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Sprawl and Agriculture
By Christine Rassmussen
Agricultural land provides the nation — and world— with an unparalleled abundance of food and fiber products. It also supports the economic base of many communities. Unfortunately, failing commodity prices, new more stringent regulations and development pressures on farmland is putting the future of the 570,000 acres of farmland in Massachusetts, of which 25,000 acres is located in Essex County in jeopardy.
The Agriculture Census reports that from 1974 to 1997, Essex County lost over 3,000 acres or 11.5% of the land that was in farming and 18% of the land that is devoted exclusively to producing crops. Without intervention, the trend will continue.
There is no evidence that the findings in a 1994 Agricultural Business Council extensive review and analysis of Massachusetts area agriculture and food industries, and reported " Massachusetts agriculture is in crisis," have changed. Farmers in this state find it extremely difficult to make a profit because they have high land costs and prohibitive tax assessments. Local farmers are being out-competed and undersold by large agribusinesses outside the region and outside the country. " Agriculture’ s Hold on the Commonwealth" reports in Essex County net cash returns from agricultural sales average $23,055 per farm in 1997 with fifty-one percent of the farms experiencing a net loss.
After years of working long hours with little financial security, it is tempting for a farmer to bail out when a developer comes along and offers enough money for the farmer and his family to pay off their debts and put some money in the bank. As one farm after another goes out of business and unplanned development sprawls onto farmland the character of the community changes. When farmland is converted, asphalt replaces scenic open fields, and wildlife habitats. As development continues residents begin to notice increased pollution of rivers and streams as the natural filtering of storm water through the soil is replaced by paved roads, driveways and roofs that collect and pass the water directly into storm drains. The carbon sequestration that farmland provides is lost forever. It has been reported that septic systems for low-density subdivisions can add untreated wastes to surface water and groundwater – potentially yielding higher nutrient loads than livestock operations. Between 1992 and 1997, NRI determined that development was responsible for 49% of the total loss of wetlands nationwide. Sprawling developments are automobile dependent leading to traffic congestion and air pollution. When a farm is converted to housing, neighbors usually feel a great sense of loss. There is a connection between the agricultural landscapes and our legacy, both looking back and when one considers what they can pass onto future generations. As farmland vanishes, one not only losses the land’ s ability to have delicious locally grown food, also lost are the shelters for wildlife, scenic open space, and a quality of life.
However, there are tools that people individually or collectively can promote that will help to maintain their heritage. Smart Growth techniques have been developing in the agricultural community since the 1970’ s when it was recognized that conventional zoning was responsible for the destruction of rural communities. A study for the State of New Jersey found that, compared to sprawl, planned growth could reduce the conversion of farmland by 28 percent, open space by 43 percent and environmentally fragile lands by 80 percent.
By supporting these Smart Growth Principles, you can take an active role in maintaining the remaining farms:
1. Stop the loss of farmland by encouraging effective planning that directs development to less productive land and encourages mixed land uses and multi-use buildings in areas where the infrastructure supports such development. Encourage the adoption of zoning techniques that allow development to be concentrated on one part of the property allowing the remaining land to continue to be used for farming activities or open space.
2. Support efforts to permanently save farms through publicly funded programs that purchase the development rights from the farm, and allow the farmer to maintain the land. The APR Program funded through the Environmental Bond Bill and locally adopted Community Preservation Act funds can be used for these purposes.
3. Support efforts that increase the profitability of farms. By buying local products directly from the farmer at farm stands, CSA’ s and farmers’ markets, a person is investing directly in their future. Farmers that are making a profit are less likely to sell. Fresh local food also tastes better and allows a person to talk directly with the person who produced their food, so they can find out how it is grown.
4. Smart Growth encourages development that is compact, creates walkable neighborhoods, and creates a strong sense of place. It recognizes the cultural and historic values of the community.
5. Take Advantage of Compact Building Design that includes cluster housing. Farmers have used this technique to develop only part of their farms while maintaining the remaining land for production agriculture.
6. Smart Growth encourages community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions. Public awareness of the multiple benefits of working lands leads to greater community appreciation for the importance of keeping land open for fiscal, environmental and economic reasons.
7. Smart growth should bring rural and urban stakeholders together to cultivate relationships, to learn from one another and develop common goals ~~such as stable food supply and a clean watershed. This environment can exist through a formal process but is more likely to happen when communities encourage the development of farmers’ markets, community supported agricultural projects, buy-local campaigns that give farmers and opportunity to meet and talk with one another.
The best way to support smart growth is to shop every week for fresh locally grown produce at an Essex County farm stand, farmers’ market, or community supported agriculture operation listed at www.buyfresh.org.
To learn more about how you can support Smart Growth and Essex County agriculture visit these web sites:
EPA’ s Website on the Environmental Benefits of Smart Growth
Development at the Urban Fringe and Beyond: Impacts on Agriculture and Rural Land By Ralph E. Heimlich and William D. Anderson ERS Agricultural Economic Report No. 803. 88 pp, June 2001
Smart Growth Profiles
Smart Growth at the Frontier has a chapter devoted to farmland
Agriculture, Community and Quality of Life
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