The future of farming in Maryland

July 15, 2015

By Joanna Diamond, Food & Farming Committee Chair Maryland Chapter Sierra Club

Sheep by Dan Furmansky

 
It’s time to reimagine our food system in Maryland. Agriculture is the single largest source of pollution to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay! But it’s not just about ensuring that agricultural practices don’t impede our waters from being swimmable, fishable and drinkable. Rethinking our food system also means addressing fairness, public health, government transparency, climate impact, subsidies, animal welfare, and the most personal of all choices—how we vote with our forks.

Sierra Club is working towards a vision of the healthy future that we all want for our communities, and in order to achieve this vision, we simply must address Maryland’s food and farming system.

Get Involved!

 

Think poultry waste in our waterways is crappy? Want to see the government subsidize healthy, local, sustainable farming instead of factory farms? Concerned about toxic pesticides harming pollinators and the overuse of antibiotics in farmed animals causing antibiotic resistance?

These are some of the major issues that motivate the work of Sierra Club Maryland’s Food & Farming Committee. Join us in our goals to make a difference in Maryland’s food system.

Here are a few ways you can help:

  1. Let us know what YOU think. Take our survey.
  2. Join the Food and Farming Committee.
  3. Serve as an “issue lead” for our work on pesticides or antibiotics.
  4. Sign up for the Food & Farming listserve to stay abreast of these important issues.

This year, thanks to advocates like you, Maryland took a huge step forward in addressing agricultural pollution by implementing new rules regarding how much manure farmers can apply to their fields. This is just the beginning. Together, we can ensure that Maryland is leading the way in responsible farming and equitable food systems.

Get Involved!

In partnership,

Joanna Diamond

Food & Farming Committee Chair
Sierra Club Maryland Chapter