Concerns about farmland are a significant part of the debate over urban growth. As a country with rich, productive cropland and a history deeply rooted in agriculture, America values its farmland for practical, cultural and aesthetic reasons.

Some farmland preservation groups have suggested that our country is on the verge of running out of farmland and that urbanization is threatening our food supply. These fears are unfounded. The fact is, the amount of land used today for growing crops is virtually identical to 50 years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Although, some farmland is urbanized each year, "losing farmland to urban uses does not threaten total cropland or the level of agricultural production," according to the USDA's Economic Research Service.

Significant amounts of land are converted to farmland each year, resulting in little, if any net loss of farmland. In addition, technological and other advances have greatly increased food production. For example, America's farmers now produce 123 bushels per acre of corn compared to the Census of Agriculture. In fact, the federal government, in order to keep farm prices from falling too low because of greater supply than demand, still pays farmers not to farm.

Farmland preservation groups often rely  on a "land in farms" number to stress their points about farmland loss. This statistic addresses the amount of land owned by farmers, but not necessarily land that is used for farming. According to the Department of Agriculture, land in farms declined from 1.1 billion acres in 1964 to 932 million acres in 1997. This land, however, has not been developed-it's just no longer owned by farmers. For example, much of the land in farms "lost" is forestland that was once owned by farmers, it's still forestland, but it's now owned by investors.

The nation's land use has changed somewhat during the past 50 years. Rangeland has decreased because the nation grazes fewer animals than it once did, while land set aside forrecreation and wildlife has quadrupled. Today, far more land is preserved for recreation and wildlife than is urbanized. In fact, urban and built-up and make up just 3 percent of the 1.9 billion acres in the 48 contiguous states, whereas farmland covers about half.

While land uses are shifting, urbanization is not threatening our farmland or our food supply. Communities that wish to preserve farmland should do so as part of the comprehensive planning process after taking into consideration expanding populations, the need for affordable housing, and the realities of agricultural economics. Farmland preservation should not be used as a rallying cry to stop growth.

Article published in the National Association of Home Builder's "Smart Growth Report", © 2000.