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American Farmland Trust and Aiken Land Conservancy to Convene Visioning Future Session 

Geospatial mapping and policy analysis to identify future threats to farmland, jobs, and quality of life in Aiken County 

(Washington, D.C.) American Farmland Trust, in coordination with Aiken Land Conservancy, will convene the Aiken 2040: Visioning Alternative Futures, Launching Solutions initiative to identify future threats to farmland, jobs, and quality of life in Aiken County, South Carolina, and build consensus around solutions that ensure a bright future that enables commerce and conservation.  

AFT will use detailed projections to show which lands are at highest risk of development by 2040. Alternative scenarios will show how much land could be saved with more strategic land-use decisions – including land protection efforts in line with the state’s 30×30 initiative, which enables economic growth.  

“The Aiken 2040 project is a testament to the impact and usability of AFT’s geospatial data,” said AFT National Director of Land Use and Protection Research, Samuel Smidt. “Aiken County is unique in that it captures a wide variety of agricultural interests, including crop production, livestock grazing, and equestrian activities.” 

Specifically, AFT will: 1) identify how Aiken County’s agriculture, business, quality of life, and environment could be impacted under future development scenarios; 2) discuss tradeoffs among these factors; 3) discuss most optimal paths for future development; 4) identify policy solutions. 

AFT will help conduct outreach to public and private conservation organizations, land trusts, farm groups, and state and local officials working on farmland protection. 

“We will transform this knowledge into actionable outcomes with the help of stakeholders representing agriculture, business, and conservation in Aiken County,” said Smidt. “Aiken 2040 will serve as a platform for broader outreach and policy discussions that will shape the future of 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.