The Economics of Agricultural Land Preservation

Abstract

Several state legislatures are considering enactment of tight zoning laws to preserve high productivity land for agricultural use. In the vernacular of the day, this land is referred to as "prime" (Raup, pp. 2, 3). Apparently, the myriad of tax preferential policies and other planning devices designed to protect agricultural lands from conversion to other uses have not been very effective (Hansen and Schwartz). Some of our best agricultural land continues to be converted to expanding urbanization, transport, utility easements, and for a variety of public purposes. So it is argued by those who advocate zoning for agricultural land that more drastic measures are now needed to stop this avalanche before "serious" agricultural land shortage