Linking Land Workshop & Potluck

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Saturday, November 23rd, 2013
2:00 PM to 11:59 PM

Presented by the Young Agrarians, Linking Land and Farmers, and the Cowichan Green Community, the Land Linking Workshop & Potluck event will feature a workshop that explores the tools and best practices of connecting farmers to land and land to farmers � a process known as Land Linking.

The workshop will review the legal frameworks for land linking, discuss assessing land for agricultural suitability, and talk about best practices for creating a healthy working relationship between land owners and farmers. If lucky, you may meet your future farmer, or possibly find the right landowner with a great piece of land to farm!

This is an important opportunity for Vancouver and Gulf Island farmers and land owners to collectively discuss and address issues around arable land access and use. According to the 2013 Columbia Basin BC Sustainability Snapshot report, over 50% of BC farmers are over the age of 59, with less than 5% ages 34 and younger. In an effort to address these statistics, regional strategies need to be developed to enable the next generation of farmers to steward existing farmland, and land linking presents a viable solution for addressing this concern.

�In a movement to support farmers getting onto land in BC, this land linking workshop will facilitate a space for people to meet each other, to make connections, and to discuss best land linking practices,� states Keeley Nixon of Linking Land and Farmers. Seen as a way to both address the high land value in BC, which presents a barrier to younger people pursing farming as a profession, and the growing concern that on Vancouver Island less than 5% of the food consumed is grown locally, this will be a fantastic opportunity for the Vancouver and Gulf Island communities to work together to address our immediate and long-term food and farming needs.�

The workshop will run from 2pm-6pm, with doors opening at 1:30pm. Following, from 6pm to midnight, we will invite farmers and food lovers for an all ages Young Agrarians potluck dinner! Bring a dish to share, plates, and tools to eat with. Bring loved ones and friends, and join us as we dance the night away (music TBA).

The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in accessing or sharing land within the Vancouver Island and Gulf Island Regions. We do ask that interested attendees register for the workshop via Brown Paper Tickets or by phone. Donations to support the work we do are most welcome. You do not need to register for the dinner potluck.

To register for the workshop:

http://yalandlinkingcowichan.brownpapertickets.com

OR RSVP by phone: 1-888-730-0452 x. 301

Please visit youngagrarians.org/land for more details about this event or to register.

For updates about these events and Young Agrarians, join us on:
Facebook | Young Agrarians
Twitter | @youngagrarians and #landlink2013
Instagram | @youngagrarians

Special thanks to our Partners in Farming: Farm Folk City Folk, Organic Sector Development Program, Vancity Community Foundation, and the Real Estate Foundation of BC