The BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is advancing its plans to establish a Farmland Trust model aimed at keeping British Columbia farmland in agricultural production for generations to come, while urging the federal government to modernize tax and charitable policy tools needed to help make the model viable at scale. The announcement was made at the inaugural BC Agriculture Forum in Penticton June 25. 

 

The proposed trust model would provide a long-term mechanism to preserve agricultural land, support farm succession and help ensure productive farmland remains available for farming rather than being lost to non-agricultural uses. 

 

“Farmland in British Columbia is increasingly beyond the reach of the next generation of farmers,” says BCAC executive director, Danielle Synotte. “As the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in Canadian history gets underway, many farms have no successor prepared to take over, and there is no straightforward mechanism — and no tax recognition — for an owner who would prefer to see their land kept in agriculture rather than sold at market value. A farmland trust would hold land in perpetuity, keep it in agricultural use, and lease it to active farmers at affordable rates, offering a succession pathway that does not depend on a family member taking over.”

 

Over the past year, BCAC engaged Chris Bodnar, assistant professor of agriculture at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), to undertake research examining the feasibility of farmland trust models and their applicability in British Columbia. This research provided a solid foundation of knowledge; examining several farmland-trust models, the legal and tax framework, the gaps in existing tools, and comparable efforts in other jurisdictions. 

 

“The research highlights the scale of the farmland affordability and access challenges facing agriculture in British Columbia,” says Bodnar. “Our research found that farmland values in British Columbia have increasingly diverged from what the land can earn through farming, creating growing barriers for new entrants and adding pressure to farm succession and transition. That makes it increasingly important to explore mechanisms that can help keep farmland accessible and in agricultural production over the long term.”

 

Source: BC Agricultural Council June 26, 2026 news release