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America is losing 1.2 million acres of farmland annually, much of it our best and most productive farmland near where most Americans live. The percentage of agricultural land lost to development in New Jersey is greater than any other state in the country.
Growing a Community Food System that Sustains Local Agriculture
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| Photo courtesy of Burlington County Farmland Protection Program |
Burlington County has one of the state’s strongest agricultural economies—ranking first in number of farms over 1,000 acres—along with a nationally recognized farmland preservation program. Yet, this historic county’s farms continue to be threatened by competing residential and commercial development.
American Farmland Trust is helping the county’s farmland preservation program turn the challenges of high land values and conflicts at the urban-rural interface into opportunities for direct marketing, value-added products and a vibrant local food and farming system by:
- Identifying municipal barriers that hinder local farmers' ability to connect directly with local consumers;
- Creating a model ordinance that supports a local food system and protects farmers from rural-urban conflicts; and,
- Finding out what other places have done to increase the access of low income populations to local food through token payment programs at farmers’ markets.
will new jersey win in the Farm Bill?
Congress is in the final stretch of finalizing a new farm bill that will decide the nation’s—and New Jersey’s—agricultural policy. But it will also affect you and your community. Learn more and get involved now to help influence this important legislation.
Contact Us
Jim Baird
Mid-Atlantic States Director
1200 18th Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
(p) 202-378-1235 (f)
202-659-8339
jbaird@farmland.org
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