*From 2024 to 2026, we are excited to be supported by the Greenbelt Foundation to amplify our outreach to non-farming owners of farmland.
Since 1976, our region has seen a 34% decline in farmed acres, representing a decline of nearly 600,000 acres. This dramatic reduction means lost potential for food production, ecological health, and rural economic stability. Keeping your land in production can contribute to our future food security.
As the cost of farmland continues to soar, rising more than 750% in East Central Ontario over the past 25 years. The role of farmland owners in supporting a resilient local food system has never been more important. Many new farmers – from young people to new Canadians – cannot afford to buy the land they need to grow food for us all.
As farmland ownership continues to evolve across Ontario, the choices made today by landowners will shape whether these acres remain productive, protected, and connected to resilient local food systems for generations to come.
Links and Resources to learn why you are a critical supporting pillar in local food and farming systems.
A free resource where farmland owners can post their properties for rent. This tool supports new farmers through building land access connections between farmland owners and farmers.
70+ Questions to guide you toward a positive farmland lease agreement.
Personalized reports that give landowners the knowledge they need to care for their land in ways that support both agriculture and ecological health — keeping them connected to the local food system.
Through shared knowledge and collaboration, ECFSC helps landowners access programs, funding, and technical support for on-farm conservation projects.
Resources for funding, soil health, water management, pollinator habitat, fencing, erosion control, stream crossings, wetland restoration, tree planting and more!
We’d love to hear from you!
If you’ve got a question, comment, or suggestion for future events or programming, please let us know!
