Bet The Farm On It

A new study finds that agricultural easement programs are protecting farmland from urban expansion.

1 minute read

October 21, 2003, 1:00 PM PDT

The American Farmland Trust and the University of California's Agricultural Issues Center have released a nationwide study on the use of easements to preserve farmland. "Agricultural easements allow landowners to sell the development rights on their farms to government or nonprofit organizations in exchange for agreeing to keep the land permanently available for agriculture. The use of farm easements has grown exponentially since the 1970s; today 26 states have at least one publicly funded easement program at the state or local level...The authors...concluded that agricultural easements have potential to complement local planning and land use policies to protect farmland, but have not yet fulfilled their promise due to lack of coordination and limited planning policies in some communities."

Thanks to David Gest

Read the full story: University of California Study: Easements Shield Suburban Farms From Development; Six California Farmland Protection Programs Among the 46 Studied Nationwide

Friday, October 17, 2003 in Ascribe

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