While agricultural land preservation programs seek to maximize the number of acres, to preserve productive farms, to preserve contiguous farms, and to preserve threatened farms, they are often evaluated solely on the number of acres preserved. Preserved parcels in four Maryland counties were evaluated to determine how well programs traded off the four goals using a Farrell efficiency analysis approach. Comparisons are made between the types of programs. Of the four objectives, parcel size and productivity measures were the most likely to affect the efficiency measures. In addition, purchase of development rights programs were most successful in trading off objectives.
Publications
A Relative Efficiency Analysis of Farmland Preservation Programs
Publication Name
Land Economics
Links
Author
Lori Lynch and Wesley N. Musser
Publisher
Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press
Page Numbers
577-594
Publication Date
January 02, 2001
Publication Type
Articles
State
Maryland
Keywords
Conservation Policies and Programs, Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements