North Carolina is projected to lose about 1.2 million acres of farmland by 2040, making it second in the United States only to Texas in terms of projected land loss. North Carolina has historically had a strong presence of farming communities and of agricultural production. Though the state has seen vast residential and commercial development, state and county governments and private entities have developed policies to ensure that some amount of farmland will be preserved.

This report summarizes survey findings from a statewide policy survey regarding whether counties had an established farmland preservation program or were seeking to establish one, as well as what challenges or successes they had encountered during this process. It also presents information regarding county efforts for farmland preservation in the state and recommends best practices for counties seeking to establish preservation programs.

It was authored by a team of six undergraduate seniors in the Public Policy department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partnership with Dr. Andrew Waters, Farmland Preservation Coordinator of the Chatham County Soil and Water Conservation District in North Carolina. The team was supervised by Dr. William Goldsmith.