The Foodshed Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Enterprise (SAgE) program is designed to address one of the biggest challenges to New Jersey farmers—access to affordable farmland. New Jersey has the second most expensive farmland in the country yet has preserved more of its farmland than any state in the country, about a third. Short-term leasing (usually 1 year) is the norm in New Jersey on deed-restricted farmland, which is problematic for farmers since it inhibits investment in infrastructure and long-term improvement in soil health, critical to farmers using sustainable methods to produce food.
Through the SAgE program, the Foodshed Alliance works with land trusts that hold deed-restricted farmland and facilitates farmers’ access to affordable 10-year lease agreements.