We've completed our 2026 inaugural NEST Fellowship! Fellows developed capstone projects: action-oriented initiatives designed by the fellows to create lasting impact in their own communities, now and beyond the fellowship.

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Ray Neirene: Agricultural Work Exchange

I want to have a way for folks who are participating in barter-exchange work through farming and homesteading to have a guideline of how to advocate for their needs. Coming into work exchange after a circumstantial shift in my farm work in 2025 season, I noticed a lot of openings for better negotiating, more direct communication around needs of land projects, and better communicating about what I can offer and what my desires are participating in exchange work as someone who would be houseless if I were not participating in said work (as someone underemployed, I have no access to building a savings account and haven't had this since fall of 2024). I also found through my work and being invited to participate in building worker-cooperatives at the land I reside on, that guidelines also need to be set in place for that. Through writing the zine, which I plan to keep as a living digital magazine, I want to see who else is participating in work-exchange as well as building new cooperatives and share further information over time. As an herbalist and land steward with chronic health concerns, I have found advocating for myself and other stewards in similar environments brings much grounding into values aligned work. 

Jo Galvis: Conversations on housing, home and belonging with land workers in New York State

My name is Jo Galvis and I work on farms and food access programs in Columbia County. My capstone brought me into conversations with Spanish-speaking farm workers in New York State to discuss their experiences around migration, land work, housing and belonging.  As an ongoing oral history project I hope that these conversations can serve as a resource for others who are navigating similar circumstances. To continue this work I would like to be connected with individuals who might want to share their stories, as well as people with audio production skills, equipment, and ideas about where to share this project. 

Eann Basco: Your Boss Should Not Be Your Landlord

Eann wrote a personal essay, titled "Housing Conditions" that explores the connections and differences between his experiences with farmworker housing and his family's history of housing insecurity. In doing so, he touches on informal economies of care that can exist between loved ones due to poverty. He argues that farm owners have a choice whether or not to provide dignified housing for employees, and that narratives about farmer housing must decenter the fragile feelings and perceived hardships of farm owners and instead focus on the experiences of farm laborers whose housing is tied to their employment.

Carolyn Beer: NEST house resource sharing guide

My capstone project focused on supporting more accessible housing options for farmers through home sharing and co-living. I created a companion workbook to a house-matching guide, designed for people interested in either sharing their homes with farmers or finding a home to share, whether for a short-term or longer-term arrangement.

The booklet is particularly intended to support those offering housing in thinking through what it takes to create a successful home-sharing experience. It includes guiding questions and considerations to help all participants clarify expectations, discuss important aspects of living together, and prepare for potential challenges before entering into an arrangement. Ultimately, the project aims to make home sharing a more thoughtful, intentional, and supportive option for addressing the need for affordable farmer housing.

Jayelle Hoffman: Organizing Toward Farmworker Housing In Northern Dutchess &  Southern Columbia County

For my capstone project I utilized my existing, local network of farmers, landowners, and community-members to begin creating momentum around addressing farmworker housing in Northern Dutchess and Southern Columbia Counties. I was able to identify potential partners and a few prospective sites. Going forward, I hope to continue my conversations and maintain the momentum to expand farmworker housing in my community 

Julia Gloninger: Farmer Housing Solutions: Land Access and Security for Off-Grid Tiny Homes

The purpose of this zine is to survey and compile existing alternative pathways for farmers and land stewards to gain secure access to land for placing a tiny home, specifically to promote the practice of building your own off-grid tiny home with natural materials. This information can also be relevant for those interested in purchasing a tiny home, rather than building their own. Some of the pathways outlined in this pamphlet default to ownership as a legal mechanism for protecting land access, while others encourage farmers and land stewards to explore other forms of land security rooted in relationships and community. Moving beyond Western capitalist ideas about security, we can open a wider array of options for accessing land for housing and growing food that are cost-effective.