American Farmland Trust Says Smart Growth Needed to Reduce Loss of Ag Land

by Steve Davies (Agri-Pulse) A new report from American Farmland Trust projects if the current trend of farmland conversion continues, the United States will lose an area nearly the size of South Carolina in the not-too-distant future.

AFT's new “Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future” says smart, compact growth is the key to arresting the loss of prime ag land. Citing an earlier report, AFT said between 2001 and 2016, the nation lost 2,000 acres of farmland per day, a total of about 11 million acres. At that rate, between 2016 and 2040 the U.S. would lose 18.4 million acres — nearly as large an area as the aforementioned Palmetto State.

“Of this total, 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 report says. “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.”

“We can’t keep developing open fields just because it’s easy or convenient,” AFT President and CEO John Piotti said on a webinar hosted by Agri-Pulse Wednesday. “Once a farm is chopped up or paved over, it is gone forever.”

Another danger is “rural sprawl,” driven by increased housing prices in metro areas and the trend toward remote work. “If this happens, 24.4 million acres of farmland and ranchland could be paved over, fragmented, or compromised by 2040,” the report said.

“But if policymakers and land-use planners across the country embrace more compact development, it would 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,” the report says.

AFT’s policy recommendations, which are tailored in the report to local, state and federal agencies, are to “embrace smart-growth principles to improve land-use planning; permanently protect agricultural land to secure a supply of land in perpetuity; advance smart solar to boost both renewable energy and farm viability, and support farmland access to create opportunities for a new generation of farmers, particularly historically marginalized producers.”

The report says “smart-growth principles favor locating new development in cities and older suburbs rather than fringe areas; supporting public transit and pedestrian-friendly development; encouraging mixed-use development; and preserving farmland, open space, and environmental resources.”

“Where possible, we should be putting solar on rooftops, over parking lots, and on brownfields and marginal land,” Piotti said. “And when solar does go on good farmland, we should be encouraging agrivoltaics (or dual use solar), promoting soil health measures under the arrays, and requiring strong decommissioning standards.”

The report sketches out three scenarios for the near future: Business as Usual, Runaway Sprawl, and Better Built Cities.

Excerpt from American Farmland Trust: Every American can help. Better Built Cities, the report explains, sees policymakers and land-use planners banding together with farmers, ranchers and concerned citizens. Developers can choose to revitalize urban spaces and build compact communities. Citizens can attend county board meetings and promote land-use decisions that protect farmland and ranchland. Individuals can also support local land trusts, buy locally produced food and choose to live in compact cities and town centers. Farmland and ranchland owners can protect their property with a permanent agricultural conservation easement which restricts development and guarantees their land becomes a legacy that feeds future generations.

The report explains realities and choices, mapped and analyzed. Citizens can view impacts to their communities and read about potential solutions, what they should ask of their government officials, and ways they can participate. READ MORE Maps