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1 <br />2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7 <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />Guiding Principles behind this Plan' <br />Nine key concepts have been used to guide the preparation of the Orange County Farmland <br />Protection Plan. These principles, taken liberally from a similar plan in Rensselaer County, New <br />York, are as follows. <br />1. Agricultural economic development and farmland protection are interdependent and <br />should be integrated. Keeping farms viable and protecting the resource base are <br />essential for farming's continued survival, and they are closely linked. <br />2. Target agricultural and farmland protection initiatives to protect blocks of viable <br />farmland. <br />3. Promote thoughtful land use planning to mitigate conflicts between farmers and <br />neighbors. Manage residential growth in farming communities; buffer farms from <br />neighboring large -scale residential developments. <br />4. Encourage town /county cooperation. There is a strong linkage between rural agriculture <br />and urban quality of life. Farmland protection efforts require cooperation between <br />towns and among levels of government. Efforts to promote development in one town <br />can derail farmland protection efforts in the County and nearby towns. <br />5. Educate consumers and the general public on the relationship between a healthy local <br />agricultural economy and the public benefits working farmland provide. <br />6. Give farmers incentives to protect farmland by providing them opportunities to achieve <br />fair return for the benefits their stewardship of the land provides the non - farming public. <br />7. Examine the long -term cost effectiveness of incentive programs that compensate <br />farmers for not developing their land and keeping it available for current and future <br />agricultural production. By combining tax, spending and regulatory programs, local <br />communities can strongly support agriculture and meet budgetary needs. <br />8. Work to ensure that land use policies and development regulations acknowledge and <br />work for agriculture. For example, conventional rural residential zoning may harm <br />agriculture, because it accelerates residential development and converts agricultural <br />areas into lots that are too small to farm. <br />9. Strengthen the coalition of interests to support agricultural and farmland protection <br />efforts. Reach out to non - farmers by supporting existing farmers markets, farm events, <br />educational festivals that bring together farmers and non - farmers, and other workshops. <br />Unite the farmland protection interests of farm and non -farm community members by <br />protecting farmland that provides scenic views, protects critical masses within farm <br />communities, protects important water resources, or preserves historic landscapes. <br />5 Adapted from "Keep It Growing: An Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan for Rensselaer County <br />(New York) ", 28. <br />v <br />Draft 10 12812009 <br />Guiding Principles <br />5 <br />20 <br />