Earth Day, this year, is colored with worries. The coming of spring reminds us of our dependence on nature. The state of our 401(k) reminds us of our dependence on the economy.  This year, it is natural to wonder if we can have both. 

With spring, our farmers are also planting their crops. They, too, wonder about their future. This is an industry that is in near competition with aerospace as the top economic engine for our state.  At the same time, farming is also an industry whose survival is closely linked with our environmental future. 

It may seem counterintuitive that farming might be good for the environment. But open, undeveloped farm landscapes help recharge our aquifers, filter and clean surface waters, reduce flooding, and provide habitat and migration corridors for fish and wildlife. Most of our farmers engage in conservation management practices of one kind or another that enhance these environmental benefits. Transportation is our state’s biggest contributor to climate change. So preventing the development of our large open farm landscapes also reduces the urban sprawl that contributes to global warming. 

This is a significant challenge for agriculture since, for most farmers, the land they need to grow their crops has become much too expensive to afford with their income from farming. As the agricultural land base fragments, farm infrastructure businesses like food processors, suppliers of farm equipment, and farm service businesses close. Community priorities shift to other economic drivers. And the economic foundations of a viable agriculture industry disappear.

With the Northwest population projected to grow by perhaps 5 times over the next century, these are challenges that are certain to increase. It will be important for us to remember that the future of agriculture may be critically important to the future of our environment.

For those of us who live in the Puget Sound area, Earth Day also bolsters our determination to clean up the Sound. Our official Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan specifically recognizes that saving our farms is essential if we also wish to save our salmon. The Cascade Land Conservancy’s Cascade Agenda found the same thing – that saving our farms is necessary to saving our environment. American Farmland Trust’s Pioneers in Conservation program has provided many grants for projects that save salmon at the same time strengthen the farm or forest business. And the Puget Sound Partnerships “Agenda 2020” includes many action items that support and depend upon the continued existence of healthy local agriculture. 

Saving Puget Sound will require a concerted effort from all our citizens, governments, and businesses – including farms. Indeed, the PBS Frontline documentary: “Poisoned Water,” that airs this week, makes this point well. Farmers, like everyone else, can and must be part of the solution. They can help us sequester carbon, prevent sprawl, and reduce global warming. They can filter surface waters, protect our streams and rivers, and can often provide pollution offsets at a much lower cost that can our factories or the public utilities that serve our residential sector. They can mitigate for wetland and wildlife habitats lost to development - in most cases much more effectively than we are doing now. And they can do all this while continuing to bring us the fresh, high-quality local food we increasingly treasure in our Northwest communities.

In other words, unlike most major industries, a prosperous, well-managed agriculture is affirmatively good for both our environment and for our economy. This year’s Earth Day celebrations will help remind us of the vulnerability of our environment while the Dow Jones Industrial Average keeps us focused on the vulnerability of our jobs. But while we worry, let’s not forget that our farmers can help us protect both at the same time.

Don Stuart, Pacific Northwest States Director
American Farmland Trust

Don Stuart is the Pacific Northwest States Director of American Farmland Trust (AFT), and a Washington native. AFT is the leading national advocate for farm and ranch land conservation, working with communities to protect the best land, plan for growth with agriculture in mind, and keep the land healthy.