NUNNERY

State business leaders like to point to our quality of life as a pillar of economic development. They understand that part of what will attract the high-paying jobs and cutting-edge industries they covet are those natural and historic assets that make us who we are.

Remember that.

After it had been defeated on the floor and failed to appear in the final budget, the General Assembly later agreed to place a $2.5-million land bond issue on the ballot in November. Without it, Rhode Island would have run out of money to preserve farmland and open space. Why such a struggle over an issue the public overwhelmingly supports? The budget will be blamed, but clearly, some Assembly members no longer believe that agriculture’s contribution to the state is enough to merit the investment.

Not enough?

We can argue what are Rhode Island’s best assets, but we cannot argue that foremost among them are farms and the open spaces they protect and preserve. Along with our beaches and nautical activities, people live and work here to experience many of the things that our lands provide. They in turn, provide direct economic activity and tax revenues to the state.

Rhode Island agricultural activity generates $100 million dollars annually. Some 900 farms represent 20 diverse agricultural specialties, we rank second in the nation in per-farm direct sales of fruits and vegetables while recognized as a leader in the region in turf grass and nursery stock production. Agriculture is also our local foods and greenery, farm stands and farmers’ markets, corn mazes, u-pick operations, farm stays and more.

For our small size, we enjoy a unique diversity of farm landscapes and settings, wildlife habitats, woodlands and waterways — all protected by the conservation practices of farmers and landowners that impact Rhode Island positively not just in place, but elsewhere down wind, down stream and down the block.

Rhode Island’s farmers are not pulling their weight? Here as in most New England states, our farmers and/or their spouses not only work the land, but may also hold off- the-farm jobs that provide services –– some of them essential –– to the rest of us. Rhode Island’s farmers are doctors and nurses, teachers and professors, school bus drivers, builders and contractors, lawyers and landscapers, even state representatives and senators. Their passion for growing things, managing natural resources and trying to earn a living from them, does not come cheap and their contributions cannot be overestimated.

Passage of the bill is in synch with trends nationally. The recently passed Farm Bill includes far-reaching victories for conservation, beginning and minority farmers, local food systems, sustainable biomass energy production, organic agriculture and even public health – all of which reflect closely Rhode Island’s agriculture. USA Today notes that many states facing weak tax revenues are nevertheless boosting spending on open space while trimming other programs as “an investment in the long term.”

Investment is being made here as well. The farm viability initiative launched in 2001 by the chief of the Division of Agriculture, Ken Ayars, has spawned many of the projects that are growing agriculture’s assets and profile. Many municipalities already recognize working farms as economic engines that encourage tourism –– the state’s second-largest industry –– and as counter balance to the ever-expanding infrastructure and service costs associated with residential development. Town councils in 20 municipalities adopted resolutions endorsing the bond issue.

Along with those providing matching dollars for farmland preservation, nonprofits, foundations and others are investing in Rhode Island’s farms and farmers. RICAPE, the state Economic Development Corporation, the Division of Tourism, the Small Business Development Center, the Rhode Island Farm Bureau, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, Kids First, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, the University of Rhode Island and others are assisting farmers to develop new business enterprises, explore energy efficiency technologies, promote agritourism, run farmers’ markets, produce and process local food products, and expand distribution to restaurants and schools.

Can we afford to waste all that investment? If not, why the resistance from the Assembly?

For one, agriculture is undervalued and measuring our commodity output like the big farm states do is deceptive. The majority of Rhode Island farms are small in size (less than 70 acres) and production (less than $250,000 gross sales) and most of our farmers engage in direct to consumer marketing and sell at retail rather than at wholesale to distributors. We do not receive large crop subsidies, but leverage significantly less “specialty crop” money to ensure diversity in our agricultural practices, enterprises, goods and services.

Secondly, while Rhode Island’s agriculture touches many other sectors –– tourism, hospitality, retail, recreation among them –– we do not assess what economic benefits accrue from these multiplier effects to capture the true value of it to our health, food, quality of life, as well as to the economy.

Third, preservation has become a dirty word. While no state can afford preservation for preservation’s sake, Rhode Island is not any state. Preservation is what we do. It is what we’re good at. Newport alone occupies much of the economic high ground in Rhode Island and many believe that our farms and open spaces have value to our communities commensurate with the mansions of Newport.

Finally, the perception of agriculture as a charity case is partly self-inflicted. Farmers and those of us who work with them have not resisted strongly enough the notion that “Save the Farm” is a cry for help — when farmers are not victims waiting to be saved and agriculture is not a disease waiting to be cured.

So how can we make good on our business credo while maximizing some of Rhode Island’s best assets?

Make farmland and open space protection a permanent line item in the state’s budget. Establish a five-year plan for agricultural business development and gather better data about it. Develop tax policies that encourage on-the-farm generational continuity. Establish town ordinances that encourage agricultural business activity. In addition to providing matching dollars for farmland preservation, the philanthropic community can invest in those organizations that help farmers develop new business skills, start new enterprises and broaden their markets.

One can imagine the counter scenario a few years hence if we instead dismantle the very assets upon which our quality of life rests — empty residential towers, abandoned industrial parks, and few new jobs or businesses to fuel the economy — all because those who might have come here simply didn’t want to live in a state that forgot who it was.

Stu Nunnery is the director of the Rhode Island Center for Agriculture Promotion & Education (RICAPE) and can be reached at ricape@cox.net