Problem Essay Sample

Report on the Effect of Urban Sprawl on the Farmers in Valley of Sun

Introduction
Urban sprawl refers to the spread of development at an “insane” pace without considering the negative effects that such development may have of the local community. The challenge with urban sprawl is that it claims land that should be used for agriculture, and such land is used in infrastructural development. Urban sprawl occurs at a haphazard manner, meaning that there is lack of good planning by the concerned authorities, and due to lack of planning, urban sprawl is the kind of development that does not help the people within the environment where it occurs. This report addresses the county government of Arizona which is charged with the management of the natural resources including land. The report recommends that the Arizona government should develop controls that will protect the land for farming because lack of this resource shall create unemployment, lack of adequate food for the county’s population, among other challenges.

Urban sprawl in Valley of Sun is a matter that requires proper understanding of the concerned authorities in the area. Although Valley of Sun is an area that requires infrastructural development to support agriculture, urban sprawl in Valley of Sun is not achieving the objective of supporting farming because there is lack of proper planning and coordination of the construction projects to eliminate their negative effects on agriculture. The community in Valley of Sun depends on different farm produces for subsistence and commercial purposes but urban sprawl continues to reduce the amount of farm outputs in the area.

How urban sprawl affects the farmers in Valley of Sun

Today, Valley of Sun in Arizona experiences a situation where fertile land that the farmers should use for agriculture is being prized for housing and other infrastructural development. The concern of the local authorities in Valley of Sun appears to be on increasing the number of houses and infrastructure in an unplanned manner. The authorities tend to ignore the need for land by the farmers and the role that agriculture plays in facilitating the day-to-day lives of the people. The authorities demonstrate little thought about the need to preserve fertile land for the farmers. The authorities do not also consider the economic costs and implications of lack of adequate food supply in the future. Farming is a potential source of employment creation as more than six thousand people in Valley of Sun area depend on agriculture for direct employment as farmers. Before permitting the spread of urbanization to the land that should be preserved for farming, the authorities should consider the effect of unemployment on the farmers. It means that the farmers will continue becoming unemployed and poor. The authorities should also care about the indirect jobs, for example, the groceries that sell the farm will lack jobs when the farmers stop farming because their farming land has been taken for urbanization.
Considering how urban sprawl has affected other areas can give an insight into how it shall affect the farmers in Valley of Sun. Melbourne is a good case that Valley of Sun should learn from. In Melbourne, farming contributes $1.6 billion to the economy. The local government of Melbourne understands that in 37 years, Melbourne’s population shall reach 18 million and there is, therefore, the need to conserve the fertile land in Melbourne so that its large population in the future shall get sufficient food. Although the local government understands that there is need to provide clear boundaries between agricultural land and land for urbanization, it has failed to give the timelines within which the boundaries should be effective. This means that there shall be continuous interference on agricultural land and farmers will continue facing scarcity of land as most of it is taken away for urbanization.
Farmers in Valley of Sun require the protection of the government from the extensive use of their farming land for urbanization. Despite the ability of the government to protect the farmers from their diminishing land resources, the government has continued ignoring its role, and the priority of the government appears to be on promoting urban sprawl. The government has ignored the important role that agriculture plays in the area yet in its absence, the people shall lack food. If the farmers stop their farming activities due to scarcity of land, the implication is that the more people in the area shall suffer from mal-nutrition. It is impossible for unhealthy citizens who lack food to participate in economic development. Valley of Sun is fertile area that supplies a vast percentage of Arizona’s food. It is a region that is rich in vegetables and fruits, and these are foods that the people of Arizona need desperately. The farmers also sell their surplus produces to other states, which means that in the absence of farming in Valley of Sun, Arizona shall have lost an important source of income and employment.

Recommendations

There is the need for the government of Arizona to develop the policies that shall prevent the encroachment into land that should be preserved for farming in Valley of Sun. Government must not just develop the policies but also implement them with the objective of protecting the land for the farmers.
Farming in Valley of Sun has been misconceived. The government has ignored the economic roles that farming plays in the area. The government needs to protect the fertile lands for sustainability of agriculture in the future. The government needs to consider the huge number of people who rely on agriculture for direct and indirect employment. Taking such a perspective means that the government shall prevent the growing tendency of spreading constructions on land that should be preserved for farming.
Arizona should learn from the mistakes of other government, for example, Melbourne. In Melbourne, the government has ignored protecting agricultural land and the effect has been loss of the jobs for its locally employed farmers. Melbourne also faces the threat of being incapable of feeding its fast-growing population in the future. Unlike the government of Melbourne, the government of Arizona should implement land policies in a stringent manner rather than just putting the policies on paper.
Arizona must also understand the implications of unplanned development. Urban sprawl not only grabs the land for agriculture. The government should understand that in the future, it shall face challenges like lack of public space for recreation, e.g. parks. Its water catchment areas shall also be affected by the sprawling urbanization.

Conclusion

In summary, urban sprawl is challenge that poses serious threats for the farmers in Valley of Sun. Many farmers rely on agriculture for employment. Agriculture also employs people indirectly supplies food to the local population while some of the products are sold to other counties. The government needs to understand implications of unemployment, lack of sufficient food supplies, and other challenges that are bound to occur if the farmers stop their agricultural activities due to lack of land for farming.