For decades, Greenville County’s mountainous northern half has received the lion’s share of attention and conservation efforts, but the county’s agricultural southern half now faces what could be even greater development pressures as the region’s population continues to grow.
This is one reason the Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust is expanding its efforts to protect prime agricultural lands in an area that was historically regarded as Greenville’s “breadbasket,” according to trust board chair Carlton Owen.
A particular area of focus is preserving the dwindling number of historically Black-owned farms, Owen said.
Precipitous decline
The last century has seen a steep decline in the number of farms all over the country, but the losses in minority-owned farms have been staggering, Owen said.
He said there were about 1 million minority-owned farms in America in 1920, but by 2018 that number had fallen to just 45,000 — a 95% drop.
In looking at southern Greenville County, Owen said the trust has been able to identify fewer than 10 remaining historically Black-owned farms of 10 acres or more.
With a commitment from Greenville Women Giving of $100,000 toward this priority, the trust is reaching out to that remaining handful of Black-owned farms to explore ways of preserving that precious agricultural acreage.
Owen said the aim is to eventually protect at least three of those working farms with the help of Greenville Women Giving and the South Carolina Conservation Bank.
He added conservation efforts would not be possible, regardless of the type of property involved, without the willingness and trust of property owners to pursue that end.
“Discussing a conservation easement with a private landowner is a hard and long-term conversation,” Owen said. “We don’t do deals ourselves. We help make the deals possible by adding some money to the pot, but the heroes in this are the landowners that want to see their land protected.”
Market pressure
The challenge for conservation groups such as the Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust is they are operating in an extremely competitive real estate market where population growth and development pressures have caused property prices to soar.
The trust is constrained by county ordinance from paying more than appraised value for a property, which can put it at a disadvantage when competing against developers with greater funding.
Owen said property owners themselves are the key component to conservation successes, given the trust’s financial limits.
But the challenge remains daunting.
It is estimated around 250,000 people will move to Greenville County within the next 15 years. Of the roughly 500,000 acres of property in the county, Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust has managed to protect about 1,500 acres — not even enough to amount to “a rounding error,” Owen said.
And yet more property owners, elected leaders and organizations are waking up to the threat, he said.
“I’m excited by what we’re able to do,” Owen said. “We could not do it without willing landowners. … It’s an all-hands, all-in approach.”
Trust successes
The Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust is less than three years old but has managed some notable conservation successes:
- Awanita Valley Camp — 540 acres protected through a $350,000 grant as part of $1 million in state and grant funding packages.
- Oakland Plantation — Historic property in Five Forks area to become a 50-acre regional park underwritten in part by a trust grant of $602,000
- Shiloh Ridge at Paris Mountain State Park — 146-acre parcel secured with help of a $400,000 trust grant expected to expand the park by 10%.