Investors near Atlanta, specializing in Farmland or sustainable development?

[Account Closed]

Greetings,

I'm planning a Field Day about real estate investing for the small/urban agriculture community in the Atlanta metro area. It started out as personal research, but I've decided to create an opportunity for others to get this info as well. I'm seeking investors & professionals experienced in farmland investments, agricultural lending, land purchasing, or building sustainable communities.

Also if you could point me to any BP resources on this matter, that would be awesome as well. In short, in completing an urban agriculture program, there was a trend of most sites being leased, rather than owed. Unfortunately, that has resulted in a number of community garden/urban farm closures over the past couple of years. Basically, I'm trying to learn more about the barriers to ownership in this realm and how to overcome them.

About my real estate goals, I plan to buy at least 2 acres of land, build a SFH homestead with added value revenue streams, such as event hosting and vacation rental by end of 2016. In the longer run, I am interested in real estate development involving creating progressive communities by way of land trusts, cooperatives and traditional means.

Best,

Candis