Projects

National View of Agricultural Easement Programs

A study, A National View of Agricultural Easement Programs, found that use of this land conservation tool is most prevalent in suburban and semi-rural parts of major metropolitan areas that have been experiencing rapid population growth for years. The study was done by American Farmland Trust and the Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, in collaboration with Farm Foundation.

A National View of Agricultural Easement Programs was the most in-depth and comprehensive analysis of agricultural easement programs undertaken in the United States. This report, the first in a series to be issued from the study, profiles 46 agricultural easement programs in 15 states—nearly half of all publicly funded farmland protection programs in the nation.  Additional reports from the study will address acquisition strategies, land use planning and the impacts and effectiveness of easement programs. A press release on the report is available here