30 Years of Supporting New York
Farms & Food Businesses

What is Vision 2050?

 

CADE and its research partners Cornell University’s Dyson School of Economics and Management,  Cornell Small Farms Program, Hartwick College, SUNY Cobleskill’s Institute for Rural Vitality, and faculty of Columbia University are delighted to present:

 

“Vision 2050: A New York State Vision for a Profitable, Regenerative, Equitable, Healthy Food System Future by 2050”  

(click above link to view the entire document)

 

Vision 2050 is a culmination of a 3 year research project engaging stakeholders across New York State to put forward an integrated, comprehensive Food System Vision by 2050–one that is profitable, regenerative, equitable, and healthy–aimed at setting the agenda for New York’s political leaders and informing the foundation of a State Plan. 

 

Ultimately, it envisions a food system–and a roadmap to get there–that accelerates sustainable agricultural economic development; creates green jobs throughout the farm and food sector; increases food security and healthy food access; advances equity, and mitigates climate change.

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Why does NYS need a food system vision?

 

New York has a proud agricultural history and all the elements for a thriving agricultural and food future–we are among  the largest agricultural producers in the Northeast, second only to Pennsylvania; we have water abundance; access to the Northeast’s largest population centers; and State political leaders and vibrant civil society coalitions that support agriculture. 

 

And yet, despite New York’s rich agricultural assets and potential for economic growth, we also face tremendous challenges today–

• shrinking farmland due to economic and development pressures; 

• rising climate challenges that impact agriculture from increased flooding to depleted soils; 

• increasing numbers of retiring farmers without an adequate pipeline of successors; 

• thinning agricultural labor supply; 

• aspiring Black and Brown farmers who face overwhelming barriers to entry; 

• decreasing capacity and inefficiencies in processing and distribution; 

• hampered food system resilience in emergency contexts like COVID; and 

• lack of healthy food access especially in marginalized communities. 

 

Fortunately, New York has extraordinary leaders and networks working to address many of these specific challenges. 

 

But we also recognize that too often, efforts may be siloed, or even at times, competing–such as zero sum game debates raging between climate justice activists and cattle producers, or solar panel developers that will enhance green energy but may risk taking farmland out of production. 

 

In other cases, regional geographic boundaries created by the Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs), while well-intentioned, can be part of the problem. For example, a regional effort to fill the need for more efficient food aggregation and distribution systems can cannibalize efforts in a neighboring region, creating potential to undermine both. With better State planning and coordination, we all win. In other words, New York will benefit from planning holistically, weaving throughlines together.