Farmer, and local food activist, Laura Masterson shares her concerns for the future protection of urban farmlands. Oregon has done a good job in protecting its urban farms, and providing balance against the forces of unrestrained development. Today, those ongoing efforts spanning decades past, the vision of politicians and the will of citizens in Oregon to protect urban farms has placed our State well above the fold.

Still, as Masterson ponders the continued long-term viability of urban agriculture in Oregon, the future is less than rosy. As the competing pressures from commercial and residential use of land within the metro areas continue to increase, without a renewed and coordinated effort in land use preservation, according to Masterson, urban farms will largely disappear over the next 50 years.

How important is preserving urban farmland as a source of local foods for the future citizens, and farmers of Oregon?