Farmland Legacies, Saskatchewan

Our friends in Saskatchewan, Farmland Legacies, are part of a unique organization in Canada.  Headed by Duane Guina, Farmland Legacies holds agricultural land in trust for young and aspiring farmers.  Their farmland holdings are spread over Saskatchewan and Alberta.


Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum—western wood lily,
provincial flower of Saskatchewan

In addition to holding land in trust, Farmland Legacies works to alleviate hunger through its “Lentils for Lunch” and “Harvest for Hunger” programs.

With the “Harvest for Hunger” campaign, a portion of their cattle herd is designated toward providing quality protein to Saskatchewan food banks. To date, over 300,000 servings have been delivered to food banks and soup kitchens around the province.

The new “Lentils for Lunch” campaign means every dollar donated to Farmland Legacies results in 8 servings of lentils – a good dietary source of protein and fibre.

In keeping with the Land Stewardship Resource Centre, Farmland Legacies follows four Guiding Principles of land stewardship:

(1) Caring for the system as a whole – understanding the fundamental roles and values of natural systems, building up biological fertility in the soil, incorporating an understanding of the ecological cycles of the landscape (water, energy, nutrients) and how land-use practices can either benefit, be in harmony with, or negatively impact these cycles and other land-users, flora and fauna.

(2) Resource conservation – maximizing efficiency and striving to reduce the one-time consumption of renewable and non-renewable resources; aiming for long-term optimization versus short-term maximization of production.

(3) Maintaining, building and enhancing stability in Nature – maintaining and encouraging natural biological diversity and complexity; maintaining natural areas and functions on the land (i.e., wildlife habitat conservation).

(4) Cultural values and ethics – caring for the health of the land for future generations and long-term economic stability; the link between civilization, urbanization, and the land-base and ecosystems that are vital to survival; the intrinsic value and right to exist of all life on Earth.

Explore more about Farmland Legacies here. http://www.farmlandlegacies.org.

Natasha van Bentum
Legacy & Outreach Advisor