ECO City Farm Incubator in PG County
Everybody eats and very few of us are able to do this three times a day without depending on an ever-dwindling number of farmers growing on ever decreasing farm acreage.
Nationally, and in Maryland, the average age of our farmers is just over 59. The nation lost more than 100,000 farms between 2011 and 2018. And though we are fortunate to have family run farms in Montgomery County that will be passed along to the next generation, these do not number nearly enough to address the growing need for local food production.
Moreover, we must provide equitable access to land and resources for skilled diverse new farm businesses. The Agricultural Reserve, at over 90,000 acres, has plenty of room for more farms, and we will all thrive with greater inclusiveness. At MCA, we've been successfully matching farmers with landowners through our Land Link program since 2011 but farmer demand for land far outstrips supply.
Nationally, and in Maryland, the average age of our farmers is just over 59. The nation lost more than 100,000 farms between 2011 and 2018. And though we are fortunate to have family run farms in Montgomery County that will be passed along to the next generation, these do not number nearly enough to address the growing need for local food production.
Moreover, we must provide equitable access to land and resources for skilled diverse new farm businesses. The Agricultural Reserve, at over 90,000 acres, has plenty of room for more farms, and we will all thrive with greater inclusiveness. At MCA, we've been successfully matching farmers with landowners through our Land Link program since 2011 but farmer demand for land far outstrips supply.
Last June a group of diverse producers, all growing in Montgomery County, met at Dodo Farms in Brookeville with Councilmember Gabe Albornoz to share concerns about the difficulties new farm businesses encounter. Uplifting news of the growing diversity of local producers and products, especially culturally relevant crops, was tempered by the universal frustration about the myriad barriers to getting started. As we seek to grow the next generation of local farmers there is not a moment or a famer to waste.
It is time for an Montgomery County Farm Incubator - Learn More and Join Us
It is time for an Montgomery County Farm Incubator - Learn More and Join Us
