Greenville Women Giving to Aid Protection of Working Farms
Pictured above, Bryant Harrison (left) and Carlton Owen (right) receive a $100,000 grant on behalf of the Trust from Greenville Women Giving
Grant to Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources will Support New Partnership with Newly Created SC Farm Bureau Land Trust
For Release May 17, 2023
Greenville County, SC - At its annual awards event on May 16, Greenville Women Giving (GWG) announced a $100,000 grant to the Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust (Trust) designed to help launch a new program to protect working farms in Greenville County.
“We couldn’t be more pleased that GWG understands the importance of protecting and investing in irreplaceable farmlands and has chosen to collaborate with us in this exciting new initiative,” said Trust Chairman Carlton Owen.
The Trust, created by Greenville County Council in late 2020, has helped protect over 700-acres of land that expands parks, open spaces, and historic sites across the county. In just its first two years of operation, the Trust will have helped protect nearly 1400-acres if all projects currently approved by the Board come to fruition.
The Trust’s Grants Committee Chairman Joe Pulliam noted that most early projects have been in the county's northern end, adding acres to state parks and natural heritage areas. “This new work will see the farmlands that provide locally grown foods for our burgeoning population gain the Trust’s attention and funding,” said Pulliam.
While the Trust will continue its work with eligible entities to expand parks, trails, open spaces, and historic sites, this new effort will help provide a new pathway for farmers and ranchers to protect their lands from the economic necessities of development as South Carolina’s Farm Bureau Federation becomes the first state chapter in the nation to establish its own Land Trust.
Pointing to statistics confirming that in just the last 100 years, while the nation’s population has tripled, rural lands owned by people of color declined by 95%, Owen said, “Our initial work in farmland conservation will target lands owned and operated by people of color.”
Gary Spires, Executive Director of SC’s Farm Bureau noted, “We are excited about the potential to join with Greenville County’s Trust in jumpstarting protection of working farms that provide vital food, fiber, and fuel for American citizens. The work in Greenville County will be the first pilot in the state. We feel strongly this effort will sweep across not only South Carolina but the entire South as well.”
The Trust and SC Farm Bureau Land Trust plan to use conservation easements as the primary tool to advance farmland conservation. Conservation easements can provide farm owners with a combination of cash and tax deductions, allowing them to retain their lands without selling them for development.
In underlining the importance of the work at hand, Owen referred to a quote from Barnard Baruch, a native South Carolinian who amassed a fortune on Wall Street and played important roles in World Wars I and II and later in global regulation of atomic energy: “Agriculture is the greatest and fundamentally the most important of our industries. The cities are but the branches of the tree of national life, the roots of which go deeply into the land. We all flourish or decline with the farmer."
About the Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust
The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust (the Trust) is a county-level “conservation bank” created by Greenville County Council (2020) and led by an all-volunteer Board. It protects significant natural, cultural and historic resources by assisting eligible entities with funding to purchase interests in land. To date, the Trust has invested $1.7 million to help acquire nearly 1400-acres worth more than $13 million. For more information visit: https://www.gchnrt.org
About Greenville Women Giving
Greenville Women Giving (GWG) is a philanthropic women's collective giving organization created as a special initiative of the Community Foundation in 2006. Since its founding, GWG has awarded 146 grants totaling over $8 million and has grown to over 500 members. For more information visit: https://www.greenvillewomengiving.org/
Press Contact
Alex Reynolds, GCHNRT Communications Committee Chair & District 20 Representative, a@alexreynolds.com, 423.329.1798
