Planning for Agricultural Preservation: A Guide for Connecticut Municipalities
Many factors have driven the American Farmland Trust to encourage municipal planning for farmland. They worked with the Conference of Connecticut Municipalities to generate this document.
Historically, every community in the United States has developed on the foundation of an agricultural economy. As technology has increased the ability to centralize food production and transport it for international distribution, many areas find their agricultural economy in flux. Prime agricultural lands that lose their economic viability are easily targeted for conversion to development.
Recently, several factors have begun to push back against the loss of economically viable agricultural land, including increased demand for locally produced food; awareness of the historic, cultural and aesthetic value of rural landscapes; and consensus that agricultural land typically requires less in government services than it pays in taxes, thus having a tax positive effect.
In many areas, agricultural land use can be taken for granted, but there is an increasing recognition that agricultural preservation plans must be included as a component of overall community preservation plans. Agricultural and rural areas are key components of a green infrastructure network and they preserve natural and aesthetic qualities that enhance community character and well-being. This document gives consideration to land use laws, tax policies, legal precedents and the various benefits of sustaining agricultural and rural land as a part of a green infrastructure network.
This document was a collaborative effort between the American Farmland Trust and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and is designed as a guide for local government officials and community stakeholders. Agricultural preservation requires dynamic interaction between government officials, private property owners, and community stakeholders. Unlike some other forms of green infrastructure, agricultural land is fundamentally a mechanism of economic production. Regional, national and global market forces can uniquely impact a successful agricultural preservation plan; therefore, a strong local approach to agricultural preservation is warranted.
Preservation of agricultural land promotes several key principles of green infrastructure:
- Green infrastructure should be interconnected.
- Green infrastructure should be a part of a community plan with dedicated funding source.
- Green infrastructure should play a role in balancing the economic vitality and tax base of a community.
- Green infrastructure should be acquired and maintained through varied incentives and resources.
