Competition for Land: Equity and Renewable Energy in Farmlands

Mary Ann Cunningham () and Jeffrey Seidman
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Mary Ann Cunningham: Department of Earth Science and Geography and Environmental Studies Program, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
Jeffrey Seidman: Department of Philosophy and Environmental Studies Program, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: The development of renewable energy in agricultural landscapes has led to new debates about siting solar, wind, and other energy projects. Concerns for protecting food production and prime agricultural soils are often leading points of resistance to renewable energy projects. This resistance has grown, even as the urgency of transitioning away from fossil fuels has increased. The economic stakes are high, particularly for farmers seeking to diversify and stabilize farm income with renewables, but few studies have examined the likely magnitude of effects, either on food production or on farm incomes, implied by expanding renewables. How extensively are hosting communities likely to be impacted, and what do farmers stand to gain, or lose, in these debates? Focusing on a portion of New York State (NYS), with its aggressive solar development goals, we evaluated the effects of state solar targets on farmland and the economic potential for farmers leasing land. In comparison to current income from leading crops, land leasing alone would imply an increase of $42 million per year in local revenue, while affecting less than 12 percent of non-food producing, non-prime soils within the study area. The areal impacts are larger in our imaginations than in the real landscapes, and the debate has far-reaching implications for policy beyond farming areas.

Keywords: agricultural landscapes; energy privilege; farm income; renewable energy; solar energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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