|
by: American Farmland Trust
The American Farmland Trust conducted a ground-breaking national study mapping the relationship between high-quality farmland and land development pressure in America.
An excerpt: ''We're needlessly wasting one of the world's most important resources. Less than one-fifth of U.S. land is high quality, and we are losing this finest land to development at an accelerating rate. U.S. agricultural land provides the nation—and the world—with an unparalleled abundance of food. But farmland means much more than food. Well-managed farmland shelters wildlife, supplies scenic open space and helps filter impurities from our air and water. These working lands keep our taxes down and maintain the legacy of our agricultural heritage. It makes no sense to develop our best farmland. Instead, we have a responsibility to protect this most valuable resource for future generations.''
The report shows the threat of sprawling development to urban edge farmland state by state.
Resource(s): http://www.farmland.org/resources/fote/default.asp
|
