40 farmers under 40 | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Who do you picture when you think of an American farmer? A leathery-handed AARP type who rises at dawn, works the fields all day and returns home when Sally Mae rings the supper bell? If so, you aren’t too far off. According to the USDA, the average American agrarian is a white male aged 55 or older. And some studies show that the presence of young farmers, 18 to 35, is actually in decline.

But while they might be dwindling in numbers, young farmers are growing in visibility. And they’re a motley, stereotype-shattering crew, for sure. They’re urban, they hold advanced degrees and they’re often female. They sprout up in not-so-bucolic places like Brooklyn, Oakland, Atlanta and Indianapolis, and they sometimes work as educators, eco-entrepreneurs, yogis, journalists, filmmakers, activists and doting parents on the side. They’re passionate and adventurous. And most notably, they’re focused on sustainability and community building.