A land social is being hosted tonight (Aug. 9) in the Squamish Valley by the Squamish Food Policy Council and Young Agrarians.
The land social is an event that connects farmers and farmland holders and gets them set up to receive support from the B.C. Land Matching Program, said a news release about the event.
“Land Socials are a wonderful way for farmers and landholders to meet each other and their regional Land Matcher, and access important land-sharing resources and support,” said Darcy Smith, B.C. Land Matching Program Manager, in the release.“After a long year of isolation, this event is a great opportunity to get together in a safe, outdoor environment, check out an inspiring farm, and connect with farmers and landholders in your area.”
Linking new farmers and landholders is helpful for both parties since land on average costs $100,000 per acre in 2020, according to the Farm Credit Canada’s 2020 Farmland Values Report.
These matches allow new farmers get to see their business begin and landholders get to ensure that their land is still being productive.
The B.C. Land Matching Program began in 2018 and has made 146 matches on 6,000 acres of land.
“This event is part of the many high priority action items of the Squamish Valley Agriculture Plan, which is in its second year of implementation.
Our hope is that events like this can help increase agricultural land productivity and improve access to foodlands in the Squamish Valley, by removing barriers to support existing farm businesses, encourage new entrants, and attract new producers to the area,” Krystle tenBrink, executive director, Squamish CAN and Squamish Food Policy Council.
The land social will take place at Nutrient Dense Farm in the Squamish Valley from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 9.
The event is free and interested participants must register at youngagrarians.org/squamish-land-social.
