Economic Development Cowichan is working in partnership with the provincial Young Agrarians to promote a new land match program in the Cowichan Valley.
The program will be profiled at the Vancouver Island Land Linking Workshop on Saturday, November 24, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Cobble Hill Farmers Institute Hall. If you’ve got land or you’re a farmer looking for land, the workshop is a great opportunity to network and learn more about land lease arrangements through the BC Land Matching Program. RSVP for the event by visiting https://landlinkcobblehill2018.brownpapertickets.com
The B.C. Land Matching Program (BCLMP) provides land matching and business support services to new farmers looking for land to farm as well as landowners interested in finding someone to farm their land. The program provides support services to new farmers and landowners to better understand regulations, evaluate opportunities, access resources, and ultimately find a land match partner. The program is administered by the Young Agrarians and addresses the significant barrier to land access for those seeking to enter the B.C. agriculture industry.
Land matching is geared toward new farmers seeking land to set up their agricultural business and landowners looking for someone to farm their land. The first step in learning more about the program is to visit the Young Agrarians website at http://youngagrarians.org/tools/land/
Interested participants can then reach out to Cowichan Land Matcher Azja Jones Martin at azja@youngagrarians.org or call 250-413-7560.
Cowichan Land Matcher Azja Jones Martin (pronounced Asia) provides hands-on, personalized land access support to farmers and landowners on Southern Vancouver Island. She is co-founder of Little Mountain Farm, a CSA business which produces naturally grown veggies for about 80 families in the Victoria area. Starting from a raw hay field, Azja has run the farm both in partnership and independently and understands the complexity of navigating new farm development. She is passionate about helping maximize the potential of Cowichan farmland while helping new farmers to succeed.
The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded on Vancouver Island by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Cowichan Valley Regional District. Cowichan Green Community also provides in-kind program support for the program.
