Joint Ownership

In a joint ownership arrangement, the land owner and Genesis Land Conservancy are both legal owners of a property. The land owner has the right to manage the operations on the land. The right of survivorship means the land will not be included in the estate but will be directly transferred to Genesis. There is no direct tax benefit unless the land owner donates the profits of the land to Genesis.

Benefits of a joint ownership:

• Family land is protected for generations to come in the name of sustainable agriculture.
• The land will remain for agricultural purposes and will stay in local hands.
• Donors maintain the right to operate and manage the land during their lifetime and hold the income produced.
• The land is no longer applicable to the donor’s taxable estate.

Success Story

 Cyril Mutter lives on the original homestead at Pilger that his grandfather first settled in 1903. Cyril wants the land, which has been in his family for 100 years now, to be farmed in an ecologically sound way in the future.

He had often worried what would happen to the quarter after his death as he is a bachelor with no descendants. Several years ago he read about Genesis Land Conservancy and saw the land trust might help him in his situation.

"After I looked into it, I found it fitted my wishes," said Cyril, who approached Genesis in 1998 and several months later placed his property in trust with Genesis.

Cyril decided upon a joint arrangement of ownership with Genesis. This allows him to use the income produced by the renter on his land, but also to contribute to the land conservancy. At the moment, both Cyril and Genesis own the property. After his death, the land will transfer directly to Genesis Land Conservancy, which will manage the land in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner.

"This land has provided us with a living all those years. Hopefully, it will continue to provide a good living for someone else," Cyril said.