Harvard’s water grab denied in California
Stop Harvard Land Grabs statement:
On October 10, 2023, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to deny Harvard’s appeal for water-intensive reservoirs on their vineyard.
Harvard Management Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Brodiaea, attempted to grab water rights in a critically overdrafted basin, undermine the livelihoods of smallholder and family farmers of the region, and profit off the climate crisis. Thanks to the tireless organizing of Cuyama Valley farmers and the brave decision of the county government, they failed.
Today’s result demonstrates that it is indeed possible to hold Harvard accountable for its investment decisions. Thank you to every Harvard student, alum, faculty, and staff who gave testimony at the hearings, donated to support farmers’ legal representation, and learned about these issues. When frontline communities rise up, we at Harvard have a responsibility to support them.
We know that Harvard’s investments in California are part of a broader pattern. Around the world, Harvard makes risky investments that threaten communities and the planet. Harvard has shown again and again that it is not a responsible manager nor a good neighbor. Stop Harvard Land Grabs continues to demand that Harvard give full transparency about its land investments, return land back to communities, pay reparations, and adopt a policy against future farmland investments.
For more information, please see our website: https://stopharvardlandgrabs.wordpress.com/
And sign our petition to Stop Harvard’s land grabs: https://bit.ly/harvardlandgrabs
