Modern Farmer published a story this week that discussed the conversion of prime farmland into urban areas across the world. This is certainly something that is happening in the Southeast as large cities like Atlanta and Charlotte expand into “mega-cities”, filling up all the space between city centers with suburbs and exurbs and removing good land from agricultural production. You can read more about it here.
Other changes in land use over time will change climate and agriculture in the Southeast as well. Increases in urban areas will increase local temperatures due to heat island effects; this may make heat emergencies more severe although it could reduce heating costs in winter while increasing cooling costs in summer. Removal of farmland near cities from agricultural production may lead to conversion of currently forested land back into crop production. This would also increase temperatures even in rural areas since bare ground and crops associated with those conditions like corn and cotton are generally warmer and drier than forested areas. And changes in climate in places like California, which currently supplies the bulk of many agricultural products in the US, may move agricultural production back to the Southeast.
