We are currently seeking land within a 30-minute drive of Asheville and 2 acres or larger for establishing further plantings. However, we are open to conversation with anyone interested in working with us.

Linked below are two different lease examples. Example Lease #1 pertains to land that is  held in conservation by Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, where the lessor is particularly interested in our project’s focus on native crops  and has a strong desire to exclude non-native species from the site as much as possible. Example Lease #2 pertains to a property where the lessor lives, is actively developing a multi-family homestead, and is interested in expanding her own agricultural activities on the site. There are a few differences in clauses and language to adapt to the specific needs of the situation.

Example Lease #1

Example Lease #2

Our Services and Process

Our main service is the conversion of underutilized land to production of marketable nut and fruit crops. In exchange for long-term land leases, we provide benefits to landowners such as:

• an agreed-upon share of the harvest
• improved value, beauty, and sustainability of the landscape through growing forests and orchards of high-quality food crops
• meeting agricultural tax status requirements
• long-term conservation of the land

After multiple meetings with the landowner(s) and making an assessment of the land and surrounding ecology, NBC proposes a planting and management scheme appropriate to the site and needs and desires of the people involved. This can mean a wide variety of things, from converting existing open spaces to orchard production, to overlaying a sparsely-planted nut grove in a hay or livestock pasture, to enhancing existing native woodlands, to whatever the land and our creative collaboration can come up with.

The parties work together to generate a lease that indicates the rights, responsibilities, and agreements for how we’ll proceed and work together. NBC then plants and manages the land using low-impact, low-cost, chemical-free practices. Though every situation is different, a succession of yields is likely a part of any plan. Nut trees and some fruit trees take a dozen years of more to come into production. Meanwhile, an understory is cultivated with faster-yielding annual and perennial crops.

Positive environmental impacts  of this type of agriculture include:

• improved soil
• improved water quality
• improved wildlife habitat
• carbon sequestration
• increased biodiversity

Positive impacts on our community include:

• increasing resilience and food security, as well as a diversity of other crops and products
• generating and maintaining local wealth as producers and processors
• mentoring new young farmers
• maintaining the aesthetics and relevancy of the rural landscape
• creating access to crop varieties adapted to chemical-free practices and local conditions.

There has recently been a surge of interest in growing crops by working with, rather than against, nature. It is as apparent as ever that we need food systems that are resilient and adaptable to climatic shifts, that rebuild and hold soil, that pull carbon out of the atmosphere, that don’t depend on chemicals and continuous energy input, that transfer stability and true wealth across generations. We are working toward a regenerative agriculture and culture.

If you’re interested to strike up a conversation about a collaboration with NBC, we look forward to hearing from you – contact us at nuttybuddycollective@gmail.com