This is an original homestead of the Joppa District of Warner in Abenaki territory. Now a remote corner of the woods, Foster Farm’s 70 acres of forest and wetland are surrounded by conservation lands within the Mink Hills. The farm is the first project of Kawasiwajo Community Land Trust and after many years of neglect, is being revitalized with generous community support to begin to make farmland, forests and housing more accessible.

In October of 2020 a generous individual was able to purchase the property with the intent of working with KCLT to take over ownership within the next couple years, having the property jumpstart KCLT mission driven work in our region.  Since the purchase of  the property, extensive cleaning and repairs have been ongoing by KCLT members, community volunteers, and the current owner to restore the historic property in preparation for occupancy.

KCLT has been operating Foster Farm through a use agreement with the property owner since December of 2022 while we have continued to build our organizational capacity. There are currently 3 residents living year round in the house.

KCLT has been given the unique and generous opportunity of a 4 for 1 bargain sale. This means that if KCLT can raise 1/4 of the appraised value for the purchase of the farm, the current owner will donate the remaining 3/4 of the equity of the property to the organization.

Once Foster Farm becomes the first property of the community land trust, we plan to fulfill our mission here in a number of interconnected ways, outlined below:

1. Stable and affordable housing - the farmhouse will remain in use as housing, and we hope to add an additional housing unit within the current footprint of the home

2. Land Conservation - whether through a conservation easement or other means, we will focus on conserving the sensitive wetland complex and forest habitat on the property, land that is amongst the highest conservation priority in Warner. This would add a central link to a corridor of conserved lands across the Mink Hills.

3. Indigenous Land Access - we are planning to work on a Cultural Easement with Abenaki partners in the region. In essence, such an easement would provide access in perpetuity to Indigenous peoples for the purposes of harvesting culturally relevant natural resources, gathering for spiritual or cultural purposes, and other uses as determined through conversations with relevant parties.

4. Farmland Access - we hope to go through the process to find a farmer or farming family who would be interested in stewarding a portion of the property, while revitalizing the land and potentially rebuilding the old barn.

Looking beyond Foster Farm, this matching donation and the success of the campaign to purchase Foster Farm will provide immediate equity, seeding KCLT with financial stability and the tools to find additional mission driven ways to serve the community through housing and land access in the Kearsarge region.