Here at FoxRAP, we’ve got 4 pillar objectives:
- Connect community
- Grow local food and farm products
- Preserve farms
- Protect natural resources
Right now, we have a big project underway that, while ultimately checks each of those boxes, will be a huge step forward for farmland preservation in our area.
One tool we’ll be using to build this project is Agricultural Conservation Easements. Basically, these are contracts which purchase, or donate, the development rights of a particular land parcel, to ensure it stays in agriculture forever. The contract can be tweaked according to the wishes of the landowner who initiates it, so each situation will vary. But no matter who buys the land in the future, it cannot be taken out of agriculture to say, build residential lots, Walmarts, or non-farming industry.
To learn how to create an effective easement program to protect our farmland, we’ll be participating in American Farmland Trust’s Developing Local Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs webinar coming up this Thursday.
This two-part series is designed to help local stakeholders build successful farmland preservation campaigns.
Join us as we develop this all-important tool to keep our local farms in the hands of farmers. Register here.
If you have any questions about land preservation or conservation easements, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project 