Farmland Information Center

Farms Under Threat: The State of the States

Between 2001 and 2016, 11 million acres of agricultural land were paved over, fragmented, or converted to uses that compromise agriculture. AFT’s new report shows the extent, location, and quality of each state’s agricultural land and tracks how much of it has been converted using the newest data and the most cutting-edge methods. The report’s Agricultural Land Protection Scorecard analyzes six programs and policies that are key to securing a sufficient and suitable base of agricultural land in each state and highlights states’ efforts to retain agricultural land for future generations. It offers a breakthrough tool for accelerating state efforts to make sure farmland is available to produce food, support jobs and the economy, provide essential environmental services, and help mitigate and buffer the impacts of climate change.