Strong communities across South Carolina depend on the farms and rural landscapes that have defined our state’s character for generations. These working lands don’t just produce food—they sustain rural economies, preserve our heritage, and shape the places we call home.
Yet South Carolina stands to lose 586,000 acres of farmland over the next two decades if current development trends continue. That’s an area almost as big as the state of Rhode Island.
Our research team created mapping tools to show where this loss is likely to hit hardest, giving communities the information they need to focus their preservation efforts where they matter most.
The Challenge Facing South Carolina’s Farmland
Our mapping analysis revealed three patterns that put South Carolina farmland at greatest risk:
- Farmland near major transportation corridors faces intense development pressure as distribution centers and warehouses seek highway access.
- Communities with natural amenities – the coast, state parks, lakes, scenic landscapes – increasingly attract higher-income remote workers, driving up property values beyond what farming families can afford.
- Rural areas adjacent to urban centers experience the first wave of suburban expansion, as housing development spills outward from populated areas.
These patterns help explain why farmland loss isn’t happening randomly across the state – it’s concentrated where economic and geographic forces converge.
How Communities Can Take Action
Communities can combine their local knowledge with insights from our diagnostic tool to take targeted action where it’s needed most.
- For areas near transportation corridors: Help farmers leverage their highway access for direct sales, distribution to urban markets, and value-added processing operations that benefit from transportation links. At the same time, work with local governments to create agricultural zoning protections that prevent warehouse and distribution development from displacing farmers.
- For communities with natural amenities: Help farmers expand what they already do – growing food and stewarding land – into new income opportunities. Community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs can connect newcomers directly with local farms, while agritourism ventures like farm tours, seasonal events, and farm-to-table experiences let farmers profit from the same rural character that attracts development pressure. Support these entrepreneurial efforts alongside land conservation easements and property tax relief programs.
- For rural areas facing suburban expansion: Address the root problem of land speculation by supporting community land trusts and right-of-first-refusal programs that give local farmers priority when agricultural land comes up for sale. Push for policies that discourage absentee LLC ownership – such as higher tax rates for non-farming landowners or requirements that corporate buyers demonstrate agricultural use. These approaches help ensure that farmland stays accessible and affordable for the families who want to work it.
Effective preservation also requires supporting organizations that protect heirs’ property – land that can be particularly vulnerable to development pressure. Consider partnering with groups like the Center for Heirs Property and the Farmland Access Legal Toolkit. Lastly, use our research findings to educate your community about emerging pressures before development pressure changes the fabric of rural life.
Every community facing farmland loss has unique challenges that demand tailored solutions. Our research team can help you leverage these mapping insights and develop preservation strategies that work for your specific area—but this critical work requires dedicated funding to reach the communities that need it most.