Digging Deeper...

About 50 years ago, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell released “Big Yellow Taxi,” which remains an enduring anthem for nature preservationists. The song’s refrain  – “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot” – has been a rallying cry for everyone concerned about the environment. But it also just happens to be a great song that everyone likes.  Among a litany of honors the iconic Mitchell has earned since taking the stage in 1963 is the Kennedy Center’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award. More than half a century later Mitchell’s plaint is still generating concern.  Dennis McLaughlin, McLaughlin Writers LLC – Sources: American Farmland Trust, Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future, Hunter, M., A. Sorensen, T. Nogeire-McRae, S. Beck, S. Shutts, R. Murphy, June 2022; Agri-Pulse Communications, Webinar Presentation, June 29, 2022

Farms Under Threat

A new report from American Farmland Trust (AFT) claims America is still paving over agricultural land at a rapid pace. From 2001–2016, the U.S. lost or compromised 2,000 acres of farmland and ranchland every day. That amounted to 11 million acres.  If this trend continues, noted John Piotti, AFT president, 18.4 million more arable acres will disappear between 2016 and 2040. According to the report (Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future), Some 6.2 million acres will be converted to urban and highly developed land uses such as commercial buildings, industrial sites, and moderate-to-high-density residential development. The remainder, 12.2 million acres, will be converted to low-density residential areas, which range from large-lot subdivisions to rural areas with a proliferation of scattered houses. During a webinar presented by Agri-Pulse Communications on June 29, 2022, Piotti said, “We can’t keep developing open fields just because it’s easy or convenient; once a farm is chopped up or paved over, it is gone forever.”

New development will always occur as population grows, but most farmland conversion to industry and commercial purposes will be inefficient as developers use more land than necessary to comfortably house and support an influx of new residents. “This poorly planned development undermines global food security, local food systems, and the environment that we all depend on,” say the report’s authors.

There are other consequences, unseen or unintended. For example, greenhouse gas emissions increase as commute distances lengthen.  Reclaiming farmland for commercial, industrial and residential development can place untenable burden on local government, as costs for providing public services outpace tax revenues. Accelerating this rural sprawl over the next 25 years will be soaring housing prices in metro areas and new opportunities for remote work. If this happens, the report points out, 24.4 million acres of farmland and ranchland could be paved over, fragmented, or compromised by 2040.

What To Do

If AFT’s description of the situation is dire, it is by no means presented without solutions and a way forward. “If policymakers and land-use planners across the country embrace more compact development, explained Piotti, “they could slash conversion and keep up to 13.5 million acres of irreplaceable farmland and ranchland from being turned into big-box stores, sprawling subdivisions, and large-lot rural residences.” He and his organization suggest building better cities that will secure “an abundant future” for Americans and the rest of earth’s denizens. This initiative – Better Built Cities –  introduced by AFT calls for implementation of these recommendations: 

• Embracing smart-growth principles to improve land-use planning.

• Permanently protecting agricultural land to secure a supply of land in perpetuity.

• Advancing smart solar to boost both renewable energy and farm viability.

• Support farmland access to create opportunities for a new generation of farmers, particularly historically marginalized producers.

However, if policymakers and land-use planners focus on reducing sprawl by promoting compact development, agricultural land conversion could be cut by 7.5 million acres compared to business as usual—saving an area larger than the state of Maryland. At the same time, conversion of nationally significant land would decrease by 42%, taking the pressure off 3.7 million acres of our best land for growing healthy food. And a Better Built Cities future would spare over half the farmland that would be converted in our Runaway Sprawl scenario—13.5 million acres. That is enough land to support over 82,000 urban-edge farms, produce $7.9 billion in annual agricultural output, and provide 184,000 on-farm jobs. The vast majority of this land is located near cities and towns, providing the indispensable foundation for resilient, local food systems.

What It Will Be

AFT maintains that without proactive policymaking and land-use planning, “the relentless march of business as usualdevelopment across the American landscape will continue or accelerate into runaway sprawl.” The consequences will be local, global,and even atmospheric. Consumers will have fewer local farms to turn to the next time a pandemic or supply chain disruption leaves grocery store shelves bare. The global food supply will be further pinched, compounding crop losses due to climate change and putting millions more people at risk of severe hunger across the globe. And low-density sprawl will drive up greenhouse gas emissions, while undermining opportunities to sequester soil carbon on farms and ranches.

However, if policymakers and land-use planners band together with farmers, ranchers, and concerned citizens to choose Better Built Cities, it will save millions of acres of farmland and ranchland. This means following smart-growth principles and prioritizing agricultural land in land-use policies. It will also require supporting the farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers who bring in the bounty and keep pantries full, including by helping the next generation access land.

If Americans choose abundance, Piotti explains, then they will have embraced smart growth and minimize sprawl, secured the most productive land in perpetuity, implemented a smart transition to renewable energy, and ushered in a new generation of farmers and ranchers. He adds, “We will feel the benefits beyond our dinner tables.”

The AFT report concludes all Americans can help in eliminating the threat to farms: “Developers can choose to revitalize urban spaces and build compact communities. Citizens can promote local land-use decisions that protect farmland and ranchland. Individuals can support local land trusts, buy locally produced food, and choose to live in compact neighborhoods.”