B.C. Land Matching Program supports access to affordable farmland for young farmers

The B.C. Land Matching program aims to address a lack of affordable farmland in the province by connecting new and young farmers with local landowners.

“The B.C. Land Matching Program is an innovative approach to one of the greatest barriers facing new and young farmers, which is accessing affordable farmland,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture. “The program will help new and young farmers and landowners, which ensures good farmland is being farmed and increases the province’s food security for British Columbians. Let’s get farmers onto the land, and let’s get farming!”

Popham was joined by local farmers and representatives from Young Agrarians (FarmFolk CityFolk Society) at Salt & Harrow Farm in Parksville to announce the new B.C. Land Matching Program.

The price of land in some parts of the province is making farming unattainable for many families, especially where some of the highest-quality agricultural soil is found. Many established farmers aging out of the industry are trying to develop succession plans to ensure their land is kept in production. As well, farmland owners who are not farming are often motivated to support local food systems and provide an opportunity to a young farmer-entrepreneur by leasing their land.

Dedicated land matchers are assigned to Vancouver Island, Metro-Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan and the Columbia Basin to work closely with farmers, landowners, local governments and agricultural organizations. The support and services offered by land matchers range from hosting land-linking events to developing relationships with landowners, land seekers and community leaders, to facilitating negotiations and terms of the leasing arrangement with the support of a lawyer between landowners and land leasers.

Seann Dory, who runs Salt & Harrow Farm, exemplifies the success of land leasing in B.C.’s agriculture sector. Seann met Kris and Maria Chand, of Blue Heron Organic Farm, through a Young Agrarians' land-linking workshop. Kris and Maria were interested in leasing out extra land, and Seann was looking to lease some farmland on Vancouver Island to get it into production. Kris and Maria are certified organic farmers, who were interested in leasing land to someone else who shared similar values and would manage the land in the same fashion.

The B.C. Land Matching Program is delivered by Young Agrarians, a program of the FarmFolk CityFolk Society, with a $300,000 investment from the Government of B.C., and also draws support from municipal and regional partners, such as the Columbia Basin Trust, Cowichan Valley Regional District, Metro Vancouver, Township of Langley, City of Surrey and the Bullitt Foundation, with in-kind support provided by Cowichan Green Community.

Grow BC is a mandate commitment of the Ministry of Agriculture that supports young farmers and food producers who are looking for a career in B.C. agriculture. Grow BC also addresses major challenges for new farmers, such as gaining access to land in regions around the province.

The B.C. Land Matching Program is part of the Province’s larger New Entrant Strategy, a framework for increasing the number of new and young farmers working in B.C.’s agriculture sector.