Locations of Largest NJ State Farm Preservations and Farmers Markets
Description
This data set presents New Jersey Agricultural data from New Jersey SADC (2020) to map fifty farms in New Jersey by their acreage easement sizes. Following the farm mapping, fifteen of South Jersey’s most advertised farmers markets were mapped, with buffers present to demonstrate the farms proximity to the locations fresh produce is being sold. The initial data sets were gathered from two main sources, and then combined. New Jersey Agricultural data came from the NJ State Agriculture Development Committee, which categorized NJ Farm preservations from 1983 to present. We mapped the fifty biggest farms by acre. A guide to South Jersey Farmers Markets was then used to obtain the farmers market locations, which was turned into a .csv file to be geocoded in arcgis.com The data were then geocoded using ArcGIS Online software for visualization. The state’s 50 largest farms were located within 3 Southern counties, Gloucester, Camden and Atlantic. The largest farms by acreage easement are a collection in Atlantic County. 15 of South Jersey’s most prominent farmers markets were cited by a website which advertises South Jersey places that are positively impactful to the community. The buffers around the markets are ten miles in radius, and every market except for one is within ten miles of at least one farm. This shows how close fresh produce is grown. Conclusions such as efficiency and food security for South Jersey residents may be implied by this proximity. Geocoded data sets join New Jersey agriculture processes to their placement within society, demonstrating the availability of fresh food from local markets in Southern New Jersey. By understanding where our food comes from we can feel more connected to it and potentially make more sustainable consumption decisions. In many parts of the world, food travels hundreds if not thousands of miles before it ends up on someone's dinner table. Transportation is time consuming, costly, and environmentally damaging due to resource consumption of mechanized transportation. By have local produce available we can cut out a lot of the resource consumption that goes into food consumption, creating a more sustainable system.