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15 <br /> FINAL DRAFT-5-27-26 <br /> 2. Importance of a Robust Local Agriculture <br /> Agricultural land use and farming practices are fundamental determinants of <br /> how Orange County---and the rest of the world---meet the most pressing <br /> challenges of our time: climate change, environmental degradation, and <br /> population-wide poor health related to overreliance on food produced within a <br /> globalized, industrial system (Walinga, 2009). Poorly managed farmland and <br /> unsound agricultural practices can exacerbate these challenges. Conversely, <br /> well stewarded farmland and sustainable farming practices can stabilize and <br /> restore the environment, mitigate climate change, and support resilient local <br /> and regional foodsheds (Pretty, 2008; Naresh, 2023). Sustainable agriculture <br /> preserves and restores habitats, maintains wildlife corridors, protects watersheds, <br /> enhances soil health, improves water quality, and sequesters carbon. Besides <br /> conferring these environmental and climate benefits, sustainable agriculture is <br /> the bedrock of local food systems development (Chao, 2024; MacFall, 2015)--- <br /> essential for addressing the threats to the global food supply posed by weather <br /> extremes, political instability, and biological threats such as pandemics. <br /> Partly because of their impact on natural resources, the environment, and <br /> climate, agricultural land use and practices also underpin local, regional, and <br /> global economies. There is no economy without a healthy environment and <br /> people, a climate that supports life and good livelihood, and an accessible, <br /> nutritious food supply. <br /> "Agriculture is not crop production as popular belief holds- <br /> it's the production of food and fiber from the world's land and <br /> waters. Without agriculture, it is not possible to have a city, <br /> stockmarket, banks, university, church, or army. Agriculture <br /> is the foundation of civilization and any stable economy." <br /> -Allan Savory <br /> A comprehensive assessment of the economic impact of agriculture in Orange <br /> County has not recently been undertaken. According to the 2022 US Census of <br /> Agriculture, cash receipts for agricultural products sold in Orange County <br /> exceeded $32 million in 2022, and agriculture employed approximately 1% of <br /> the population (approximately 1500 people) in the County (USDA, 2023; <br /> Agricultural Census, 2022). [Photo 3] According to the North Carolina Forestry <br /> Service, Orange County forest landowners took in an estimated stumpage <br /> harvest value of $1 .7 million in 2022 (North Carolina Forestry Service, 2022). The <br /> estimated economic contribution of forestry output to the County's economy <br /> was $189 million, and forestry employed 652 people. This Plan proposes an <br /> 13 <br />