Title: Why Preserve Farmland? : ConservationTools
Headings: Why Preserve Farmland?
Why Preserve Farmland?
Introduction
Farmland Preservation Anchors the Farm Economy
Protects Our National Security
Supports Our Economy
Creates Jobs
Keeps Money in Local Communities
Provides Tax Revenue; Requires Little Government Service
Supports Agritourism
Delivers Ecosystem Goods and Services
Sustains a Tradition
Farmland Preservation Tools

Content: Farmland preservation provides assurance that farming is there to stay in a community. Protects Our National Security
Twenty percent of the food Americans eat comes from other countries. [ 4] The current system of food production and delivery has created a global supermarket, where all kinds of items are available to consumers year-round. While access to products that cannot be grown in the United States (coffee and bananas, for instance) is welcome, there are pitfalls to undue dependence on global trade networks to deliver many foods that can be grown here. Political upheaval in Asia, drought in South America, economic turmoil in Europe: any of these disruptive events could drastically affect food supplies and prices. [ 5] When basic sustenance and nutrition rely upon a system prone to uncertainty and instability, food security becomes a concern. The global population is projected to rise from today’s 7.5 billion to 10 billion by 2050; for every three people that need to be fed today, one more will need to be fed in the not-too-distant future. [ 6] Considering increasingly erratic weather patterns, political and economic upheavals, and evermore mouths to feed across the planet, prudent planning for the future would prioritize locally-grown food that is insulated from global trends and crises. [