Georgia Senate Committee will study loss of farmland, look at solutions. How you can get involved
A new Senate committee has been created with the goal of reviewing and recommending policies to protect and sustain Georgia's agricultural lands.
"We cannot ever get dependent on the world for food. If we depend on the world for food, we're in trouble," said Georgia State Sen. Billy Hickman (R - District 4).
Hickman is the chairman of the Senate Study Committee on the Preservation of Georgia's Farmlands.
"We have lost 2.4 million acres of farmland in Georgia since 1974 to development, either housing development or business development," Hickman said.
Hickman said it is not just development, though. According to Solar Energy Industries Associates, Georgia ranks seventh in the nation for total installed solar capacity. That is why senators will also be taking a close look at the impact of solar farms.
"People have talked to me about now having solar panels on top of warehouses. Solar panels in some states are being put on top of landfills. We see a lot in foreign countries, in parking lots, you see solar panels are high enough that people are able to park under them," Hickman said. "So I think again, the purpose of the committee is to make more information available and get us thinking about things."
Hickman said they will also be examining planning practices in municipalities across the state.
"The greatest hindrance to agriculture is uncontrolled growth, not managing growth. We've got that in a lot of our communities that don't have land use planning, sometimes referred to as zoning," Hickman said.
Hickman said the public will have a chance to get involved with all of this.
On July 30 at Georgia Southern University's Continuing Education campus on Highway 301 in Statesboro, the committee will be holding its first meeting. Hickman said the meeting will begin at 10 a.m. There will be a 30 to 45 minute public comment period at the end of the meeting.
"I hope we have hundreds of people there. This is a perfect opportunity for not only not only citizens to talk, but farmers to talk," Hickman said.