Growing Opportunities: Artful Acres Community Land Trust
Riding south-east in New Brunswick, from Grand Falls towards Wooodstock, we stopped in the rural town of Knowlsville, where we stayed with Tegan and Leland of Artful Acres. Located right next door to The Falls Brook Centre, a sustainable community demonstration and training centre, Artful Acres is an inspiring homestead with a bold vision.
In the last few years Tegan and Leland have built a three-story load bearing timberframe-strawbale house powered with renewable energy, have started an educational Nature Centre, are raising three kids, operate a store for local goods, and as if that wasnt enough, are working towards creating a community land trust.

Clearing land for gardening: using a tractor attached via a long cable to an old-school cultivator (to avoid soil compaction), Jordan and Alex tear up couch-grass roots (right), Vanessa and Tegan remove loosened weeds by hand. In the background is a yurt used as part of the educational center.
Tegan and Leland envision as many as 40 dwellings situated on 1-2 acres each. They have already purchased 49 acres which they intend to turn over to the future land trust. They are interested in finding others who share their values and vision to come build and settle with them.
The Community Land Trust is an interesting model for new or landless farmers. It has the potential to make land more affordable, both by enabling people to pool resources in order to purchase land as well as by removing land from the speculative real estate market. The model is one we definitely will look into further. According to Tegan and Leland the Schumacher Society is a great starting point to learn more and includes an online CLT handbook.
by Alex
Inspiring indeed. Great post, thanks.
Really like the photo of the glare off the solar panel…well captured.