If farming is going to thrive in Snohomish County, there must be changes to the traditional relationship between cities and farmers. A healthy future for farming will require closer ties between city and farm, and increasing recognition of the challenges facing local farmers.
County government can play a key role by letting farmers expand their opportunities for making money. That’s vital for keeping farmers in business — and preserving the invaluable contribution farming makes to the health of the environment and the quality of life here.
To its credit, the county has recognized the need to find new ways to promote farming. The increased effort, now several years old, can shift into a higher gear with a series of recommendations now being considered by the county’s Agricultural Advisory Board. Many of the ideas focus on letting farms diversify their activities and market directly to consumers.
There’s no doubt that farming faces tough challenges here. During the mid-1990s, the county saw a startling decline in the amount of land used for agriculture: a loss of 18 percent between 1992 and 1997. Zoning changes, spurred by the state Growth Management Act, appear to have brought some stability. Still, farm economics and the loss of land place a variety of pressures on farms. And farmers have had to adjust how they do business.
As a result, the county has seen exciting new ventures started by farmers: pumpkin patches, mazes, fruit and vegetable stands, small nurseries, and organic or specialty vegetable farms. The county and the tourism bureau have taken steps to market farm products. Snohomish County works with King County in the Puget Sound Fresh promotion of local fruits and vegetables. And the counties’ Farm Link program helps match farm buyers and sellers.
Those promising developments must be supported with more flexibility in county rules. County planning officials and the advisory board have been working on a preliminary draft of possible code and permit changes that would offer needed new avenues for farms. The size of farm stands can be expanded, especially if tougher standards are imposed as size increases. Farmers markets, so popular in many cities, ought to be allowed in rural areas as well. If farms are to sell directly to the public, they also need the ability to do some processing of their own products.
The board is also interested in allowing placement of sports fields in agricultural areas. In light of a court battle over soccer fields on farmland in King County, that’s sure to draw controversy. But the board’s draft proposal, with its emphasis on protecting the land so it could be returned to farming, deserves study.
Earlier code revisions have started to open the door. Bed and breakfasts, for instance, are now possible, although there has been no real movement toward the kind of agri-tourism that draws large numbers of people to working farms in Europe. But laws and regulations, including health codes, must be adapted further.
As the county attempts to preserve farming from sprawl, the ties between cities and farms must increase. A greater appreciation of farm life will only build more political support for protecting agriculture. The direct marketing of farms to city residents can help preserve a way of life that’s vital to people and the environment.
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