Sustainable Agriculture – Blaizen Buckshot Bloom

With four farms identified as ‘century farms’, locally owned farms that have continuously been in operation for over 100 years, Chesapeake has something that few cities as large as ours do.¹ As a City defined by our rural heritage and a strong commitment to local, family farms throughout our southern City, Chesapeake must continue to strive towards supporting our historic farmers and promoting the entry of the next generation. In a time when the profitability of family farms is falling, it must be the job of our Conservation Directors to find avenues that increase profit whilst protecting the farmland that defines the culture of our city.

Regenerative agriculture is a form of farming that differs from the conventional monocropping that has dominated industrial agriculture, instead seeking to improve soil health and biodiversity on farmlands through techniques such as conservation tillage, cover cropping, crop rotation, integrated pest and nutrient management, to name a few of the practices often incorporated in such a system. Although such practices can decrease the product yield of farms, investigative studies have found that farms that adopt sustainable, regenerative practices see increased revenue with one study finding a 78% increase in profit.^2,3 Increased crop quality, reduced expenditure on seeds and pesticides, and an ability to diversify income streams are the main reasons for seeing such dramatic increases despite productivity losses. Enacting sustainable farming practices is just as much about financial security as it is about environmental preservation.

Currently, the Dare District facilitates cost-sharing programs for the adoption of the aforementioned sustainable farming practices totaling $683,555.52 in the 2021-2022 fiscal year.⁴ However, the District must go beyond its state obligations to provide additional support for experienced and novice farmers alike to promote sustainable agriculture. As Conservation Director, I will advocate for policies based on other successful initiatives that include:

Attracting the next generation of farmers from diverse perspectives such as:
- Connecting women with resources provided by programs such as the Women’s Agricultural Network or Women Food & Ag Network,^5,6
- Promoting the inclusion of BIPOC individuals through partnerships with organizations including the National Black Farmers Association,⁷
- Supporting newcomer farmers under 35 entering the profession by:
  - Utilizing federal programs such as the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP),⁸
  - Collaborating with youth-targeted organizations such as Beginning Farmers,⁹
- Assist veterans in transitioning to a farming lifestyle by:
  - Partnering with nonprofits like ‘Veterans to Farmers’,¹⁰
  - Government programs such as the VA’s FARMS Program or Armed to Farm,^11,12
- Establishing a volunteer mentorship program for current and retired farmers to mentor new farmers
Expanding access to farmland and ownership for the next generation of farmers by:
- Promoting federal programs like the USDA’s Transition Incentives Program (TIP) that facilitate economic support for farmers selling lands to new, incoming farmers,¹³
- Facilitating lease-to-own programs for retiring farmers to transfer their farms to the next generation of producers,¹⁴
Collaborate with local research institutions (VA Tech, ODU, etc) in the research of sustainable agricultural systems through federal grant programs such as:
- AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Grant,¹⁵
- Equipment Grants Program (EGP),¹⁶
- Sustainable Agriculture Programs,¹⁷
- Sustainable Development Programs,¹⁸
- Weed Science,¹⁹
- Ecosystems Programs,²⁰
- AFRI Food Security Challenge Area,²¹
- Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture,²²