A networking organization for young farmers is trying to connect them with people who have land to spare in Alberta, reports CBC.
Young Agrarians is copying a program begun in British Columbia, starting with municipalities near Edmonton.
It has been holding workshops and published a land access guide earlier this year to match buyers and sellers.
"It's kind of like dating," said Melisa Zapisocky, who was hired as Young Agrarians' Alberta land access co-ordinator this fall.
Though Young Agrarians is keen to play matchmaker, they will leave arranging agreements and contracts to lawyers and other professionals.
According to the 2016 Statistics Canada Census of Agriculture, the average age of Canadian farmers was 55 and most did not have a succession plan.
Some young or aspiring farmers are eager to enter the industry, but cannot afford land, which has become more expensive. Statistics Canada data shows the value of land in Alberta increased 27 per cent from 2011 to 2016.
"So we have these three pieces, of aging farmers, fewer people farming because farms have gotten bigger and the new generation of people that are really excited and interested in farming," Zapisocky said.
