Agraria_Journal_WINTER_2022

10 AGRARIA JOURNAL 2022 IMAGE COURTESY OF AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST, FARMS UNDER THREAT 2040: CHOOSING AN ABUNDANT FUTURE, 2022 Acres of farmland projected to be converted or compromised by county by 2040 in the “Business as Usual” scenario. That sort of nuanced approach to growth and conservation can also help facilitate access to land. By protecting farmland and prioritizing its future through comprehensive planning and strong public policy, we can help exiting farmers retire with confidence and create more opportunities for aspiring farmers to connect with affordable agricultural acreage. We can work especially hard to ensure that people who have long been marginalized in American agriculture gain access to land. Once new farmers are in place, we can help them stay there. Combining farmland protection and equitable access with sound farming practices, authentic economic opportunity, and systemic change will enable more farmers and communities to flourish. Until we take these steps, aspiring farmers — like my wife and me — will struggle. Too many farmland listings will continue to be advertised as the next great development investment rather than an accessible agricultural opportunity. Searching for land on which to grow a dream could become little more than a heartbreaking habit, an exercise akin to window shopping through barred glass. In describing my own experience with farmland access, I’m not asking for pity. Our predicament is not unique. Many people face this challenge. And because of historical and present-day injustices, the path to farm access and secure tenure is far harder and more complex for others, especially those who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Instead, I’m asking for greater awareness. For rural and urban people alike, farmland loss and inequitable access are interconnected challenges that threaten the future of agriculture and our collective wellbeing. After awareness, I’m calling for action. Let’s start new local and state farmland protection programs, and let’s strengthen and expand those that already exist. Let’s advocate for agricultural districts, robust farm link initiatives, succession planning assistance, mentorship programs, heirs’ property aid and legal reform, buy-protect-sell projects, and smart growth. Let’s encourage elected officials at every level to prioritize conservation and land access — and then push them to invest enough money and effort to make a difference. Let’s buy food from nearby farmers and support local economies. Let’s nurture an authentic agrarianism rooted in respect, affection, and justice. Working together, we can assure a future for farmland and the farmers, old and new, who want to tend it. We can safeguard good places to grow in more ways than one. With sustained work and real commitment, we can bring about a better world — for all of us. Brooks Lamb is a writer and an agrarian. He works as the Land Protection and Access Specialist at American Farmland Trust. Combining farmland protection and equitable access with sound farming practices, authentic economic opportunity, and systemic change will enable more farmers and communities to flourish.