February 11th, 2025
By Michael Shulman
American Farmland Trust Publishes Aiken 2040 Visioning Session Report
Findings Show Balance Needed for Development and Agricultural Conservation in Aiken County
(Washington, D.C.) American Farmland Trust in coordination with Aiken Land Conservancy published the Aiken 2040 Visioning Session report, which identifies Aiken County’s farmland under future development scenarios.
According to the report, Aiken County has converted much of its land from agricultural use to low-density residential (LDR) use, where the average housing density is greater than what would typically allow for agricultural production. From 2001 to 2016, Aiken County converted over 18,000 acres to LDR with another 29,000 acres estimated to be converted by 2040.
The county has also converted LDR land to Urban and Highly Developed (UHD) areas, which is land that is impenetrable due to buildings and roads. This conversion from LDR to UHD further increases farmland loss and urban growth.
Increased landscape fragmentation is also a challenge caused by LDR and UHD, since this can impede the infrastructure necessary to facilitate agricultural production.
“Our analysis showed increasing housing density and landscape fragmentation in Aiken County,” said AFT Senior Land Use and Protection Research Scientist, Katie Pisarello. “On the flip side, LDR does not necessarily have to detract from the area’s agricultural identity.”
For example, nearly 60 percent of Aiken County LDR lands are used as residential horse farms contributing to the area’s agricultural identity, according to a manual assessment of the county’s LDR parcels.
Land protection is considered a priority for land stakeholders, according to the report. During an in-person meeting in Aiken, AFT administered a survey asking 26 attendees to place their land-based conservation priorities on a scale from low to high. Nearly 83 percent of respondents considered protecting farmlands as well as water resources a priority.
“Agricultural protection is highly valued in Aiken County,” said AFT National Director of Land Use and Protection Research Samuel Smidt. “This project can ultimately lead to actionable outcomes with the help of stakeholders representing agriculture, business, and conservation in Aiken County.”
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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.