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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
Long Now Farm is a small hobby farm on 3.4 acres of unceded W’SANEC land. The property is a 5 minute bike ride to the grocery store and to Elk Lake, and a 45 minute bike ride to Victoria along the Lochside Trail. The current landholders have been caretaking the land since 2012 using ecological practices to market garden, grow orchard fruits and raise small livestock. The landholders are passionate about the land and love growing food, but have more bounty than they can manage! They would love to see the market garden put to good use by a farmer in order to free up time to focus on their other projects on the property.
The available area for cultivation is 40 x 160 feet (6,400 square feet). Half of the area is already planted for this year, but the full area would be available next year. The soil is a sandy loam, and all garden areas have been amended with horse manure, compost and leaf mulch over the past 10+ years. The property has exterior deer fencing and all of the garden areas are irrigated with overhead sprinklers. There is a potting shed on-site that would be available for shared use.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
This is a great opportunity for a farmer or farming couple looking to grow diversified crops on a well set-up property with close proximity to markets. The landholders maintain their own garden space, 40 apple trees, 45 hens, 4 pigs and 2 lambs on-site. They are looking for someone to take over the majority of the market gardening space on the property so that they can focus on their other activities on-site.
In addition to the market gardening area, the landholders are offering a 1,200 square foot rental suite with a separate entrance and two bedrooms (one bedroom and a den) on the lower floor of the house. The suite is above ground with 7’6″ ceilings and can accommodate a maximum of two people. The suite can be rented for $1,800/month plus 40% of utilities/heat (approx. $200/month). The landholders are hoping the incoming farmer will be open to a worktrade agreement for an hour of work per week on shared farm and garden tasks, which could reduce the rent by up to $200/month (for 2 people).
Both the market garden and the suite are available for August 1, so reach out now to get connected!
ABOUT THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate for this opportunity is a farmer who enjoys sharing space and is open to collaboration, but who can maintain their operation independently. Organic and regenerative practices, including crop rotation and non-chemical weed suppression, are preferred. As a tenant, the landholders are looking for someone who is energy-efficient and, importantly, who uses unscented products in the shared laundry. The landholders have had a respectful, friendly and neighbourly relationship with previous farmer-tenants, and look forward to meeting their next co-steward on the land!
GET IN TOUCH
This land opportunity is available through the B.C. Land Matching Program. Reach out to the Vancouver Island Land Matcher at kiyomi@youngagrarians.org to start a conversation and learn about next steps.
Learn more about the land (and other Land Listings in your region) on the Young Agrarians UMAP. For more about the B.C. Land Matching Program, please visit youngagrarians.org/land.
The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands 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 Cowichan Valley Regional District and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.