APB agenda 041801 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

45 Conservation Trust For North Carolina Preserving Farmland through Voluntary Agricultural Districts: A Guide for Citizens and Local Officials Farmland preservation is becoming an increasingly important issue for local governments in North Carolina. Citizens and public officials acknowledge the aesthetic importance of farmland as open space - fields and forests that create attractive byways and a visual buffer from the increasing urbanization of our state. Furthermore, they recognize the economic importance of maintaining a strong local agricultural economy. Because farmland 'pays its own way'— it generates more in tax revenues than it requires in government services - the preservation of farmland is also considered sound fiscal policy. As the loss of farmland accelerates, local governments are exploring ways to preserve farmland. One method — the creation of voluntary agricultural districts — has been an option available to county governments for over fourteen years. This existing program can provide an effective planning tool by delineating areas of contiguous, active agricultural operations. Additionally, creating agricultural districts can provide a basis for a comprehensive countywide farmland preservation program. In 1986, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Farmland Preservation Enabling Act (FPEA). The Act, found in Chapter 106, Article 61 of the NC General Statutes, provides authority for counties to establish farmland preservation programs. These programs involve three components: Voluntary Agricultural Districts, Agricultural Advisory Boards, and the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. Although the FPEA has been in existence since 1986, it remained a relatively obscure program until recently. To date, about a dozen counties have adopted farmland preservation /agricultural districts ordinances including: Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Durham, Forsyth, Haywood, Henderson, Macon, Madison, Orange, and Rowan, and Wake counties. A number of other counties are currently considering the adoption of farmland preservation programs.