Farmers standing around in a green paddock on a cold and sunny day at Rocky Top Farm, Cross Pollinate 2023. One of the people is leaning backwards and laughing. (credit Huon Douglas)

Jennifer Robinson, CEO. A person in a room full of people, smiling at a camera.

02 August 2023

Land Access Toolkit

Grant Amount: $9940

Region: National

Delivered by: Sprout Tasmania & Young Farmers Connect

Year funded: 2023

Project status: In progress

The Challenge

Accessing land for new farmers in Australia poses serious challenges. Soaring land prices, particularly in regions close to urban centres, create significant financial barriers. Securing long-term leases can be difficult, as many landowners prefer short-term, less stable arrangements. Additionally, navigating complex regulations and administrative processes can be daunting for newcomers.

The Innovation

In collaboration with Young Farmers Connect (YFC), Sprout Tasmania is creating a Land Access Toolkit to address the challenge many farmers face in accessing land. The project will involve desktop research to better understand the variety of models of share and lease farming within Australia and internationally. Sprout Tasmania and YFC will then develop a set of resources (including contract templates) that either land owners or wanna-be farmers can access to help break down the barrier of access to land.

Sprout Tasmania originally received grant funding for this project from the Tasmanian State Government, Natural Resources and Environment Department. Sustainable Table recognised the incredible benefits of this kind of project and has provided extra funding, to enable an expansion of the case studies with YFC's participation, as well as funding for activation and planning for further communications once the Land Access Toolkit is developed.

The project’s key objectives are:

To break down the barriers in relation to gaining access to land
To have a more efficient use of land
To encourage more communication and collaboration between landowners and wanna-be farmers.

Why did Sustainable Table fund this project?

Both Sprout Tasmania and YFC are trusted organisations with integrity and experience. This project expands on research that Sprout Tasmania has been conducting to support new farmers nationally.

Please consider donating today to help us support more projects like this and regenerate Australian food and farming.

Left image credit: Huon Douglas

Right image: Young Farmers Connect