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37 How Purchase of Development Rights Programs Work The most commonly used and effective tool for protecting farmland from development is called Purchase of Development Rights (PDR). PDR programs buy the development rights from a willing landowner and place a conservation easement over the portion of the farm for which the development rights were purchased. This FPP tool is popular because it is voluntary and it compensates the farmer for his or her right to develop the land. In addition, the landowner retains the deed to the land and continues to farm the land as before, thereby ensuring than the working landscape will continue. PDR, as mentioned, is very popular in the states that use this tool. In Maryland, for instance, for every one farmer that sells development rights to a FPP there are approximately 30 more waiting in line to sell. In Pennsylvania, there is a backlog of 1500 farmers waiting to sell their development rights to the state FPP. Delaware also has a large waiting list of farmers wanting to enter their PDR program. In addition to it's popularity among farmers, PDR has proven to be a key tool in keeping agriculture viable in a community by preserving large blocks of protected agricultural land. These large blocks help maintain the agriculture infrastructure needed to help farmers survive. Chemical, fertilizer, hardware and tractor businesses tend to locate or remain located in these protected communities, aware that their source of income — the farmer — will not be forced out because of development. These PDR programs have been proven to provide a sense of "agriculture permanence" to a community. That permanence leads to farmers taking a brighter outlook on farming in their community and thereby reinvesting more money into their farming operations. American Farmland Trust surveys in both Massachusetts and Vermont show that farmers use the money they receive from PDR to pay off existing farm debts, to reinvest in new and upgraded equipment, and to start or add to a retirement account. The Vermont and Massachusetts surveys found a 98% and 92% satisfaction rate of farmers who had sold an easement on their farm. The desire "to protect the land for farming ", was emphasized by 81.3% of the Massachusetts survey respondents. Finally, PDR has proven an effective tool for helping young people break into agriculture. The same Massachusetts and Vermont surveys showed that young people trying to enter agriculture tend to look for protected farms because they know agriculture will be secure in that region and the price of the farms are more affordable. The Massachusetts study stated, "Among survey respondents who purchased protected farms, the affordability of the land was the most often - cited reason for participation in the program, mentioned by 43.8% of farmers in this category".