| The Genesis Land Conservancy
is a registered charity and non-profit organization
devoted to conservation and sustainable agriculture.
Designed to be a community land trust, Genesis
seeks to replace the market-driven practice of
treating land as a commodity with a more ecological
approach based on an understanding of land as God’s
creation. After acquiring land through purchase,
donation, or bequest, Genesis holds it in trust
by leasing it under the condition that it be tended
respectfully, responsibly, and for the benefit
of all creation. With the goal of promoting sustainable
agriculture in particular, Genesis works to support
small farmers by making land available to those
who otherwise could not afford it, by encouraging
wise land use practices, and by helping farmers
with long-term land-management. It also helps donors—be
they individuals or institutions—secure their
land by ensuring its tenure under ecological and
sustainable management. By providing a secure land
base through the conservation of land, Genesis
promotes sustainable rural communities, healthy
ecosystems, wildlife protection, and the alleviation
of poverty and scarcity. At present, Genesis manages
nearly 1,800 acres of land in Saskatchewan, including
its model farm, the Marysburg Project, which is
funded by the Bruno Ursuline Sisters; the Sisters
of St. Elizabeth; Humboldt; and the Order of St.
Benedict, Muenster. This thirteen-acre demonstration
site in Marysburg consists of an 800 square foot
strawbale greenhouse facility powered and heated
entirely by the sun, a tree and bush shelter belt,
an organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
garden, fields and pastures that are maintained
through
rotational growing and grazing, and a soil-replenishment
compost project. Genesis is currently managed by
Earthcare Connections, a nonprofit organization
that is sponsored by the Roman Catholic, Ukrainian
Catholic, Anglican, and United Churches for the
purpose of providing education about sustainable
agriculture. |
| Christianity |
Canada
(Saskatchewan) |
| 1996–Present |
The Genesis Land
Conservancy was established in 1996 under the
auspices of Catholic Rural
Life Ministry and the Saskatchewan Inter-Church
Committee
on Agriculture. The Rural Life Ministry coordinator,
Paul Brassard, played a key role in the initial
development of Genesis until his death in 1998,
after which the management of Genesis was transferred
to Earthcare Connections. The Marysburg Project
started in 1996 with the allocation of funds
for a hands-on sustainable agriculture project
by three
religious Orders: the Bruno Ursuline Sisters;
the Sisters of St. Elizabeth; Humboldt; and the
Order
of St. Benedict, Muenster. The land was leased
in 1997 and preparations for the project began.
Construction of the strawbale greenhouse began
the following year. A Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA) project was initiated, and in 1999, the
site was certified organic. At present, the Marysburg
Project’s
CSA is no longer running, but produce from the
organic garden will be sold locally or donated
to a food bank during the 2003 growing season.
In 2001, Genesis initiated a scholarship program
to support student work in the areas of sustainable
agriculture and rural development at the college
or university level.
|
| "To keep in trust and to preserve for the
future the vibrancy of our Saskatchewan heritage
of the land and all it holds." |
Bruno Ursuline Sisters
Earthcare Connections
Order of St. Benedict, Muenster
Other
contributing
religious congregations |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
The Genesis Land Conservancy, Inc.
Box 2800
Humboldt, SK SOK 2A0
Ph: 306.682.2407
Email: genesislc@sasktel.net |
