Lexington County’s agriculture, business, quality of life and environment are the focus of an analysis project made possible by national and state organizations. 

The American Farmland Trust along with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Lexington County Farm Bureau and Sustain S.C. have launched what’s called the Palmetto 2040: Visioning Session, according to a press release from the American Farmland Trust.

It involves geospatial mapping, and policy analysis to identify future threats to South Carolina’s farmland, jobs and quality of life, and Lexington County is the focus. 

The goal for the initiative was as follows: to identify how Lexington County’s agriculture, business, quality of life and environment would fare under the alternative scenarios modeled; discuss tradeoffs among these factors; agree on the most optimal path for future development; and to identify potential policy solutions.  

“South Carolina is at high risk for future farmland loss, according to AFT’s Farms Under Threat: 2040 data, with over 280,000 acres of farmland converted between 2001 and 2016, giving the Palmetto State the eighth highest ‘threat score’ in the nation,” the release reads. “Lexington County led the state in conversion, with over 29,000 acres of farmland paved over, fragmented or compromised by sprawling commercial, industrial, and residential development.”

There are eight general recommendations from AFT for the county, as outlined in the release:

- Cost of Community Service Study

- Community Quality of Life Survey

- In-Fill Availability Study

- Economic Loss Due to Farm Loss

- Farmers Spokespersons from Trusted Resources

- Entire Business Viable Solutions for Farmers

- Link Ecosystem Services to Farmland Protection

- Ongoing Education and Communication

And here are recommended policies for the county from AFT, as outlined in the release: Create a Headwaters Protection Zone as a priority area within a larger comprehensive plan; Create a local Agricultural Conservation holiday as part of a K-12 education campaign.

“American Farmland Trust is grateful for the generous funding for this project provided by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, the Lexington County Farm Bureau, and the Winthrop Family Fund for Farmland Preservation in the Southeast,” Lea Harvey, AFT Vice President of Development, and native South Carolinian, said in the release.

As part of the initiative, AFT gave a survey to determine what to prioritize, and the results of the survey, according to the release, show that there is a high preference for conserving waterways and wetlands. The survey also showed that the conservation of farms and forests are important to Lexington County.