VIRTUAL FORUM: Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 4:00pm-5:30pm EST
Municipal Tools to Support Farming as a Climate Strategy
Farmland is being converted to sprawl at an alarming rate – increasing GHG emissions while diminishing local communities’ ability to adapt and respond to climate change effects. Informed by smart growth principles communities can redirect this growth where development already exists, significantly reduce GHG emissions, and make farms and farmland a key resource for local communities responding to climate change.
Global warming is on track to exceed 2 degrees Celsius (or 3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, significantly above the Paris Agreement limit of 1.5°C. Farmers in Maine are already experiencing increased uncertainty, costs and opportunities:
- need for controlled growing environments due to drought / flooding;
- longer growing seasons, but also late frost, and “confused pollinators”;
- adoption / development of crops that are adapted to changing climate;
- new pests and diseases;
- market uncertainty: crop failures in global and regional food baskets?
While there are state and federal efforts to support climate-friendly agriculture, this webinar focuses on what towns and municipalities can do to make local farms and farmland a part of resilient communities.
TO REGISTER: