AG 2006 12 18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARTICLE V: OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENHANCING AGRICULTURE IN COUNTY A. Guiding Principles behind this Planl9 1. Integrate economic development with farmland protection, Keeping farms viable is as important as protecting the resource base essential for farming and it is more cost efficient. 2. Target agricultural and farmland protection initiatives toward blocks of viable farmland. 3. Educate consumers and elected officials on the relationship between a healthy local agricultural economy and the public benefits working farmland provide. 4. Give farmers incentives to protect farmland in giving them a fair return for the benefits their stewardship of the land provides the non-farming public. 5. Examine the long-term cost effectiveness of incentive programs that compensate farmers for not developing their land. By combining tax, spending and regulatory programs, local communities can strongly support agriculture and meet budgetary needs, 6. Develop land use policies and zoning ordinances that work for agriculture, Conventional "large-lot" zoning is ineffective because it accelerates residential development and converts agricultural areas into lots that are too small to farm. 7, Encourage inter-municipal cooperation. Since farming spans town and county borders, farmland protection requires cooperation between towns and among levels of government. Efforts to promote development in one town can derail farmland protection efforts in bordering towns, 8, Develop a coalition of interests to support agricultural and farmland protection efforts. Reach out to non-farmers by organizing farmers' markets, farm events and workshops, Unite the farmland protection interests of farm and non-farm community members by protecting farmland that provides scenic views, includes important water resources, or preserves historic landscapes, 9, Promote thoughtful land use planning to prevent conflicts between farmers and neighbors. Manage residential growth in farming communities; buffer farms from neighboring large-scale residential developments, B. Existing Efforts and Agricultural Protection Tools 1, County Comprehensive Land Use Plan (describe adoption of comprehensive plan, if applicable, and its treatment of agricultural lands ) 2, County Voluntary Agricultural District Program. As noted above in Article II, the North Carolina General Assembly enabled counties to adopt Voluntary Agricultural District (V AD) ordinances to effectively create areas "to increase identity and pride in the agricultural community and its way of life and to increase protection from nuisance suits and other negative impacts on properly managed farms,"zo Farmers, by enrolling their farm in a V AD by entering into a revocable agreement with the county to forego developing their land for a period of ten years, enjoy certain protections of their operation, including waiver of sewer and 6 \ \ ~).. r- ::;