April 22, 1996 Contact: Jennifer McNulty (408) 459-2495; mcnulty@ua.ucsc.edu

CHUCK MATTHEI TO DISCUSS CREATIVE WAYS OF SECURING FARMLAND ON MAY 8

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA­Chuck Matthei, a leader of national efforts to preserve agricultural land, will give a free public talk on May 8 about creative ways to secure farmland. The talk, which will begin at 7 p.m., will take place in Room 3 of Louden Nelson Community Center at 301 Center Street in Santa Cruz.

Many farmers rent land without long-term security, cannot afford to buy agricultural land, or are struggling in other ways to preserve their farms for future generations, says Matthei. Among the strategies Matthei will discuss are the following:

-- working with land trusts to balance individual and community needs;

-- using conservation easements, long-term leases, and other tools;

-- negotiating purchases and donations;

-- financing land acquisition and development;

-- the role of community-supported agriculture (CSA) members in helping to purchase and preserve farms for future generations.

Matthei is president of Equity Trust, Inc., an innovative nonprofit organization dedicated to land reform and community- development finance. Equity Trust provides technical assistance and training to community land trusts and other community-development and conservation organizations. Based in Connecticut, the group also helps to shape public policy and conducts an active program of public education in the area of land reform. The organization established the Equity Trust Fund to help purchase both urban and rural land.

Also on the bill May 8 is Sam Earnshaw, a local farmer who is active in agricultural issues. Earnshaw, who serves on the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Advisory Policy Commission, will provide an update on local agricultural land-preservation efforts, including the proposed annexation by the city of Watsonville of two areas that are currently part of Santa Cruz County and contain prime agricultural land.

The event is being cosponsored by the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and CSA West. For more information, call (408) 459-2321.

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