Frequently asked questions
Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Foncière en Cévennes project and the purchase of the Cambon farm.
How much does it cost to buy the Cambon farm?
The farm is being sold for €180,000, plus notary fees.
What is the total cost of the project?
€200,000 for the purchase and around €200,000 of renovation work.
For the fundraising appeal, an amount of €70,000 is announced — how will you finance the rest of the purchase?
The seller, Longo Maï, is granting us a vendor loan in the form of monthly instalments over 15 years.
To finance the works, we will also use associative loans, a bank loan, and grants. We will repay the loans through the rents we collect (housing, Third Place) and through the activities, stays and workshops organised on site.
What will happen to my donation if the Cambon farm is ultimately not purchased?
We will do everything we can to ensure the farm is purchased. Should that nevertheless not happen, your donations will be used for another purchase in the Cévennes. Indeed, beyond the Cambon farm, we want our structure to become a solidarity land trust for the Cévennes.
As a donor, can I take part in the governance of the Cambon farm and of the land trust?
We are currently finalising the governance framework, in which a place will be reserved for donors, probably within a dedicated college.
How will the governance of the land trust be organised?
We are currently working on this to set up governance that is as horizontal as possible, with a collegial council as the body for governance and management of the association.
The various stakeholders (founders, residents, farmers, donors, partners, etc.) will have a place in this governance, since our goal is to make the land trust and the Cambon farm commons for the territory. To this end, we want to open strategic decisions and management to interested and motivated people.
How long until the project is operational?
The acquisition of the Cambon farm will be Act 1 of the land trust. This should take place during the winter of 2026-2027, as the aim is to sign the preliminary sale agreement before the end of 2026.
Farmers will be set up from the first year after acquisition, as will the activities of the Third Place, whose volume will gradually increase over a few years.
Once this project is well under way, we will be able to consider purchasing other sites!
I would prefer to lend rather than donate — is that possible?
This option is being studied and will become available this autumn. You can get in touch with us to obtain more details about the lending arrangements being considered.
You state that the purchase of the Cambon farm is Act 1 of the land trust — what will the next steps be?
If Act 1 is a success and our energy intact, the idea is to buy other agricultural properties (farms, farmland, forest land, agricultural buildings, other local dynamics) to make them available to project holders in the area, in the form of rental.
How can I take part as a volunteer in the project?
Becoming a volunteer is possible either by getting involved in the lead structure or in setting up the land trust, or during the participatory worksites on the purchased sites, which will be numerous. Volunteering will also be part of the activities of the structure managing the Cambon farm, in particular for running the place and other collective actions.
The land trust relies on a diversity of skills and projects: land management and monitoring, legal and administrative matters, partnerships and relations with other local and regional organisations, fundraising, communication and awareness-raising, citizen mobilisation, governance and associative life, organising activities and events, etc.
Feel free to contact us to find out more about ongoing projects and discover how you can contribute. Every contribution can find its place in building and sustaining the land project.
Apart from the three associations that initiated the project, who are your partners?
We have links with many associations, collectives and professionals in the area, which we will activate to develop and bring the Cambon farm project to life. We have already joined the Occitanie Third Places network La Rosée, which has a “Nurturing Third Places” group.
To structure the land trust, we are supported in particular by the Third Place La Soierie in Lasalle and the support hub for associative life in the Gard (ACEGAA). We regularly seek advice from other organisations: Villages Vivants, the J’Enracine land trust, Terre de Liens, the Addearg, notaries, etc.
Is it the association (the land trust) that will organise life on the Cambon farm and on the other sites?
No, the land trust’s main purpose is to manage land assets and ensure that the objectives set by the association and the values on which it was founded are respected. Another structure is planned to be set up quickly after the purchase to manage the Cambon farm day to day. The land trust will then focus on seeking other complementary assets matching its objectives!
What is the difference with the Terre de Liens land trust (a national organisation dedicated to acquiring and preserving farms while defending organic agriculture)?
The two approaches are complementary: Terre de Liens acts at national level, while our land trust seeks to build a collective tool for controlling and passing on agricultural land at local level, in the Cévennes. We have met them and reflected together on the value of this complementarity. The proliferation across France of local solidarity land trusts, to which Terre de Liens provides many resources, shows the importance of developing these tools for territories.