Extent of Local Efforts to form Agricultural Districts in New York State

Abstract

The public has an abiding interest in land and its use. This interest is reflected in a long list of publicly sponsored programs and policies which directly or indirectly affect land. A segment of the public policy arena deals with the conversion of agricultural land to non-farm uses. Necessary ingredients for policy in farmland conversion include some understanding of conversion trends, the forces influencing these trends, and the likely outcomes of specific policy instruments designed to intervene in the conversion process and register public or communitywide interests in private uses of farmland.