Golden Seed This nonprofit is designed to be a hub of info and the start of the first few projects. It is designed to be the beneficiary of land trusts. Our hope is that this model and concept can be replicated into smaller "cells" across the globe. We do not wish to be a global entity, yet we do envision being a globally connected group through the replication of similar models all connected through a digital environment. Land Trust Structure A proprety title can be transfered into a trust of many kinds. Trusts can be revocable or irrevocable. What happens in the deed in divided into two parts. The legal ownership or trustee, this part of the deed gives legal ownership to an individual, company or entity. That entity then has all legal rights to the land. The second part of the deed is called the beneficiary, this gives monetary ownership to an individual, company or entity. That entity then would be the beneficiary of the value of the land or property if it were ever sold. Ideally the beneficiary would be a non-profit or some organizational structure that would never allow the land to be sold back to a bank. The trustee of each property would then have a long term low cost transferable lease. They would hopefully agree to a yearly or monthly donation to the land trust cell which would then use that money to purchase more land in the future. With this method we could effectively reduce the costs of land to the trustee's and also create a mechanism to allow rents to stay within local communities. This is not the only method but it is one that we beleive is a step in the right direction for land ownership of the future. Long Term Lease's The main focus of the Golden Seed, is to acquire property through direct donations, pledges(people who choose to join the group and already own land), as well as by purchasing land. We do not want to limit the creative possiblities that can come to life with this trust concept. We will create a long term lease starting at 2 years and going up to 33 years. This lease will be fully transferable to anyone the Trustee so chooses. We will require the lease holder to be the trustee of the property giving them legal title to the land. The lease will require the trustee to pay a cost payment each month which includes, property taxes, insurance and a small donation to the land trust. The lease will also stipulate that the trustee work towards providing resilient sources of water, food, energy and shelter. The lease payments would then be held by the land trust or similar cell until such time that that entity could purchase additional land. The non-profit would be managed by a rotating board of trustee's, each land trust cell could choose their managing members in a way they felt was most effective. Trustee Requirements Each property will be different as to what the donors vision for the land as well as what is possible to accomplish on the land. A house in town will have less chance to achieve all the goals compared to a 100 acre farm. We will thoroughly vet the potential trustee's and find people who can feasibly accomplish their plans The Golden Seed will have nothing to do with any businesses, non-profits, farms or households We will set a baseline when new stewards take responsibility of the trustee title. Our purpose is not to manage or remove people from property but to facilitate their ability to achieve their goals. In fact this is one potential for corruption in future generations so our agreements will need to take this into careful consideration. How do we start The first projects are the most difficult, we have already had some adversity and failures. Currently we have no land held in trust. But we have a 10 acre parcel that we are working on a multi business approach using the land trust, with the hope of the shared profits from these business being given to the land trust inorder to purchase the land in the future. Our Director is also working on the purchase of a property that would be pledged to the nonprofit once the mortgage is paid off. As we develop the website more, we will begin to document and catalog all our agreements and projects.
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The forum is here to provide a platform for individuals and communities to come together and share their experiences, knowledge, and ideas related to land ownership and management. The forum aims to create a space where individuals and communities can connect, learn from one another, and collaborate to find the best ways to achieve a more equitable and sustainable future for all. The forum also serves as a resource for learning about the Golden Seed's focus on empowering individuals and communities to take control of their land through decentralized land trust concepts and community learning.
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