The Capital Press reports that organic agriculture acreage in Washington State "increased by an estimated 27 percent between 2006 and 2007."

We are well on our way to creating an agriculture industry that relies very little on petrochemical inputs (made from petroleum and natural gas). This type of farming also lures more people to purchase organic food, much of which is available very near our homes.

The Victoria Times Colonist reports that, "the menace is the demise of automobility -- the end of a gas-fuelled dream that is unsustainable, both culturally and economically." Car dependent areas, particularly ones accessed by other petroleum-dependent transportation, are vulnerable to every increase in fuel costs. Beyond transportation, the island economies face shortages of tourists at the same time as the cost of living skyrockets.

Even as the demand for local food grows, its hard to see how a new generation of farmers will be able to find land near Seattle to farm. PI reporter Jennifer Langston wrote about the increasing demand for farmland and the difficulties that young people have finding and buying affordable land. "As demand grows for local food -- an appetite fueled by health-conscious urban families, schools, food banks and restaurants -- many are questioning where that supply and a new generation of farmers will come from." There seem to be two related issues. Despite efforts by King County to protect farmland, the programs don't always work to keep agricultural land in production.