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Pittsgrove, NJ, Municipal Code
Updated August 2018The township’s land use and development code addresses farmland protection through agricultural buffer requirements. -
Porter, MI, Compiled Ordinances
Updated August 2016The township’s zoning code addresses farmland protection by establishing an Agricultural/Farmland Preservation district with the intent of preserving land within the district for agricultural use for the foreseeable future. -
Saugatuck, MI, Code of Ordinances
Updated April 2020The township’s zoning code addresses farmland protection through the application of sliding-scale zoning. -
Boone County, IL, Code of Ordinances
Updated September 2021The county addresses farmland protection in its code of ordinances through establishing an agricultural conservation easement and farmland protection program as well as agricultural district protections in its zoning code. -
Person County, NC, Farmland Preservation Plan
Adopted June 2016This functional plan focuses on developing homegrown agribusinesses and agritourism enterprises to build a foundation for the local economy. -
Calhoun County, MI, Farmland Preservation Program Ordinance
Adopted February 2003The county addresses farmland protection through a farmland preservation program ordinance. -
Flower Mound, TX, Code of Ordinances
Updated July 2021The town’s zoning code addresses farmland protection in the code’s Smart Growth Program. -
Brecknock, PA, Municipal Code
Updated May 2017The township’s zoning code addresses farmland protection. -
Cass County, MN, Land Use Ordinance
Updated April 2017The county’s land use ordinance addresses farmland protection through agricultural easements. -
Washington County, WI, A Farmland Preservation Plan for Washington County
Adopted December 2013This functional plan addresses farmland preservation for Washington County, WI. -
Fremont County, ID, Development Code
Updated 2011The county’s development code addresses farmland protection through the protection of agricultural operations through agricultural waivers. -
Albany County, NY, Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Adopted February 2019This functional plan addresses farmland protection within the county. -
Sonoma County, CA, General Plan 2020
Updated August 2016The county’s general plan addresses farmland protection in the agricultural resources element. -
Town of Seneca, NY, Comprehensive Plan
Adopted June 2013The town’s comprehensive plan contains goals, policies and actions that address farmland protection. -
San Luis Obispo County, CA, General Plan
Updated May 2010The county general plan’s Agricultural Element addresses farmland protection. -
Peninsula Township, MI, Master Plan
Adopted January 2011The township’s master plan addresses farmland protection through its Agricultural Land Use Policy. -
Thurston County, WA, Comprehensive Plan
Updated December 2020The county’s comprehensive plan contains goals, objectives, and policies that address farmland protection. -
San Juan County, WA, Comprehensive Plan
Updated April 2010The county’s comprehensive plan addresses farmland protection in its land use element. -
Linn County, OR, Comprehensive Plan
Updated October 2002The county’s comprehensive plan addresses farmland protection in its Land Use Element Code. -
New Jersey Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plans
Updated March 2021This clearinghouse, curated by the New Jersey State Agricultural Development Committee, provides access to comprehensive farmland preservation plans. -
Lancaster County, PA, Agricultural Zoning District Guidelines for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
October 2010This guide, created as part of Lancaster County’s comprehensive planning process, provides information on agricultural zoning districts as mechanisms to help protect agricultural resources and industry. -
Orland, CA, Administrative Guidelines for Implementation of General Plan Agricultural Buffering Policies
September 2005This guide addresses farmland protection by establishing agricultural buffering guidelines for new urban development in the city. -
Planning for Agriculture: A Guide for Connecticut Municipalities
October 2020by: Chelsea Gazillo, John Guszkowski, AICP, Kip KolesinskasThis guide from American Farmland Trust and Connecticut Conference of Municipalities offers information and tools to help local leaders preserve and protect local agriculture. -
Planning for Agriculture in Wisconsin: A Guide for Communities
November 2002by: Douglas Jackson-Smith, Paul Benjamin, Richard CastlenuovoThis guide from University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection addresses how to plan for agriculture. -
British Columbia Guide to Edge Planning: Promoting Compatibility Along Agricultural–Urban Edges
2015This guide offers guidelines for maximizing compatibility between uses in Edge Planning Areas or agricultural and urban lands near Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) boundaries. -
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. -
The Food System: A Stranger To The Planning Field
Vol. 66, November 2007by: Jerome Kaufman, FAICP, Kameshwari PothukuchiThis article describes how conventional planning takes on the mantle of a future forward and public driven mentality and how food systems tend to be overlooked. -
Placing The Food System On The Urban Agenda: The Role Of Municipal Institutions In Food Systems Planning
June 199by: Kami PothukuchiThis article identifies and describes how foods systems are both overlooked and a connected and integral urban issue. -
Facilitate Healthy And Environmentally Sustainable Diet-Related Practices: A Scoping Review
October 2021by: Liza Barbour, Rebecca Lindberg, Julie Woods, Karen Charlton, Julie BrimblecombeThis article discusses what local governments globally have done to implement and facilitate food systems. -
State And Communities In Urban Food Governance: Lessons From COVID And Insights For The Future
May 2023by: Johan Nordnsvard, Bingqin Li, Catalina Turcu, Jiwei Qian, Young-hwan Byun, Yiran Li, Carl-Johan Sommar, Martina RotoloThis article discusses food systems from an urban governance perspective and analyzes how Covid-19 had an impact on the system. -
Growing Local Food Systems: A Case Study Series On The Role Of Local Governments
March 2015by: Laura Goddeeris, AICP, Katherine Takai, Abigail RybnicekThis case study analyzes the role of local governments and their space in promoting and supporting food systems at the local and regional level. -
The Political Economy Of Food System Transformation: Pathways To Progress In A Polarized World
2023by: Danielle Resnick, Johan SwinnenThis book discusses how and why food system policy pathways are so contested, and how to achieve food systems in a polarized world.