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Planning for Agriculture in New York: A Toolkit for Towns and Counties
January 2011by: David Haight, Diane HeldThis toolkit offers helpful strategies and guidance for all towns and counties on planning for agricultural uses -
Larimer County, CO, A Right to Farm and Ranch Policy
BCC Policy #18A, Adopted September 1998This standalone policy protects farms and ranches from nuisance complaints as long as they are compliant with county regulations. -
Open Space & Resource Protection Regulations
2007This guide provides information to help implement regulations to help protect open space in Vermont. -
Priorities for Advancing the Concept of New Ruralism
Sustainability 8(3): 1-15, 2016by: Galen Newman, Jesse Saginor, AICPThis article expands on the concept of “New Ruralism,” a development framework that links farmland preservation with residential development to reduce farmland conversion and low-density development and create planned agrarian-based rural suburbs that counteract sprawl. -
County Right-to-Farm Ordinances in California: An Assessment of Impact and Effectiveness
AIC Issues Brief Number 15, May 2001by: Matthew Wacker, Alvin Sokolow, Rachel ElkinsThis briefing paper reviewed 15 county-adopted right-to-farm ordinances and their implementation to determine the effectiveness of this tool in protecting agricultural operations and reducing farm-urban edge conflicts. -
Agricultural Land Conservation: An Important Part of California’s Climate Strategy
April 2016This briefing paper argues for another benefit of farmland preservation: helping to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals. -
Agricultural Conservation Easements
April 2019by: Julia Freedgood, Jennifer DempseyThis fact sheet provides definitions for agricultural conservation easements, gives an overview of its history, and describes some of the benefits and risks of this farmland protection tool. -
Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements
November 2020by: Farmland Information CenterThis fact sheet defines purchase of agricultural conservation easement (PACE) programs, gives an overview of the history of PACE programs, and describes their function and purpose. -
Zoning in Support of Agriculture in Ohio: What Are the Options?
May 2007by: Jill Clark, Peggy HallThis briefing paper sought to answer the question of how zoning can support agricultural activities. -
States’ Right-to-Farm Statutes
November 2020by: Rusty W. Rumley, Elizabeth RumleyThis web page from the National Agricultural Law Center offers access to each state’s Right-to-Farm statute. -
Agricultural District Programs
September 2016This fact sheet describes state-level agricultural district programs and gives an overview of the history of the program. -
Culpeper County, VA, Code of Ordinances
Updated September 2021This county's code of ordinance belongs to the Farmland Protection and Integrated Water Resource Management collections -
Preservation of Agricultural Lands Through Land Use Planning Tools and Techniques
Natural Resources Journal, 44(1): 283–318, 2004by: Elisa PasterThis article establishes the importance of protecting farmland, outlines the legal authority of local governments to do so, and discusses several regulatory and nonregulatory farmland protection policies and implementation techniques, including agricultural zoning (area-based and large-lot), cluster development, agricultural buffering, right-to-farm laws, agricultural districting, land evaluation -
Sustaining Agriculture in Urbanizing Counties: Insights from 15 Coordinated Case Studies
January 2009by: Mark Lapping, Anita Zurbrugg, Dick EsseksThis report addresses the conditions under which farming may remain viable in areas that are subject to substantial development pressures, by examining 15 metro area counties across the U.S.. -
Farmland Protection: The Role of Local Governments in Protecting Farmland as a Vital Local Resource
Growing Food Connections Planning & Policy Brief, September 2017by: Ann Dillemuth, AICPThis briefing paper, produced as part of the Growing Food Connections project, offers an overview of regulatory and programmatic approaches to protect farmland from non-farm development. -
Farmland Preservation Policies in the United States: Successes and Shortcomings
June 2004by: Thomas DanielsThis briefing paper from the University of Pennsylvania addresses the disconnect between the farm income-oriented policies of the federal government and the land use and growth management policies of state and local governments and the challenge of getting the latter to engage in farmland protection efforts. -
Protect Farm and Ranch Land
Updated November 2020This clearinghouse, curated by the American Farmland Trust’s Farmland Information Center, provides an overview of state and federal programs, regulations, and other strategies to protect farmland and support agriculture. -
Farmland Solar Policy Design Toolkit
May 2020by: Genevieve ByrneThis guide is designed to help state and local officials understand how different state and local policy options affect opportunities to site solar projects on farmland. -
Agricultural Protection Zoning
Updated November 2013by: Spotts Stevens & McCoy Inc, John Theilacker, Andrew LozaThis guide from the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association summarizes agricultural protection zoning options. -
Amherst Town, NY, Farmland Protection & Agricultural Development Plan
Adopted June 2021This functional plan presents strategies for farmland protection and agricultural development. -
Buncombe County, NC, Farmland Protection Plan
Updated June 2020This functional plan provides recommendations to help protect prime farmland and support the agricultural sector in Buncombe County, recognizing that while the county has successfully preserved farmland over the years, it has experienced a decline in farm economic activity. -
Orange County, NY, Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Adopted January 2015This functional plan provides strategies to guide the county's agricultural and farmland protection efforts. -
Greenwich Township, NJ, Farmland Preservation Plan Element
Adopted January 2011This functional plan addresses farmland preservation within the jurisdiction. -
Oneida County, NY, Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan
Adopted June 2017This functional plan presents goals and strategies for agricultural and farmland protection within the county. -
Combating the Climate Crisis Through Conservation
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, July 10, 2020This blog post discusses the changes in two of the country's land conservation programs under the Agriculture Resilience Act and how these changes can help address climate change concerns in working farmland. -
Defining the Role of Conservation in Agricultural Conservation Easements
Ecology Law Quarterly, 44(3): 627-680, December 2017by: Jess PhelpsThis article addresses the conflicts between agricultural conservation easements and farmers' needs to adjust future agricultural practices and business conditions. -
Preserving and Promoting Agricultural Activities in the Peri-Urban Space
University of Manitoba Press, March 2017by: Nicolas BrunetThis article discusses the preservation of agricultural land and agricultural activities in areas that are subject to the pressures of urban development. -
Farms Under Threat: The State of the States
May 2020This interactive map provides information on the status of agricultural land in the United States. -
A Brief Guide to the Impacts of Climate Change on Food Production
Yale Climate Connections, September 18, 2019by: Daisy SimmonsThis blog post explores the impacts of climate change on agricultural production and land. -
Climate Change and Agriculture: A Perfect Storm in Farm Country
The Union of Concerned Scientists, March 20, 2019This blog post explores the impacts that the combination of climate change and inadequate farming practices has on the agriculture industry. -
Farmland Protection Policy Act
June 2021This fact sheet gives an overview of the Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA), which is part of the 1981 Farm Bill and addresses the need to minimize the degree to which federal projects contribute to the conversion of farmland to other uses. -
Protecting California Farmland and Ranchland
May 2020This fact sheet gives an overview of California's Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC), a program established to help protect the state farmland and ranchland. -
Whitman County, WA, Code of Ordinances
Updated April 2021The county's zoning code addresses farmland protection. -
West Lampeter, PA, Municipal Code
Updated November 2020The township’s zoning ordinance addresses farmland protection. -
Smart Solar Siting Principles and Examples of Land Use Laws that Support Renewable Energy While Protecting Farmland
May 2019This briefing paper is designed to help planners draft land-use and development regulations that balance solar development and farmland preservation goals. -
Climate Change and Land
2019by: Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Jim SkeaThis report addresses the impacts of climate change on land, including the main challenges related to land-use change: land degradation, increased desertification, and food security. -
California Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs
March 2021by: Kayla DonovanThis report explores and compares some of California's purchase of agricultural conservation easement (PACE) programs, all efforts to preserve farmland in the state. -
Smart Solar Siting for New England
September 2020This briefing paper is designed to help local officials and planners to protect farmland while encouraging solar energy development. -
An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program
September 2019by: Tom DanielsThis report sought to understand the impacts Pennsylvania's long-standing farmland preservation programs have on the agricultural industry and the state's and counties' economies. -
Waseca, MN, Code of Ordinances
Updated November 2020The city’s subdivision ordinance addresses farmland protection. -
Benefits of Farmland Conservation in California
2015This briefing paper explores the benefits that farmland preservation efforts in California have to both society and the environment. -
Shrewsbury, PA, Zoning Ordinance
Updated October 2021The township’s zoning code addresses farmland protection through farm-friendly zoning provisions, including transfer of development rights and sliding-scale zoning. -
Surry County, VA, Code of Ordinances
Updated July 2021The county’s zoning ordinance addresses farmland protection. -
Sussex County, DE, County Code
Updated September 2021The county’s subdivision ordinance addresses agricultural protections for farmland. -
Durham County, NC, Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Plan
Adopted December 2009This functional plan addresses the emergence of a diverse small farm sector focused on local marketing opportunities and seeks to protect and promote farming opportunities to meet local market demand. -
Guilford County, NC, 2020 Farmland Protection Plan
Updated June 2011This functional plan focuses on the importance of preserving the local agricultural economy, as well as the importance of preserving rural heritage and eating locally. -
Monmouth County, NJ, Farmland Preservation Plan
Adopted April 2008The functional plan focuses on farmland preservation in the context of land use and growth management. -
Livingston County, NY, Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Adopted July 2006This functional plan addresses farmland protection and takes an economic development approach: it focuses on the importance of encouraging sector growth and enterprise development while supporting county and local farmland protection efforts. -
Genesee County, NY, Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Updated May 2017This functional plan includes goals for farmland protection in the county. -
Kenosha County, WI, A Farmland Preservation Plan for Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Adopted November 2013This functional plan addresses farmland preservation for Kenosha County, WI.