---
title: "BC Greens publish farmland ownership plan, pledging to block foreign buyers"
description: "The BC Green Party published a plan on October 2 to restrict foreign and corporate ownership of farmland, set up a public land bank for farmers, and let local governments tax land that is not being farmed."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bc-greens-farmland-food-plan-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:07:00.722Z"
---

The BC Green Party published a farmland policy on its website on October 2, saying the party would restrict foreign and corporate ownership of agricultural land, create a public land bank to help farmers access affordable land, and let local governments tax farmland that is not being farmed. The party says farmland prices in BC rose 11.3% in 2024, and these are the party's own figures.

[Emily Lowan](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/emily-lowan), the BC Greens leader and candidate for Saanich North and the Islands, announced the plan alongside other candidates. The party's website says the BC Agricultural Land Reserve protects the five per cent of the province with the greatest farming capacity, but places no restrictions on who can own that land.

"BC's food security is becoming increasingly vulnerable," Lowan said on the party's website. "Under the current Agricultural Land Reserve system, there is no restriction of foreign or corporate ownership, and no requirement to farm productive land, leading to the rapid accumulation of B.C.'s farmland by American billionaires."

The party points to the town of Dunster, in the Robson Valley, as an example of what it says is happening. According to the party's website, US-based buyers have purchased 3,500 acres there, pushing up land and home prices. The party says such purchases drive out working farmers and leave farmland idle.

The three commitments in the plan, as the BC Greens state them:

**Restrict ownership.** The party says it would prevent non-residents and investment firms from buying land in the Agricultural Land Reserve.

**Create a public land bank.** An Agricultural Public Land Bank would acquire farmland and make it available to working farmers at affordable prices, according to the party's website.

**Tax unused farmland.** Local governments would have the power to impose a tax on farmland that is not being actively farmed, the party says.

The party does not publish cost estimates for these commitments, and the figures cited, including the 11.3% price increase and the 3,500 acres in Dunster, are the party's own numbers and have not been independently checked.

To read the BC Greens' full platform, visit [/bc/provincial-2026/parties/bc-green-party](/bc/provincial-2026/parties/bc-green-party). Nominations in the election close October 3 at 1 p.m. Pacific time. Voting day is October 24, 2026. Advance voting runs October 16 to 21. Confirm your registration at elections.bc.ca.

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