Driven by subsidies, mandates and federal and state policies compelling the use of more renewable energy, solar energy facilities are now displacing farmland at an increasing rate. Critics argue that climate protection and efficient food production are mutually exclusive. While land leases generally offer protection for landowners so that farms can be reclaimed from the solar. . We can and do build solar panels in sparsely inhabited deserts or on rooftops in cities, but it's often cheaper and easier to site them on arable land that could otherwise be used for agriculture. This trend has raised skepticism in rural communities, prompting questions about land value. . Should we be putting solar panels on prime farmland? The process of plant photosynthesis — converting sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose — is at the heart of many of our most important global energy systems. State University The emerging conflict. .
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