Home > Environment > Green Infrastructure > Agriculture

Regional Agriculture Initiative

Working Lands Forum held April 12, 2005 Forum Summary

Regional Agriculture and its Connection to Green Infrastructure

Agricultural land is an integral part of green infrastructure. Farmland encompasses wetlands, meadows, pastureland, woodland and other wildlife habitat that supports native species, provides ecosystem services such as water filtration and carbon sequestration, and adds to human enjoyment of the countryside. Given that population growth projections will add an additional 2 million residents to the region in the next 25 years, the challenge to local, state and regional planning agencies and other organizations will be to help agriculture and other “green and open space” lands compete for their place in the changing landscape.

This initiative seeks to provide information on the current and historical state of agriculture in the Washington Metropolitan Area, and to create a regional agriculture network to link farmers, consumers and policymakers. The basic information available includes gross statistics on agriculture in the region, information about actions that can be taken to support local agriculture, and database listings of local farmer's markets, pick-your-own farms and vineyards.

Why Support Local Farmers?

If you have not yet visited a local farmer's market, you may wonder whether or not there even are any farmers still in the region. Surprisingly, there are still over four thousand active farms in the region. Often overlooked, agricultural production and commerce continues to contribute over $1 billion annually to the economy of the Washington Metropolitan Area (WMA). Farmers bestow many benefits to our region, from the healthy and delicious foods they provide to regional consumers, to the habitat their land offers for native wildlife, as well as through the cultural landscape aesthetic their presence provides. However, the amount of growth and development in the national capital region is leaving less and less room for farmers, which is just one of the reasons they need our support.

How to Support and Protect Local Agriculture*

• Encourage local, state and regional planning agencies and organizations to adopt comprehensive plans and policies that address the many challenges of balancing future projected growth with the protection and preservation of agricultural lands and other green and open spaces
• Support local, state, and regional agriculture agencies and organizations that foster cooperation among farmers, communities and marketing outlets
• Become a regular patron at your local farm stand or farmer's market (this page provides an interactive map and listings of the region's farmer's markets)
• Buy your food directly through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm (the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education website provides information about CSA's and a searchable database to find a CSA farm near you)
• Enjoy an adventure at a local Pick-Your-Own farm or Vineyard (these pages provide interactive maps and listings of the region's pick-your-own farms and vineyards)
• Visit restaurants who buy directly from local farms (through the Community Harvest website which provides a listing of area restaurants that support local farmers)
  

This initiative is sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Green Infrastructure Demonstration Project - a partnership between the National Park Service, National Capital Region and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

*Please note that though every attempt has been made to ensure that all local agriculture-related businesses were included in these listings, they may not be comprehensive. If you are aware of a farmer's market, pick-your-own farm or vineyard not represented in these pages, please contact us at 202-926-3393.