The story of Texas’s working lands, or privately owned farms, ranches, and forests, is one of rapid changes that have widespread implications for national and food security, rural economies, and the conservation of wildlife, water, and other natural resources. Over 139 million acres of valuable landscapes supporting these processes are threatened by suburbanization, rural development, and land fragmentation driven by rapid economic and population growth.

Texas is home to over 30 million people, the 8^th largest economy in the world, and 8 of the 15 fastest growing cities in the U.S. By 2050, it is anticipated that the state will have a total population of over 40 million. This increase, particularly surrounding major urban centers like Houston, DFW, and Austin, will continue the ongoing loss of working lands. Balancing an increasing Texas population, land and water demands, industry, recreation, food, and ecological processes poses many challenges and opportunities for creative and collaborative conservation efforts to ensure the prosperity of Texas.

Members of NRI’s geospatial analysis team are using this opportunity to educate Texas's future land stewards on how they can use creativity and collaboration to address the problems of land fragmentation, urban sprawl, and the loss of working lands.

“The hope of the future lies not in curbing the influence of human occupancy – it is already too late for that – but in creating a better understanding of the extent of that influence and a new ethic for its governance” -Aldo Leopold

The Norman Borlaug Youth in Agriculture Program was developed for rural and urban Texas high school students to develop collaborative relationships between their communities and learn about the current and future natural resource issues Texas faces, such as water availability, land fragmentation, food insecurity, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Our geospatial analysts, the force behind the Texas Land Trends program, jumped at the opportunity to mentor students for a second year about these big issues in our state that even our current leaders are struggling to solve.

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The student experience

Students were grouped into two main teams where team “Conserve & Collaborate” was asked to develop a system of collaborative ecosystem services management between neighboring landowners and economic drivers in Texas, while team “Communicate & Educate” was tasked with developing an educational campaign for an event to convey the importance of working lands in the state and bridge the urban/rural information gap.

“Serving as a challenge coordinator this year was another opportunity to help connect the land trends dots with a new generation of leaders in Texas. These students were faced with challenging issues facing our state and I enjoyed getting to be a part of their learning and development of innovative solutions,” shared Project Specialist Addie Smith.

Each student approached their “wicked problem” with a unique, individual perspective and used their creativity and leadership skills to develop an innovative solution to land fragmentation and urbanization in Texas. The first team demonstrated how land fragmentation occurs and created a program titled “Unfragmented.” They provided educational materials for students and landowners across the state to help them better understand how communities are formed and what natural resources they need to thrive. Using digital media, email campaigns, and school events, they plan to reach students, teachers, and potential learners with outreach and education opportunities.

The second team began by explaining the value of ecosystem services, the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being and survival. These provisioning, supporting, regulating, and cultural services are essential for healthy working lands and surrounding communities. The students created a grant program titled “Agri-Alliance,” which considers a landowner’s acreage and the value of their ecosystem services to provide them with financial benefits when they conserve and steward their property. Their creative solution incentivizes sound land management practices, encourages education about the value of ecosystem services, and financially benefits smaller-acreage landowners.

These high achievers came prepared with excellent leadership and speaking skills. Our mentors were impressed time and time again with their creative problem-solving, fresh perspectives, and eagerness to learn. This was an exciting opportunity for our experts to provide their insights and prepare these leaders of tomorrow for what the future holds, equipping them with experiences that teach them to listen to and collaborate with Texans of different backgrounds. Filling in knowledge gaps for Texans is part of our Extension mission, and establishing valuable connections and partnerships with programs like the Norman Borlaug Youth in Agriculture Program allows us to create positive impacts and give back to both our urban and rural communities.

Land fragmentation and working land loss are indeed wicked problems for Texans, and we work diligently to inform current and upcoming leaders about these trends so that, collectively, we can approach each challenge with focused creativity and resilience.

Watch the 2025 Norman Borlaug Youth in Agriculture Program Learning Community Presentations here.

Photos: Texas 4-H Youth Development