Accessing land in New Brunswick is the first step toward building a resilient, food-secure community. Whether you are looking for a small garden plot or enough acreage for a micro-farm, the NBCLT (FFCNB) is working to make land access affordable, secure, and rooted in stewardship.
1. The NBCLT “Patchwork”
We are currently working with landowners to bring new properties into the Trust. Our model is based on the Community Land Trust leasehold, which offers:
- Long-term Security: 25- to 99-year leases that allow you to invest in the soil and infrastructure.
- Inheritability: The ability to pass your lease and your hard-earned “improvements” (like greenhouses or orchards) to the next generation.
- Affordability: By removing the land from the speculative market, we keep lease rates based on the land’s productive value, not its real estate value.
Join our Land-Seeker Registry: Send us a note here to be the first to know when new garden communities or farm plots become available in your region.
2. Immediate Solutions: Where to Grow Today
While we grow our Trust, there are several incredible organizations in New Brunswick and the Maritimes that offer immediate ways to get your hands in the dirt.
Community Gardens
If you are looking for a small plot to grow food for your family:
- NB Community Harvest Gardens (Fredericton): A leader in inclusive, pay-what-you-can gardening. They steward sites like St. Mary’s and Hayes Farm.
- Fredericton Organic Community Garden: Offers over 100 plots for those committed to organic practices.
- Eco-Citizens of Edmundston: Partners with the NB Botanical Garden to offer community plots in the Madawaska region.
Apprenticeship & Mentorship
If you are an aspiring farmer looking to gain experience before taking on a lease:
- Hayes Farm (Fredericton): A teaching farm that offers a “Community Food Producer” program.
- Young Agrarians: While their “Land Matching” is currently focused in BC, their Farm Apprenticeship Program and online Business Bootcamps are invaluable for new farmers in New Brunswick.
3. Government & Public Land Resources
For those looking for larger agricultural ventures or Crown land leases:
- NB Department of Agriculture (FLIP Program): The Farm Land Identification Program helps identify and protect agricultural land.
- Crown Land Leases: Under certain conditions, New Brunswickers can apply to lease Crown land for agricultural purposes (other than blueberries).
4. Start a Conversation with a Neighbor
Sometimes the best land access starts with a handshake. If you have identified a piece of “idle” land in your community that you’d like to see protected by the Trust:
- Reach out to us: We can help explain the Trust model to the landowner.
- Propose a Garden: We can provide resources on how to turn private land into a community treasure, just as our founders envisioned in 1995.
Ready to get started? Use our form to Tell us where you are, what you want to grow, and what your biggest barriers are.