Rising Salt Water Claiming American’s Coastal Farms

Farming/Growing, Feedstocks, Field/Orchard/Plantation Crops/Residues, Infrastructure, Maryland, Opinions, Policy, Sustainability

January 5, 2021

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(Our Daily Planet) Salty soil is a death sentence for crops, and for areas of coastal farmland, an increasing threat due to climate change. Known as saltwater intrusion, this occurs when storm surges or high tides overtop areas low in elevation. It also occurs when saltwater infiltrates freshwater aquifers and raises the groundwater table below the soil surface.

Due to its low elevation, land along much of the Northeast seaboard is especially at risk from saltwater intrusion. As the Baltimore Sun editorial board wrote, salt is posing a serious risk to Eastern Shore farms as even crops that have some tolerance for salinity are being impacted.

Why This Matters: Destruction of farmlands by saltwater intrusion claims the livelihood of farmers and farmworkers and impacts food supply. But, as The Sun’s board noted, it’s also the canary in the coal mine. It’s yet another “manifestation of how global warming is threatening human existence. But it’s an instructive one because, like many of the ill effects of rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, the change starts gradually, accelerates and ultimately proves irrevocable.” READ MORE

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