Urban sprawl poses a serious threat to our agricultural lands. Between 1992 and 1997, the U.S. lost more than 6 million acres of farmland to low density development such as shopping malls and housing subdivisions, according to American Farmland Trust. They also say that America loses a further two acres of farmland every minute of every day. Our agricultural lands must be preserved as a vital component of sustainability. In addition to feeding and clothing us, farmland provides open space, food and habitat for diverse wildlife, and maintains a link to our nation's agricultural heritage. 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses. Working through existing programs, USDA partners with State, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners.

The American Farmland Trust brings farmland loss and environmentally damaging farming practices to the attention of policymakers as well as the general public. The American Farmland Trust website provides an on-line Farmland Information Center, a newsletter, a searchable database of farmland protection statutes, and a series of publications and videos on farmland issues.  

Glynwood Center helps communities work for economic development while preserving their natural and cultural heritages. Their Agricultural Initiative is involved in several projects designed to sustain small and mid-size farmers.

Rural Heritage Program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is dedicated to the recognition and protection of rural historic and cultural resources. Through educational programs, publications, and technical assistance, the Rural Heritage Program supports the efforts of rural communities across the country to both preserve and live with their heritage.

Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture Bureau of Farmland Preservation heads state efforts in agricultural land protection through purchase of agricultural easements. Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of farms and acres of farmland protected.

The Marin Agricultural Land Trust is a land trust dedicated to preserving farmland in Marin County, California. MALT was the first land trust to focus exclusively on farmland preservation and is a model for efforts across the nation. 

A number of states and counties have agricultural land preservation programs. For example: Kent County, Maryland; Delaware; New York; Michigan; California and Lake County, Ohio. There are also numerous state and local organizations involved in regional farmland protection, such as: Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust; Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland; and Vermont Land Trust.

On-line Articles 

Defining Prime Agricultural Land and Methods of Protection, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, 1996.

Farmland Protection Action Guide: 24 Strategies for California, Institute for Local Self Government, League of California Cities.

Illinois Agricultural Areas Conservation and Preservation Act, Fact Sheet 2000. (pdf)

Small is Fruitful: A hands-on approach to farmland preservation, from Planning Practice, monthly publication of the American Planning Association.

Oregon’s land use laws save rural land, shows study of 15 cities, excerpted from a report by Northwest Environment Watch, says that greater Portland lost less than half as much rural land and open space in the 1990s as comparable cities, due to land-use policies.

Publications 

Working Ranchlands Conservation Easements, Land Trust Alliance.
This report is designed to give land trusts and land conservationists sound ideas to incorporate into their efforts to protect ranchlands from inappropriate development, based on successful experiences. Land Trust Alliance also offers Saving the Ranch, a guide to conservation easements for ranchers, conservationists, and developers concerned with protecting the natural and scenic values of ranch lands in the western United States.

American Farmland Trust offers a number of publications, as well as maps and videos related to farmland loss and farmland preservation. Titles include: Forging New Protections: Purchasing Development Rights to Save Farmland; Cost of Community Services Studies: Making the Case for Conservation; and Saving American Farmland: What Works.

Recent American Farmland Trust publications include the fact sheet Why Save Farmland? (PDF 111 KB), and Town Meets Country: Farm-City Forums on Land and Community, which reports on the results of five meetings held around the country to explore land use issues facing urban and rural communities. The forums revealed that farmers and urbanites have a common enemy in land-wasting sprawl development. The sponsors hope the forum idea will expand to other communities, encouraging farmers and city dwellers to sit down together to explore how they can cooperate and how farms and cities depend on one another. Another release from American Farmland Trust, Strategic Ranchland in the Rocky Mountain West, shows that more than 24 million acres of ranchland in seven states are at peril from low-density development. These ranchlands represent natural resources that could completely disappear by 2020, leaving a rent in the ecological, economic and cultural fabric of local communities.

The Western Governors' Association (WGA), the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), and the Trust for Public Land have released an updated edition of their publication Purchase of Development Rights: Conserving Lands, Preserving Western Livelihoods. The popular report is designed to assist states, counties, land trusts, and citizens in protecting productive farm and ranch land through the purchase of development rights. The new edition is thoroughly revised and updated and includes a new chapter highlighting federal assistance for purchase of development rights available under the Farm Bill of 2002.

Farmland Protection Action Guide: 24 Strategies for California helps decision-makers evaluate the policy options available to protect farmland and select strategies that best fit community needs, with examples of practical solutions adopted by other communities.

Center for Agriculture in the Environment presents Saving Open Spaces: Public Support for Farmland Protection, a 1999 report that includes policy implications and policy recommendations.

Last updated: January 31, 2004

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