Open
space contributes to the protection of our agricultural industry.
Our farms and forests contribute $46 billion annually to the state's economy,
and the agricultural industry employs 22% of our state's workforce. Preserving
agricultural lands is critical for the continued success of this industry,
but these lands are disappearing quickly. From 1982 to 1992, 31% of our
state's prime farmland was converted to urban uses. And, the total number
of farms in North Carolina dropped from 68,000 in 1988 to 49,406 in 1997.
According to the American Farmland Trust, North Carolina ranks second
in the nation for the amount of prime farmland converted to urban uses.