How we should grow our food

How we should grow our food

Every time I go home to suburban Maryland from college, I notice a new housing development or shopping center being built on land that was rural farmland. As trees are cleared to make room for a new Dunkin Donuts, traditional subsistence farms are encroached upon. Sound familiar?
Where I live in western Howard County will experience a 10% increase across most professional service sectors by 2020; farming employment, though, is not expected to change. Local government investment in technology companies and federal employment has lent stability to the county. In order to fuel the developmental fire, local income tax is tied for the highest in Maryland and property taxes are – considering the higher average property value – comparatively high. Ultimately, this means that our government can afford to invest in sustainable development. I tend to wonder where all this money goes if it does not benefit sustainability.

Higher levels of consumption that accompany development pressure communities coping with climate change. Deforestation, responsible for 17% of global carbon emissions, compounds the problem. Cutting carbon emission at the community level will counter climate change nationally.
The U.S. committed to cutting carbon emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. Around 9% of U.S. emissions come from agriculture, including use of fertilizers and inefficient ‘Big Ag.’ Emissions from agriculture and deforestation, assuming the same percentage for American emissions, total 26% -- the legally binding contribution! Federal support for a climate-smart agricultural reform is perfect for addressing these issues.

Agroforestry, as defined by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the integration of trees into crops and animal farming to create environmental and economic benefits. Silvo-pasture – grazing livestock on forested land – and forest farming – growing food on the forest floor – are both examples. The USDA also administers the National Forest Service, so it is uniquely empowered to implement agroforestry practices in protected forests nationally.

Gloria Flora, a former National Forest Service supervisor, has become a prominent proponent for agroforestry, transforming her own Montana property. Flora grows local specialties like raspberries and grapes under the canopies of apple, chestnut, pine, and spruce trees. These plants need less water, no fertilizer, and little to no pesticide due to the fact that trees can ‘fix,’ or store, nitrogen in the ground and retain water. Specific trees were chosen to provide a habitat for the native birds of Montana, protecting biological diversity.

Montana is not a leader in terms of agricultural productivity, though it has potential for small-scale agroforestry; Nebraska and other mid-Western states are. In 2014, Nebraska planted 9.3 million acres of corn, 5.4 million acres of soybeans, and raised 6.3 million cattle. Alley cropping, another form of agroforestry, is a technique where rows of traditional grains like corn are grown next to hardwood trees; this is the future for mid-Western farming. Holding Nebraska back from
embracing agroforestry is the fact that only 3% of the land is forested; however, the state is home to the unique experimental Nebraska National Forest. Now, 3 million seedlings are planted on 90,000 acres of protected land annually, proving that forests can transform the landscape of the Great Plains, potentially allowing for agroforestry to take over.

Anyway, what does this mean for my hometown in Maryland? Considering the well-funded nature of the county government, anything is possible. The state of Maryland is roughly 43% forest at 2.7 million acres. Expenses for treating runoff pollution (from fertilizers and pesticides) since 1978 have totaled over $1 billion. In 2014, Maryland planted 500 thousand acres of corn, 510 thousand acres of soybeans, and raised 185 thousand cattle, contributing to 2.03 million acres of farmland. Agroforestry can save the next $1 billion and improve farm technique upon inception!

The Maryland Governor’s Commission (2004) calls for protection of the Chesapeake Bay through sustainable forestry. Four demonstration state forests research ideal forest management techniques that could benefit the movement for agroforestry.10 One private business, Forested, LLC, in Bowie, MD is attempting to create forest farms which can produce the same number of calories per acre as traditional wheat. Local fruit trees including persimmons and mulberries are grown under the canopies of oak (the state tree!) and chestnut; mushrooms and ferns grow on the forest floor. Collected acorns are repurposed into flours and may have a future as milk. Lincoln Smith, one of the executives at Forested, advocates for community forest farms.

Community forest gardens and farms are the first step to local sustainability. Try to introduce these techniques in your neighborhood – Forested’s consultants can help! Lobby your local government to fund agroforestry programs. Push for reserving land for sustainable farming, or support existing or future State Parks and Forests. At the very least, buy from local, sustainable farmers. Responsibility is shared between a government and its people, so you must provide the motivation and incentive to revolutionize how we grow food.









Works Cited
1. Howard County, Maryland. “Demographics.” Economic Development Authority, n.d. Web. 28 April 2015.
2. Maryland State. “2014-2015 County Tax Rates.” Department of Assessments & Taxation, 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 28 April 2015.
3. Union of Concerned Scientists. “Deforestation and Global Warming.” Union of Concerned Scientists, n.d. Web. 28 April 2015.
4. United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA, 14 April 2015. Web. 28 April 2015.
5. United States Department of Agriculture. “Agroforestry.” USDA, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 April 2015.
6. The New York Times. “A Quiet Push to Grow Crops Under Cover of Trees.” NYTimes.com, 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 28 April 2015.
7. United States Department of Agriculture. “2014 Nebraska State Agriculture Overview.” National Agricultural Statistic Service, n.d. Web. 28 April 2015.
8. United State Department of Agriculture. “Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands.” National Forest Service, n.d. Web. 28 April 2015.
9. Maryland State. “Forestry Facts.” Department of Natural Resources, n.d. Web. 28 April 2015.
10. Maryland State. “Maryland’s Strategic Forest Resource Plan 2006.” Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service, 2006. Web. 28 April 2015.
11. United States Department of Agriculture. “2014 Maryland State Agriculture Overview.” National Agricultural Statistic Service, n.d. Web. 28 April 2015.
12. Bay Journal. “Forest garden bearing fruit as both food producer, water filter.” BayJournal.com, 15 April 2015. Web. 28 April 2015.