Navigating the Agricultural Landscape

As Jennifer Lumpkin navigated her own path through the agricultural landscape as a gardener-turned-beginning-farmer and food systems advocate, she dreamed of an all-encompassing guide to support the process.

As the second OEFFA Policy Fellow, Jennifer turned that dream into reality in September 2025 with her creation of Navigating the Agricultural Landscape.

The guide serves as a conveyor of navigating systems and processes. It features four diverse case studies involving a range of collaborators at the local, state, and federal levels. Jennifer and her Cleveland, Ohio farm offer a firsthand look at various needs, requests, and avenues for moving forward in communicating with agricultural departments, advocating within various levels of government, and better understanding farmer support programs.

As you’ll see in this video highlighting the guide’s table of contents, the document linked below also includes frequently asked questions, a list of helpful resources, and clickable links and downloads for further learning.

Navigating the agricultural landscape can be difficult. This guide hopes to provide more continuity and ease of access to agricultural resources for beginning and experienced food systems participants alike.

Navigating the Agricultural Landscape

Learn more about the guide, from Jennifer herself