Transportation Policy and Agriculture
American Farmland Trust 
Southeast Regional Office
Gerry Cohn

During North Carolina's history, rural road construction played an important role in the development of the "farm to market" agricultural economy. Today, however, expansion of roads in rural areas hurts the future of farming in North Carolina. From 1992-1997, North Carolina ranked fourth in the country for the amount of prime farmland lost to development, paving over 168,300 acres of our most productive soils (National Resources Inventory, 1997). Transportation policy and planning have a major impact on the farm sector through influence on land prices and inappropriate development in agricultural areas.

Two related concerns (central city decline and suburban sprawl) emphasize the excessive decentralization of metropolitan areas. This draws tax and economic resources out of the central city while requiring additional infrastructure investments, land, and driving. Highways can be a conduit for decentralization, helping to channel growth and influence land prices, population, and employment changes. Across the state, local communities are recognizing this problem and the impacts of new road construction projects on their quality of life including loss of open space and natural areas, increased sprawling development, and more traffic and air pollution. 

NC highway policy should be oriented towards more efficiently funding and managing the state's road infrastructure, rather than subsidizing low-density development through expensive new roads that hinder the ability of farmers to remain in business. New roads in agricultural areas cause an increase in land prices, residential development on the edge of farms, and inefficient use of our most productive soils. All of these hurt the ability of farmers to remain in business.

In addition, transportation funds can be used as a match to secure additional federal funds for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements along transportation corridors, with $100 million available annually through the Farmland Protection Program in the 2002 Farm Bill. By broadening the scope of its transportation spending, North Carolina has an opportunity to draw down federal dollars to share the cost of protecting scenic views and historic sites along transportation routes, while securing its most productive land for use by future generations.