
Alternative models of land access and/or farm transfer are tools that can be applied to achieve multiple objectives and goals. Land ownership can play an important role in generating wealth for future generations, yet it is inaccessible for many farmers. The Vermont Land Trust’s (VLT) Farmland Access Program is an alternative approach already in use in Vermont. The program assists both those who prefer fee simple ownership by one buyer and those who want to pursue ownership by multiple individuals looking for less-typical models. The program offers a variety of pathways to secure affordable land access to a much wider group of farmers.
Additional land ownership and access structures which might be considered alternative include long-term leases, leasing public land, lease-to-own, collaborative and cooperative ownership models, ownership of land by nonprofits including community-based land trusts, and the use of investor capital or crowd-funding capital to finance transactions. These and other models should be researched, promoted, and encouraged as they address a range of limitations among the existing, more frequently occurring option of fee simple purchase by a single farmer or family utilizing debt financing.