Nonprofit ownership shifts farm’s focus from cows, carrots to culture, community – The Charlotte News

Inside the 1700s Barn House at Clemmons Family Farm

Visitors won’t find plows and animals feeding but posters of African American artwork lining the walls and comfortable couches welcoming visitors for gatherings.

The Transformation to a Nonprofit Organization

Lydia Clemmons, whose parents bought the Charlotte farm 61 years ago, decided in 2019 to convert the operation to a nonprofit organization focused not on farming but on its status and history as one of the few agricultural working sites in Vermont — and the nation — founded by Black owners. The nonprofit, Clemmons Family Farm Inc., first took over the land and property and leased space back to the organization to serve as a multicultural community center hosting events, exhibits, and educational activities. Many black artists and historians have gathered for the past five years at Clemmons farm, seen as a safe place to discuss Black history and culture in Vermont.

“It’s rare to hear, ‘Come and I’ll tell you what jambalaya is and teach you about the blues’ in Vermont,” Clemmons said of the farm’s mission today.

In December, Clemmons Family Farm Inc. officially purchased the farm operation itself. Overseen by a board of directors. Lydia Clemmons serves as president and executive director of the 501(c)3, or tax-exempt, entity.

Expanding Children’s Knowledge of Black Culture

Recently, the farm hired two staff members to develop a curriculum for students meant to expand children’s knowledge of Black culture beyond the painful narrative that many schools provide.

Preserving the Agricultural Landscape through Nonprofit Models

Both the Clemmons Farm and Philo Ridge Farm, another agricultural landmark in Charlotte, shifted to nonprofit status last year. In November, Philo Ridge shuttered its on-farm market and restaurant, announcing that it would pivot from selling goods for profit to using the land for education and community-building.

As agricultural land slowly dissipates in Vermont and farm businesses become difficult to uphold, Vermonters are watching the image of a barn on every rolling hill and the soundtrack of far-off moos fade. Owners of farms like Clemmons and Philo Ridge are turning to nonprofit models to preserve the agricultural landscape, so cows always have a patch of fresh Vermont grass to munch and vegetables have plenty of space to grow.

According to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture’s 2022 agriculture census, the amount of farmland throughout Vermont has decreased by 19,000 acres in the last five years, amounting to a 4 percent decrease in Vermont farms. Nonprofit status means farms are tax-exempt and can receive grant money from the state and federal government and charitable foundations, easing the pressures of depending on economic viability to keep a farm operation going.

“Our agricultural land is more at risk than ever before,” said Abbey Spires, director of the agriculture development division for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, adding that last year, the downward trend continued.

Development and infrastructure projects continued to encroach on farmland, and the crucial summer growing season was damaged from July flooding, Spires said.

“It is really hard to hold on to land,” Clemmons said, “Many farmers are forced to make the choice to sell their land or consider switching to a nonprofit model.”

The Impact of Nonprofit Farms

The concept of nonprofit farm ownership isn’t new in Vermont. One of the most prominent and successful, Shelburne Farms, formed as a nonprofit in 1972 and took over the Chittenden County property that the Webb family had owned for generations in 1986. The tax-exempt operation highlights agriculture as an educational tool to teach the value of society staying connected to nature.

Spires, of the state agency, said she has seen little research on how an increase in nonprofit farms affects communities, but she believes both the businesses and their communities can benefit. On the business side, she said, a nonprofit board management structure provides a variety of perspectives on operations.

“Farms have become increasingly complex,” she said. “It is valuable as a nonprofit to have shared decision making.”

Nonprofit farms often collaborate with other farmers to support the larger agricultural community, more than for-profit farms typically do as competitors, Spires said. While many nonprofit farms maintain their land but do not sell goods for revenue, they can work with other farmers in the sale and upkeep of crops.

Clemmons Family Farm has lent its farmland for free since the owners stopped selling their own crops in the 1980s. This way, other local farmers can profit from their fields.

“It’s important to keep the land in use,” said Clemmons, explaining that the soil could lose nutrients if it sits idle. This collaboration allows the land to stay preserved for agriculture and gives local farmers a way to expand and stay viable.

Farming has value beyond being an economic enterprise, Spires said. As a nonprofit, a farm provides a foundation for new knowledge about sustainability and agriculture techniques. When operated sustainably

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis:

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty – The article discusses the challenges faced by farmers in Vermont and how nonprofit models can help preserve agricultural land and support farmers.
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – The article mentions the decrease in farmland in Vermont and the importance of preserving agricultural land to ensure a sustainable food supply.
• SDG 4: Quality Education – The article highlights the efforts of Clemmons Family Farm and Philo Ridge Farm to develop educational programs that promote Black culture and expand children’s knowledge.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The article discusses the challenges faced by farmers in Vermont and how nonprofit models can provide economic support and grant opportunities.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The article mentions the encroachment of development and infrastructure projects on farmland, highlighting the need to preserve agricultural landscapes.
• SDG 15: Life on Land – The article emphasizes the importance of preserving farmland and maintaining agricultural practices to protect soil health and biodiversity.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property. – This target is relevant to the article’s discussion of preserving farmland through nonprofit models.
• Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. – This target is relevant to the article’s emphasis on preserving agricultural land and promoting sustainable farming practices.
• Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. – This target is relevant to the article’s discussion of developing educational programs that promote Black culture and expand children’s knowledge.
• Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services. – This target is relevant to the article’s discussion of nonprofit models providing economic support and grant opportunities for farmers.
• Target 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. – This target is relevant to the article’s mention of nonprofit farms as cultural touchstones that preserve traditions and promote cultural diversity.
• Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. – This target is relevant to the article’s emphasis on preserving farmland and maintaining agricultural practices to protect soil health and biodiversity.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 1.4.2: Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, with legally recognized documentation and who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure. – This indicator can be used to measure progress towards Target 1.4, which focuses on equal rights to economic resources and land ownership.
• Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture. – This indicator can be used to measure progress towards Target 2.4, which aims to ensure sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices.
• Indicator 4.7.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development, including gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in (a) national education policies, (b) curricula, (c) teacher education, and (d) student assessment. – This indicator can be used to measure progress towards Target 4.7, which focuses on promoting sustainable development through education.
• Indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex. – This indicator can be used to measure progress towards Target 8.3, which aims to promote productive activities and decent job creation.
• Indicator 11.4.1: Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection, and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage (cultural, natural, mixed, and World Heritage Centre designation), level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal), type of expenditure (operating expenditure/investment) and type of private funding (donations in kind, private non-profit sector, sponsorship, and public-private partnerships). – This indicator can be used to measure progress towards Target 11.4, which focuses on protecting and safeguarding cultural heritage.
• Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area. – This indicator can be used to measure progress towards Target 15.1, which aims to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators