Natural Environment 7.5: Viable Working Landscapes and Fisheries

Fishing and farming affect several topics of the Island Plan, including Natural Environment, and Livelihood & Commerce. The following discussion encompasses a broad range of aspects of farming, so that this issue is treated in one place in the Plan.

There is an intimate relationship between open space and working landscapes such as farming and lumbering.  These land uses tend to involve large areas of land, while providing open space benefits for lands which might otherwise be developed for other commercial uses or for residences.  Without significant change in securing of appropriate lands and facilities, fishing and farming may not remain viable industries on Martha's Vineyard, and could disappear from the landscape and waterfront.  The challenge is how to conserve working land and make it available at reasonable cost for uses that have difficulty competing economically with other kinds of development.  Fishing involves planning for critical shore-based facilities, access and water quality.

Agriculture has been integral to the Vineyard’s culture and economy for generations and has shaped its landscape, though much of the Island’s farmland has disappeared over the last century, transformed into subdivisions or allowed to revert to wooded areas.

The objective of increasing fishing and farming goes well beyond the number of jobs created and the amount of new economic activity directly generated. The Island’s farms and fishing are Vineyard-archetypal icons that need to remain part of our way of life, connecting each of us to our historic roots and to the sources of our food. They are a fundamental part of the character of the Island, add to the market value of real estate, and contribute richness and authenticity to the concept of a heritage tourism program (see section 6.1).  Fishing and farming, and related cottage industries (e.g. products derived from Vineyard harvests) give meaningful work to those for whom this is a passion, and in some cases combine with regular jobs to make a better living.

There are now 26 food-producing farms and 30 other farms of five acres or more on the Island, to say nothing of a large number of smaller, backyard farms. A total of 1,687 acres is classified as farmland, with 935 acres in production of food directly for human consumption, 493 acres in hay and pasture, and 259 acres of horse farms. Of the 1,428 acres of land in food-related production, only 300 acres are permanently protected.

Historically, fishing was a vital part of the Vineyard economy.  Landings and revenues have gone down significantly. When offshore fishing stocks declined, large fishing vessels all but disappeared from Vineyard wharves, creating pressure to turn over those facilities to recreational uses. Once lost, it would be exceedingly difficult for fishermen to retrieve that wharfage.  Fishing faces challenges from declining fishing stocks in state and federal waters, the impact of pollution on shellfish stocks in local waters, limited fishing quotas, and the high cost of licensing.

Ensuring that farming and fishing flourishes on Martha's Vineyard is a multi-faceted challenge; involving land preservation, the logistics and economics of farm operations, processing, distribution, and marketing, as well as the difficulty of finding and housing workers. Securing permanently affordable land is by far the biggest challenge.

Some lands in special areas or sensitive watersheds are not suitable for agriculture, or may be unsuitable for row crops but fine for permanent vegetative covers such as hay and pasture.  Light lumbering is appropriate in many locations, to thin the stands of trees. 

Working landscapes can contribute to open space protection and Island character. Using farmland for food production fulfils the additional goals of making the Island more self-sufficient in food and of fostering food-related employment. We should aim to produce enough to meet at least 20% of the needs of the year-round population.

Food Self-Sufficiency

It is estimated that the present farms could produce about 8% of the food demand of the year-round population, based on dollar values of production and consumption.

This percentage would drop to about 2% if only the permanently protected land remains in food production and the population grows according to the Present Trends option (section 3 – Development & Growth).

However, it could be as much as 47% with an optimistic projection of the area of land in food production (all existing farms and fields, 20% of undeveloped prime agricultural soils, and a large number of backyard gardens), with a Vineyard Food Basket (less meat, more locally viable crops), and the No Net Growth Scenario. 

(These are preliminary estimates. The final estimates will be published in a Technical Bulletin: Agricultural Self-Sufficiency.)

Presently, a tomato shipped from California can cost less than one grown just down the road. As agriculture expands on the Island, leading to economies of scale, and as rising energy costs make long-distance shipping more expensive, we can anticipate that locally produced food will become increasingly price-competitive with imports. Farming would also be aided with strategies discussed in other sections of the Island Plan, such as provision of dormitory housing for the seasonal workforce.

Objective N7: Increase farming and food production.

Ensuring that farming flourishes on Martha's Vineyard is a multi-faceted challenge; involving land preservation, the logistics and economics of farm operations, processing, distribution, and marketing, as well as the difficulty of finding and housing workers. 

·  Strategy N7-1: Set up a Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Commission. The Vineyard is fortunate to have several organizations that work directly or indirectly to promote agriculture – the Agricultural Society, the Island Grown Initiative, the Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group, the Farm Institute, the Martha's Vineyard Conservation Partnership, the County, and the MVC. However, each of these organizations has a specific and limited mandate or role. A Vineyard Agricultural Commission could help coordinate ongoing efforts and take on new responsibilities to further agriculture on the Island. The non-regulatory AgCom could advise boards of selectmen and other town entities about agricultural and aquaculture issues, advocate for the local agricultural community, encourage the pursuit of agriculture, promote agriculture/aquaculture-based economic opportunities, preserve, revitalize, and sustain agricultural businesses and land, developing trust and a working relationship among farmers, residents, town boards, and other institutions, and oversee implementation of the other strategies listed below. It is proposed that the AgCom be made up of a representative of each town and each of the above organizations. An informal Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Alliance has been set up as a first step to creating the AgCom.

Strategy N7-2: Increase efforts to protect and increase farmland. There have been heroic efforts to preserve farmland and to maintain active farming on the Island, often at great personal sacrifice by property owners and farmers. The AgCom can support efforts to provide affordable farmland into the future, focusing on first protecting existing working farms which might otherwise disappear with the next generation.  Next, the effort should focus on expanding farmland, targeting the fallow fields and the 2,641 acres of undeveloped land that is classified as prime agricultural soils.  Lands with greater habitat value or in nitrogen-sensitive watersheds should be avoided or carefully managed. The AgCom, in collaboration with the agricultural community, and with technical assistance from the MVC, should identify important existing and potential agricultural lands.  Specific techniques that could be used to increase the amount of farmland include using more public land for farming, such as appropriate Land Bank land, school properties, public and utility rights of way, and landfills after restrictions have expired; as well as using tax incentives related to Conservation Restrictions (permanent) and Chapter 61A (not permanent) protections.

·  Strategy N7-3: Increase food production.  There are several techniques that could be used to make Martha's Vineyard more self-sufficient in food. We should increase land in food production by protecting more agricultural land and by increasing the proportion of agricultural land that is in food production (such as by having the Land Bank and other land conservation entities making this a requirement for future agricultural protection agreements).  We could increase yield per acre, particularly in the areas of backyard gardens and greenhouses, provided these techniques are environmentally sound. We could change what we eat; eliminating foods that don’t grow well here and reducing the consumption of meat products that involve significantly more land than production of vegetables, grains and beans.

·  Strategy N7-4: Increase agriculture infrastructure. Plan and execute needed agricultural infrastructure; such as a meat processing facility (building on IGI’s experience with poultry processing), a fish-processing facility, a dairy co-operative (like there was on the Island from 1946-1961), a co-operative for buying and delivering farm supplies, and greenhouses for winter growing.

·  Strategy N7-5: Utilize value-added techniques to extend production. Selling processed agricultural products – such as strawberry jam from Vineyard berries or sweaters from Vineyard sheep – helps take full advantage of local crops and increase sales and export possibilities.

·  Strategy N7-6: Resolve issues of local supply and demand. Local food producers and contract buyers (restaurants, grocers) have indentified the need for improvements to the distribution system to allow farmers to plan production and be assured of sales. Buyers also need a reliable local supply, which may mean that the farmers would have to grow extra, necessitating a market for surplus.

·  Strategy N7-7: Promote and market local food. Continuing efforts to promote Island-grown foods not only support the efforts of individual producers, but also foster pride in the Vineyard as a food producer. Adoption of Right-To-Farm Bylaws indicates community support for agriculture, and encourages people to be proud to live near farms and to embrace farming in their neighborhoods.

Objective N8: Increase fishing.

Many of the strategies outlined above for farming apply equally to fishing, such as those dealing with distribution, promotion, and marketing. The following are additional strategies dealing specifically with fishing.

Strategy N8-1: Enhance shellfish stocks in coastal ponds: Presently, there are three shellfish hatcheries on the Island, and a fourth that is not operating. In addition to restoring water quality and habitat, we should increase the production of shellfish seed from local brood stock. The seed then needs to be grown to survivable size and planted out into ponds. It is estimated that this could lead to two hundred jobs in commercial shellfishing. 

·  Strategy N8-2: Increase aquaculture: Aquaculture – in coastal ponds and in open ocean waters within three miles of shore – can provide many benefits for the community, supplying local food, creating jobs, and removing nitrogen from coastal ponds. The priority is shellfish, since finfish have many environmental problems. It would be best to use aquaculture techniques that minimize conflicts with recreational boating and scenic values, and protect the fragile ecology of pond bottoms.

·  Strategy N8-3: Protect harbor facilities for commercial fishing. The federal government is moving aggressively to restore offshore fish stocks. It is important that we reserve wharfage and room for icing and takeout facilities, in order to reestablish a viable local large-vessel commercial fishing industry as fish stocks come back.

Strategy N8-4: Set up facilities for on-Island fish processing. The shortage of licensed fish processing facilities means that most fish landed by local fishermen must be taken to New Bedford or other ports for processing. Creating a cooperative processing facility on-Island would allow local fish to be sold directly to Island fish markets, grocers, and restaurants. 

 ·  Strategy N8-5: Purchase community-owned fishing licenses. Since the cost of a commercial fishing license is prohibitive for local fishermen, almost all licenses are bought by corporations. A Vineyard fishing cooperative or other entity could be established that would buy one license and allow several fishermen to operate under it.  This strategy has been successful in Maine, and is presently being investigated by the Martha’s Vineyard/Dukes County Commercial Fishermen’s Association.

Objective N9: Promote lumbering

There is some potential for a limited lumber industry on the Island, mainly selective harvesting in wooded areas. However, the land on Martha's Vineyard is so valuable from both an economic and biodiversity point of view, that it is not realistic to expect that there will be any new commercial plantations for lumbering.

·  Strategy N9-1: Accommodate the homegrown lumber industry:  Encourage a small scale lumbering industry to harvest trees that need to be thinned and transform them into useful lumber, rather than simply chipping and disposing. This could include removing white pines from the State Forest. This lumber can then be used for construction or making wood products. Harvesting local firewood, especially in areas where this will also improve habitat value (e.g. State Forest) should go hand in hand with a reduction in imports of firewood, which is a key vector for tree disease.