THE RURBAN FRINGE

The Benefits of Farmland Preservation

Posted on | March 6, 2009 | No Comments

Take a look at these recently released statistics …

Farm population and total population by rural and urban population, by province (2001 and 2006 Census of Agriculture and Census of Population)
(Canada)
  2001 2006 2001 to 2006
  Number % Change
Canada      
Total number of farms 246,923 229,373 -7.1
       
Total farm population1 729,405 684,260 -6.2
Rural farm population 697,960 642,715 -7.9
Urban2 farm population 31,445 41,540 32.1
Total population 29,914,315 31,511,587 5.3
Rural population 6,053,467 6,216,135 2.7
Urban population 23,860,848 25,295,452 6.0
  %
Farm population as a % of total population 2.4 2.2 …
Rural farm population as a % of total rural population 11.5 10.3 …
Rural population as a % of total population 20.2 19.7 …
1. Refers to all persons who are members of a farm operator’s household, living on a farm in a rural or urban area.
2. Refers to areas with minimum population concentrations of 1,000 and a population density of at least 400 per square kilometre, based on the current census population count. All territory outside urban areas is considered rural. Taken together, urban and rural areas cover all of Canada.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture and Census of Population.
Last modified: 2008-11-12.

 

  … the number of farms in Canada continues to decline each year.  And this is scary. 

Farming is a business.  But to survive, the farm enterprise must be preserved.

But how?

Well, to start, farmers today need to educate non-farmers about the benefits of farmland preservation … not an easy thing to do in many rurban areas due to:

  • a rising market value on farmland;
  • suburbanization bringing farmers closer to their markets;
  • increased agri-tourism opportunities; and
  • the long-term profit potential from eventual sale of land.

It’s an interesting conundrum … the best and most productive farmland is usually located near urban centres, yet this farmland is also the most vulnerable to urban sprawl and suburbanization.

But land conversion is irreversible.

Rurban residents need to see that there are benefits to farmland preservation including:

  • reduced traffic and congestion;
  • food security and support of the local agricultural community;
  • open space attributes and rural amenities that may attract visitors to an area;
  • fiscal benefits to local governments as preserved farmland increases the value of nearby homes, generating additional property tax revenue; and
  • increased quality of life.

A strong agricultural sector makes sense … not just for the farm community, but for the country. 

A farm is a business and agriculture is an industry … sometimes it’s easy to forget this if you are not directly involved in farming or agri-business activities. 

But without those to lobby for the benefits of the farm, the entire integrity of agriculture is undermined. 

We all need to step up the plate and ensure one of our most valuable assets, our farmland, is appropriately planned for, supported, and preserved in the face of change.

Note:  This post also appears at FarmOn.com … feel free to leave a comment or join in the discussion at either place!

Related Posts:

Category: Agriculture
Tags: > > > > > > > > > >

Comments

Leave a Reply