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SUBJECTS › PLANNING › Farmland Preservation Techniques and Sustainable Agriculture
Updated 06/10

Farmland Preservation Techniques and Sustainable Agriculture

Contents

Why Preserve Farmland?

There are many important reasons to preserve farmland in Washington State:

  • Farmland is a finite natural resource because areas with prime agricultural soils are limited.
  • Agriculture is an important part of Washington state's economy - with a substantial market value; it provides jobs (not just on farms, but also in food processing and related industries), and it attracts tourists for its scenic character.
  • Growing food locally helps to meet sustainable development goals.
  • There are many intangible benefits associated with farmland, including aesthetic, open space, and sense of place.
  • Farming is part of the rural lifestyle and is a central part of Washington State's heritage.
  • Farmland offers environmental benefits including wildlife habitat and the potential for groundwater recharge.
  • In terms of the cost of public services, farmlands, like other resource lands, more than pay for the community services they require. (See Skagit County study.)
  • Washington farmland is being converted rapidly to other uses. There is growth and redevelopment pressure for other, more profitable, uses.
  • In Washington, communities are required by the Growth Management Act to protect resource lands, including farmland.

For more on this topic, see the Fact Sheet: "Why Save Farmland?" by American Farmland Trust

General Links on Farmland Preservation and Sustainable Agriculture

Reports, Studies and Articles

State Farmland Programs

Local Farmland Preservation Programs and Policies

Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs)

Transfer of development rights (TDR) programs allow landowners to transfer the right to develop one parcel of land to a different parcel of land. In the context of farmland protection, TDRs are used to shift development from agricultural areas to designated growth zones closer to municipal services.

General Information - TDR

Washington State TDR Programs and Information

Out-of-State TDR Programs

Right-to-Farm Programs

Right-to-farm laws were enacted to protect agricultural operations within a state or county by providing owners with a defense against potential nuisance suits that might be brought against the farm. Washington's right-to-farm statute is RCW 7.48.300.

Agricultural Zoning - Sliding Scale Zoning

Agricultural zoning refers to local zoning ordinances that support and protect farming by stabilizing the agricultural land base. Agricultural zones are designated in areas where farming is the desired land use, generally on the basis of soil quality as well as other locational factors. Forms of agricultural zoning include exclusive agricultural zoning, large lot size zoning, and sliding scale zoning (under these ordinances, the number of dwellings permitted varies with the size of the tract).

Current Use Taxation

The Washington Open Space Taxation Act (Chapter 84.34 RCW), enacted in 1970, allows property owners to have open space, farm and agricultural, and timberlands valued at their current use rather than their highest and best use. Application for current use assessment is generally made to the county assessor.

Agricultural Conservation Easements

An agricultural conservation easement is a voluntary, legally recorded, agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization, often a land trust, which restricts land to agricultural and open space uses. Property development rights are then extinguished and cannot be sold or transferred to another entity.

Farmland Mitigation Ordinances and Policies

Farmland mitigation programs are somewhat similar in concept to wetlands mitigation. They involve protecting farmland by providing equivalent farm acreage elsewhere when agricultural land is converted to other uses, or paying a fee when farmland is converted to other uses. One of the first farmland mitigation programs was enacted in Davis, California in 1995. This ordinance requires developers to permanently protect one acre of farmland for every acre of agricultural land they convert to other uses. Developers can place an agricultural conservation easement on farmland in another part of the city or pay a fee to satisfy mitigation.

Farmland Preservation Funding

  • Farmland Preservation Grants, Washington Wildlife Recreation Program (WWRP) - Administered by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Grants are available to help cities and counties preserve economically viable farmlands in Washington and to enhance ecological functions on these lands. 
  • Federal and State Economic Development Programs and Funding, Related MRSC Web page - Emphasis on funding programs to support farmers. 

Agricultural Land Trusts

An agricultural land trust is a nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is the preservation of undeveloped land of agricultural value to the community. A land trust accepts donations of agricultural conservation easements, gifts of land, and may purchase easements or land with donated funds. A land trust is a private sector form of land conservation.

Other Related Topics (Sustainable Agriculture)

Agricultural buffers and recommendations for protecting farmland from nearby urban and suburban development are addressed here.

Return to Agricultural Lands page.