§ 327 — Legislative intent

§ 327. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds, determines\nand declares that the New York agriculture industry has a substantial\nimpact on the overall economic health and well-being of the state.\nFurthermore, state farms preserve approximately 7.7 million acres of\nopen space as working landscapes, thus contributing to the overall\nquality of the state's environment. Preserving farmland as a working\nagricultural landscape provides open space benefits for all residents of\nthe state, and maintains the land as a natural habitat for animals.\nProperly managed farmland has been demonstrated to be the best\nenvironmental usage of land for watershed protection, so it is in the\nbest interest of the state to maintain agricultural land. The\nlegislature hereby declares that in order to ensure the continued\neconomic viability of the agricultural industry, and to preserve the\nenvironmental benefits of agricultural land use, the department shall\ncreate a farmland viability program.\n