Title: Farmland Protection
Headings: Farmland Protection
KnowledgeBase Collection
Farmland Protection
APA Resources
Threats to Farmland
Farmland Protections
Background Resources
Agricultural Protection Zoning
Development at the Urban Fringe and Beyond: Impacts on Agriculture and Rural Land
Farmland Preservation Policies in the United States: Successes and Shortcomings
Farmland Protection: The Role of Local Governments in Protecting Farmland as a Vital Local Resource
Policies and Programs: Protect Farm and Ranch Land
Preservation of Agricultural Lands Through Land Use Planning Tools and Techniques
Preserving Large Farming Landscapes: The Case of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Sustaining Agriculture in Urbanizing Counties: Insights from 15 Coordinated Case Studies
Reports
Can City and Farm Coexist? The Agricultural Buffer Experience in California
Development at the Urban Fringe and Beyond: Impacts on Agriculture and Rural Land
East Windsor Township, NJ, Agricultural Zoning Analysis
Farmland Conservation: Reality or Wishful Thinking? California Case Studies
Farmland and Open Space Preservation Tools, Washington County, WI
Farms for the Future: A Strategic Approach to Saving Maryland’s Farmland and Rural Resources
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Articles
Agricultural Buffers at the Rural-Urban Fringe: An Examination of Approval by Farmers, Residents, and Academics in the Midwestern United States
Farmland Protection: What’s Behind the Growing Interest?
Preservation of Agricultural Lands Through Land Use Planning Tools and Techniques
Preserving Large Farming Landscapes: The Case of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Priorities for Advancing the Concept of New Ruralism
The Future of Farming on the Urban Edge: Insights from Fifteen U.S. Counties About Farmland Protection and Farm Viability
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CLearinghouses
New Jersey Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plans
Policies and Programs: Protect Farm and Ranch Land
States’ Right-to-Farm Statutes
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Briefing Papers
Agricultural Land Conservation: An Important Part of California’s Climate Strategy
Agricultural Zoning
County Right-to-Farm Ordinances in California: An Assessment of Impact and Effectiveness
Farmland Preservation Policies in the United States: Successes and Shortcomings
Farmland Protection: The Role of Local Governments in Protecting Farmland as a Vital Local Resource
Purchase of Development Rights and Conservation Easements: Frequently Asked Questions
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Fact Sheets
Agricultural Conservation Easements
Agricultural District Programs
Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements
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Guides
Agricultural Protection Zoning
Agricultural Zoning District Guidelines for Lancaster County, PA
Farmland Solar Policy Design Toolkit
Guide to Edge Planning: Promoting Compatibility Along Agricultural–Urban Edges
Innovative Land Use Planning Techniques: A Handbook for Sustainable Development
Open Space & Resource Protection Regulations
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Policies
Larimer County, CO, A Right to Farm and Ranch Policy
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Staff Reports
Santa Barbara County, CA, Final Negative Declaration: Agricultural Buffer Ordinance
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Models
Agricultural Zoning District Guidelines for Lancaster County, PA
Georgia Model Code: Alternatives to Conventional Zoning
Innovative Land Use Planning Techniques: A Handbook for Sustainable Development
Land Preservation Notebook: Model Ordinances
Model Farmland Preservation Zoning Ordinances
Model Municipal Ordinance: Establishment of an Agricultural Advisory Committee
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Comprehensive Plans
Batavia, NY, Comprehensive Plan
Boone County, IL, Comprehensive Plan
Davis, CA, General Plan
Henderson County, NC, 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Linn County, OR, Comprehensive Plan
Orland, CA, General Plan
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Functional Plans
A Farmland Preservation Plan for Kenosha County, WI
A Farmland Preservation Plan for Washington County, WI
Albany County, NY, Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Atlantic County, NJ, Farmland Preservation Plan
Burlington County, NJ, Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan
Calumet County, WI, Farmland Preservation Plan
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Regulations
Boone County, IL, Code of Ordinances
Brecknock, PA, Municipal Code
Broward County, FL, Code of Ordinances
Butte County, CA, Zoning Ordinance
Calaveras County, CA, County Code
Calhoun County, MI, Farmland Preservation Program Ordinance
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Related Collections
Food Systems

Content: This blog post argues that farmland preservation is a necessary strategy for food security. Read more
Threats to Farmland
At the moment, there is more U.S. agricultural land than necessary to meet market demands. But over the long term, as populations in the U.S. and abroad continue to grow rapidly, there will be a greater need to protect the remaining finite amount of good agricultural land. Farmland is steadily being lost through both non-farm development on good agricultural land that could be accommodated on less productive land. Even when metropolitan areas are not increasing in population, much scattered development occurs in their vicinity, often on prime agricultural lands, whose physical characteristics are generally excellent for building. Scattered development in farming areas removes agricultural land from production both directly and indirectly. Development directly removes farmland’s agricultural productivity. Indirectly, development may force nearby farmers out of production by non-farm residents’ complaints about dust, odors, sprays, and noise; by causing a general rise in land values leading to higher property taxes; and by fragmenting and decimating the “critical mass” of working farmland needed to maintain an economically viable agricultural sector.