providing economic opportunity to farmers who, through the traditional market, might not ever get this chance.

Toulu’s role went well beyond his power of persuasion. He worked with officials at the US Department of Agriculture and other partner organizations to secure support that would make this concept a successful reality.

As a result, the US Department of Agriculture is helping the farmers purchase the land through the first time farming loan program and is providing other capital resources. The Natural Resources Conservation Service is connecting farmers with information on farm management and soil conservation. The University of California Cooperative Extension Program is offering a Small Farm advisor who will provide technical assistance on crop production and marketing. American Farmland Trust is selling the property at a significant discount.

"The impact of this project is significant," says Greg Kirkpatrick, Field Representative for American Farmland Trust. "We’re going to be creating commercially successful small farmers in Fresno County. We’re going to take tenants on small plots of land and turn them into owners of 20-40 acre parcels. Land acquisition, capital acquisition, technical assistance, and marketing are what develops a successful farming operation; you need all these components."

"This is both a mini-step and a giant step," says Toulu. "If this concept is sold to the community and other non-profits, it can make a tremendous difference in preserving farmland for the community and for the people who need the land as a vocation to support their family."

This project, dubbed "Growing Jobs" was nominated for a Housing and Urban Development 1999 Best Practice Award in recognition of its innovation, effective leveraging of resources, and collaboration with other agencies.