Farmland Preservation Programs: Another Tool for Managing Urban Growth?

Amber Waves, April 2007

4 Pages Posted: 25 Feb 2016

See all articles by Cynthia Nickerson

Cynthia Nickerson

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Economic Research Service (ERS)

Daniel Hellerstein

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Economic Research Service (ERS), Resource and Rural Economics Division

Date Written: April 1, 2007

Abstract

On average, 2.2 million acres of farmland per year were converted to urban uses between 1992 and 2001. Every State has enacted measures that help protect farmland, but most measures do not preserve farmland permanently. Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs, is increasingly popular. Little is known about the effects of PDR programs on development patterns in the long run.It may be more realistic to view even PDR programs as tools to help local jurisdictions manage growth and guide development away from farmland with desirable characteristics, rather than as a panacea for stopping urban sprawl.

Keywords: farmland protection, urban sprawl, purchase of development rights

JEL Classification: Q18, Q24

Suggested Citation

Nickerson, Cynthia and Hellerstein, Daniel, Farmland Preservation Programs: Another Tool for Managing Urban Growth? (April 1, 2007). Amber Waves, April 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2737119

Cynthia Nickerson (Contact Author)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Economic Research Service (ERS) ( email )

355 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024-3221
United States
202-694-5626 (Phone)

Daniel Hellerstein

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Economic Research Service (ERS), Resource and Rural Economics Division ( email )

Washington, DC 20024-3221
United States

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