Land ownership sits at the heart of the interconnected crises of social, environmental and ecological justice. Who owns land, who can access it, how much it costs and how it is stewarded, fundamentally shapes our food systems, rural livelihoods, biodiversity, and community resilience.
This 18-month research project contributes to building the agroecology movement by addressing a critical but under developed frontier: land redistribution and community custodianship as essential conditions for a scalable agroecological transition.
Many agroecological farmers are reaching retirement age without viable routes to pass-on land in ways that protect its ecological and social value, while new entrants face prohibitive barriers to access. Land succession is a topic with many questions and not enough answers. At the same time, there is an increasing public appetite to support alternative ownership models rooted in the common good. Could the two be linked together to find a workable solution?
This research project builds on past and existing initiatives, including community-owned farm models, the Family Farm Succession project, Landmatch, the Community Land Trust Network, and wider movements for land justice. By convening practitioners, landowners and support organisations, pooling learning from live transitions (e.g. West Town Farm), and developing a shared community of practice, this project hopes to strengthen the movement while testing pathways for broader land redistribution. We'll look to address a strategic gap: supporting the move from inspiring examples toward coordinated, scalable mechanisms that can safeguard agroecological farms and expand access to land.
We would love for you to be involved!
This is a collaborative project and we will be holding a number of roundtables in early 2027. To best understand how to inform the future, we first need to understand the present, and we are looking for organisations and individuals to help us with that.
We want to hear from anyone working in the community land ownership sector, anyone thinking of gifting their land, or members of the public who wish to support the movement.
Some small stipends available to facilitate involement but places are limited.
If you would like to be involved with this project and have some knowledge, experience or skills to share, please do get in touch via the form below.
What we hope to achieve:
Community of Practice
A collaborative community of practice that collectively drives community custodianship and strengthens support for agroecological farm succession.
Frameworks that support the movement
Frameworks, Living Wills, and clear next steps to scale community ownership models that secure more livelihoods on the land.
Pathways to community-ownership
Farmers, landowners and communities gain clearer, practical pathways to transition land into community ownership and long-term stewardship.
A national community-of-interest
Community-ownership models that can bring together a national community of like-minded individuals in one movement to support farms at a very local, place-based level.
Click here to register your interest
The Partners
Fordhall Community Land Initiative:
As a community-owned farm of 20-years, ‘Sustaining Livelihoods on the Land’ and researching community land trusteeship sit within both our charitable objects. Our members have a deep passion for organic livelihoods on the land and local empowerment and this project sees us develop that journey. The Fordhall Community Land Initiative (FCLI) owns 128-acres of Fordhall Organic Farm and provides its tenant with a 100-year FBT, whilst using the same land for wider community benefit. The FCLI is in the process of accepting a gift of a further organic farm in Devon where it plans to offer the same opportunities for the local community in Devon.
Ecological Land Cooperative (ELC):
We create small clusters of affordable residential smallholdings and work with our tenants to gain planning permission to build low-impact dwellings. Our vision is of a living, working countryside where land is valued in a way that enhances both the local community and the natural world. We want to support new entrants into agriculture by making access to land a reality for all - not just the few. The ELC has accepted gifts of two farms over recent years to further its objectives.
Shared Assets:
Shared Assets is a think and do tank working to create a socially just future through practical projects that build new relationships between people and the land. We work with communities, landowners, researchers and activists to create a world where our relationship to the land is based on stewardship, evidence and justice. Our advice and support work supports the practical creation of new business and governance models for land that create shared social, environmental and economic benefits. sharedassets.org.uk
Our Funders:
This partnership is funded by Farming the Future and is one of many collaborative projects driving transformation across the UK's food and farming systems. Get in touch with Farming the Future to join a community of funders nurturing systemic change through agroecology.
Click to buy community shares and become a Land Custodian
Click here to register your interest in this project
Get in touch:
