Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
14 <br /> FINAL DRAFT-5-27-26 <br /> 1 . Overview <br /> Orange County citizens and decision-makers recognize the economic, <br /> environmental, and cultural benefits of sustainable agriculture and the necessity <br /> of a robust local farming community. The goal of Promoting Sustainable <br /> Agriculture is included in the Orange County Strategic Plan 2025-2029 as a <br /> primary means of achieving the County's top priorities of Environmental <br /> Protection and Climate Action, to: "incentivize and promote sustainable <br /> agriculture and local food systems development through supportive policy, <br /> funding, farmland protection, and educational outreach" (Orange County, <br /> 2024). <br /> Orange County was an early leader in North Carolina's agricultural preservation <br /> efforts and was one of the first counties to adopt a countywide farmland <br /> protection ordinance in 1992. Today 17,833 acres of farmland are enrolled in the <br /> County's Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD/EVAD) program. In 2000, the county <br /> established the state's first comprehensive land acquisition and easement <br /> program, the Lands Legacy Program, to protect both active farmland and <br /> conservation land. Through this program, 29 agricultural easements have been <br /> recorded, protecting approximately 2,326 acres of farmland to date. Despite <br /> these achievements, the county's acreage in farming has declined, from <br /> approximately 70,000 acres in 2017 to 53,000 acres in 2022, largely due to <br /> conversion to development and other non-farm uses. Farm income likewise <br /> decreased during that period, from nearly $38 million to $32.5 million. (USDA, <br /> 2022) [Photo 2] <br /> This Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan was developed to <br /> support the County in incentivizing and promoting sustainable agriculture and <br /> local food systems development. The Plan describes recent trends in agriculture <br /> and farmland loss, challenges to and opportunities for continued farming, vision <br /> and goals for agriculture, and recommendations for maintaining farmland and <br /> supporting a viable farming community in Orange County. The Plan meets <br /> content guidelines outlined in the North Carolina General Statutes (§ 106-744) for <br /> preferential eligibility for NC Agricultural Development and Farmland <br /> Preservation Trust Fund monies supporting agricultural viability and conservation <br /> projects (NC General Statutes, 2024). <br /> This Plan updates the County's Agricultural Development and Farmland <br /> Protection Plan issued in 2009. It is intended to be a dynamic plan that is <br /> updated and reissued biennially to address the needs and challenges <br /> associated with a rapidly evolving agricultural landscape. Actions <br /> recommended in the Plan are intended to be implemented over the next 5 <br /> years from 2026 to 2030. <br /> 12 <br />