We always have new land opportunities coming into our inventory, some of which aren’t on our blog yet! Get in touch with a Land Matcher at bclmp@youngagrarians.org to learn about the latest opportunities and to access free B.C. Land Matching Program services in your region.
ABOUT THE LAND
This beautiful, beloved 18 acre property is located on Russell Rd in Gibsons, easily accessible to the town centre just off the Sunshine Coast Highway. The land is home to a family of food and flower lovers who have been stewarding the property for 51 years! Before the current landholders bought the property, it was farmed as a strawberry farm as part of the Howe Sound Cooperative Cannery in the early- to mid-20th century.
Partially forested with a creek running through the property, the landholders are hobby farmers growing flowers, raising goats and cultivating mixed fruits and vegetables in small plots on various parts of the property. There are also several hives on-site maintained by a local beekeeper, so the land is buzzing with pollinators! The available 1 acre of growing space includes two fields totalling approximately 1/2 acre which are ready for cultivation, and another 1/2 acre of growing space already planted in various crops including strawberries, raspberries, beans, peas, rhubarb and more.
The soil is a sandy loam with good drainage, and the land has a very gentle slope down to the road with great sun exposure. The available 1 acre of plots is fully fenced with a drip irrigation system to all of the beds and licensed water from the creek.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
The available 1 acre of land is currently maintained by the landholder’s brother-in-law, who has poured his heart and soul into the plots over the past three years to build soil, set up irrigation and develop infrastructure like trellising and a small greenhouse area for tomatoes. After encountering some health issues this year and needing to take a step back from intensive farm labour, he is looking for a collaborator who can take over the 1/2 acre of fields with their own project(s) and work with him to maintain the remaining 1/2 acre that is already planted.
This is an opportunity to grow your own food, learn alongside the loving caretakers of the land, experiment with new ideas for crop rotation and have a whole lot of laughs. The incoming farmer is welcome to sell their products in the property’s farm stand, where the landholders currently sell flowers and nursery plants. Tools and equipment are available on-site for use with the landholders’ permission.
The exact arrangement of the land agreement is open to negotiation with the landholders, whether it be a worktrade agreement, profit-share or land lease with paid farm labour. There might also be opportunity down the line to expand and use more of the property to grow food with a little bit of work to prepare additional land.
ABOUT THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The landholders and the current farmer are seeking someone who is passionate about growing food for themselves and their community. They would love to have someone who cares about maintaining the land as much as they do, who likes farming collaboratively and has creative ideas for new projects. A candidate with some farming, gardening or landscaping experience who is not afraid to share their opinion and who loves being outside will thrive in this opportunity.
The land is maintained in organic and regenerative practices, and the landholders are seeking a candidate who will maintain those practices.
GET IN TOUCH!
This land is available through the B.C. Land Matching Program. If you are interested in this land opportunity, please contact the Metro Vancouver Land Matcher, Ve-Jane Duong, at vejane@youngagrarians.org with the link to this post any relevant photos, and a paragraph or two on each of the following:
- About you
- Your farming experience
- Your plans for the land
Learn more about this land opportunity on the Young Agrarians UMAP. For more about the B.C. Land Matching Program and other land opportunities, please visit youngagrarians.org/tools/land
The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, with additional support from Bullitt Foundation and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.