Land: The New Gold

Abstract

First paragraphs:

In his thoughtful column for this issue, "Running Out of Land for Food," John Ikerd says, "the challenge of preserving enough farmland for food production will be a defining challenge for the 21st century." I couldn't agree more. Thus it is both timely and important that JAFSCD is addressing this critical issue.

I was fortunate enough to get to meet Lester Brown, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, in 2012 when he gave a keynote address at an American Farmland Trust (AFT) board meeting. He said something then that has stuck with me since: "Food is the new oil and land is the new gold." As such we must step up efforts to protect the quality and quantity of these most essential and precious resources.

AFT works to save the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land. Much of our current focus is to protect and conserve enough farmland to ensure food security today and for future generations. As for me, I have spent my career balancing these two interests — saving farmland on one hand and supporting sustainable food and farming systems on the other....