Do you think the sale of farmland near urban areas to real estate developers is a good idea in view of the gro

Question

do you think the sale of farmland near urban areas to real estate developers is a good idea in view of the growing American population?

Answer 1

I'm am very against the sale of prime agricultural land for development whether it be for homes or businesses.  I'm big on resource conservation and I really feel that the loss of farm land is going to hurt our population more then a lack of new homes.  What astounds me, is that when you drive into bigger cities you see a lot of buildings that are just sitting vacant and for sale, yet right next store they are building new stuff.  Why not use the old building and just modify it rather then build something completely new.

There are so many reasons to limit development as much as possible, poor conservation techniques on construction sites, the increasing of impervious surfaces almost always has a negative effect on our water quality, and maybe the most important is that farms provide food.  You start limiting the number of farms and you limit your food supply.  To me that is a big price to pay for a new home or office.

I grew up on a farm, I still live in the country on a farm.  Whether it's near an urban center or not I still feel that mass development on agricultural lands like what we see happening today is just not the answer for sheltering the ever increasing American population.

Answer 2

No I dont think it is such a great idea. We need green plants growing to help increase our carbon sinks to help slow down global warming.