WASHINGTON
,
October 30, 2023
(press release)
–
Survey Results Confirm Success of Federal Investments in Farmland Protection Findings from an evaluation of the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP), Analyzing the Lasting Impacts of the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, show that the program fulfilled its statutory purpose and delivered outcomes that ensure a future for agriculture. The FRPP, administered by the
AFT partnered with researchers from the
Protected threatened land and kept it in active agricultural use. Most of the FRPP-protected parcels were in counties that experienced relatively high rates of conversion according to AFT's spatial analyses in Farms Under Threat: The State of the States. Moreover, a substantial proportion of owners of land protected through FRPP are farmers and ranchers or rent their land for agriculture. The percentage of owners who are producers is higher among "second-generation" owners -those who purchased or inherited previously protected land. Helps farmers and ranchers acquire land. Respondents used proceeds from the sale of their easements to buy land; others said they bought previously protected land because it was more affordable at the outset. More than a quarter of FRPP-protected land is held by second-generation owners, showing how the program benefits the next generation. Encourages conservation. Respondents reported high rates of conservation planning and practice adoption. These practices tended to be activities identified by NRCS as Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Mitigation Activities--the subset of practices that deliver quantifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and/or increases in carbon sequestration. Owners identified the protected status of their land as the primary motivation for adopting conservation practices and improving their operations or land. It also encouraged the development of plans to transfer their land to another farmer or rancher. "The FRPP saved threatened agricultural land for agriculture and also changed owners' mindsets, giving them the security to make improvements and investments that help ensure a future for agriculture," said
Beyond benefits, the study found that a significant majority of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with the program and the entity holding their conservation easement. Program satisfaction even prompted landowners to protect more land and to talk to other agricultural landowners about permanently protecting their land. "The results validate the agency's commitment to the permanent protection of working farmland and ranchland in partnership with landowners and land conservation entities," said
The FRPP delivers unparalleled value. NRCS has invested more than
* * * Analyzing the Lasting Impacts of the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program is posted on
* * * REPORT: https://farmlandinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/AFT-frpp-analyzing-lasting-impacts.pdf * * * Original text here: https://farmland.org/farm-and-ranch-lands-protection-program-survey-found-threatened-agricultural-land-saved/
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