The Story
As Utah’s population almost doubles by 2050, food production in Utah decreases significantly. Farmland and water along the Wasatch Front are sold to accommodate expanding communities. Additional water is moved from working farms to urban areas, taking those farms out of production as well. No new farmland is added and almost all fruit and vegetable production is lost. Protein, dairy and grain production also decline. As Utah grows, significantly less local food is grown per person, and almost all of our fruits, vegetables, and dairy, as well as some grain and protein, must be imported to feed our population. Utah is increasingly more susceptible to droughts, food supply interruptions, and food contamination that occur in the states and countries that produce our food.
Results
Agricultural self-sufficiency (the percentage of Utah’s food that is locally produced) and the amount of food-producing land decline significantly by 2050.
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Background
Utah does not currently produce enough food to feed its population. Though Utah farmers and ranchers produce enough protein and almost enough grain to meet our nutritional needs, Utah agriculture produces less dairy, and far less fruits and vegetables, than we need. Our population has already doubled in the last 30 years, and much of our prime farmland and water along the Wasatch Front has been converted to urban uses. As a result of these trends, we rely heavily on foods imported from other states and countries.
Farming and ranching occur on private lands, but they can also occur on public lands. In fact, many of the federal lands in Utah are used for livestock grazing, which accounts for a sizable portion of our protein production.
