§ 321 — Statement of legislative findings and intent

§ 321. Statement of legislative findings and intent. It is hereby\nfound and declared that agricultural lands are irreplaceable state\nassets. In an effort to maintain the economic viability, and\nenvironmental and landscape preservation values associated with\nagriculture, the state must explore ways to sustain the state's valuable\nfarm economy and to protect farm operations and the land base associated\nwith it. External pressures on farm stability such as population growth\nin non-metropolitan areas, lack of access to affordable farmland, and\npublic infrastructure development pose a significant threat to farm\noperations, yet are the pressures over which farmers have the least\ncontrol. Local initiatives in agricultural protection policy,\nfacilitated by the agricultural districts program established in article\ntwenty-five-AA of this chapter, have proved effective as a basic step in\naddressing these pressures. In an effort to encourage further\ndevelopment of agricultural and farmland protection programs, and to\nrecognize both the crucial role that local government plays in\ndeveloping these strategies, plus the state constitutional directive to\nthe legislature to provide for the protection of agricultural lands, it\nis therefore declared the policy of the state to promote local\ninitiatives for agricultural and farmland protection.\n