Keeping Ontario’s farmland protected, productive, and accessible for future generations.
Ontario’s next generation of farmers are facing a growing land access crisis. Soaring land prices, short-term lease agreements, widening succession gaps, and competition from non-farm development are creating significant barriers for new and aspiring farmers seeking farmland.
The Ontario Farmland Trust’s Farmland Access Program bridges this gap by permanently protecting farmland and creating secure, affordable pathways for farmers to access land and build viable farm businesses.
How the Program Works
The Farmland Access Program offers multiple models to support farmers and landowners, depending on the property and community needs:
1. Long-Term Leasing
For properties that will remain owned by OFT, we offer long-term leases that give farmers real security and room to grow. This model can be used for single-operator farms or multi-operator arrangements, where several farmers steward different parts of the same property.
Farmers typically begin with an initial “pilot” lease period (e.g., 5 years) that allows both OFT and the operator to get to know one another, make sure the farm is a good fit, and establish the foundation of a strong working relationship. After this initial period, farmers may transition into a much longer-term lease that provides the stability they need to invest in soil health, infrastructure, and their business.
2. Equity-Building Pathways
Some farmers are ready for ownership but face major barriers accessing the capital needed to buy land. To help bridge that gap, OFT has an equity-building model in which we acquire land, protect it with OFT’s farmland conservation easement, and then create a pathway for a qualified farmer to eventually own the farm.
This may take the form of:
- a rent-to-own arrangement,
- a direct sale at the encumbered value, or
- a structure where the farmer purchases or owns the buildings and infrastructure while OFT retains ownership of the land itself.
These pathways are designed to help farmers build equity, reduce upfront costs, and establish a long-term home for their business while ensuring the farmland remains protected forever.
3. Learning, Incubation & Community Engagement
Some OFT properties serve as vibrant community spaces where learning, training, demonstration plots, community gardens, and farm-based events take place. These activities complement agricultural production, such as:
- Best management practice demonstration plots
- Incubator space where farmers can develop skills and test business ideas
- Conservation education & community engagement spaces
- Agri-tourism events, farm tours, and workshops
Farmers leasing on these sites may also benefit directly from the variety of OFT’s programming by developing on-farm diversified enterprises. The aim is to create mutually reinforcing opportunities, where the farm business and OFT’s community engagement efforts each help the other thrive.
Blended Approaches
These models can be blended to fit each farm. OFT can tailor each property to its best use, combining long-term leases with equity-building features, such as farmer-owned infrastructure, or integrating training, demonstration, or incubator spaces alongside leased acreage.
Together, these pathways ensure protected farmland stays in production, supports thriving farm businesses, and deepens community connections to agriculture.
Who can apply?
Anyone interested in establishing or expanding a farm operation may apply.
Our program prioritizes new, young, and underrepresented farmers where possible, but all applicants are welcome. We evaluate proposals based on readiness, site fit, business vision, and program alignment.
Apply to the program
Interested applicants can begin by completing an Expression of Interest Form, which outlines their vision for the farm and the infrastructure they would need to support their operation.
Our team will review all submitted Expression of Interest Forms and invite selected candidates to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP will offer a deeper look at the applicant’s Farm Business Plan and their goals for participating in the Farmland Access Program.
Current Farmland Access Opportunities
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Bourgeois Farm
The Bourgeois Farm is a permanently protected farmland property located in Tiverton, Ontario, offering a unique opportunity for one or…
Support our efforts to expand the program
Do you have a farm you’re interested in donating? Farmland donations are what make the Farmland Access Program possible. Click here to learn more about how you can donate your farm to OFT.
If supporting the next generation of farmers matters to you, consider making a contribution to help us grow this program. Your donation supports land protection, stewardship, training resources, community initiatives, on-farm infrastructure, program resources, and so much more. Click here to make a donation.