Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plans are important planning documents for communities committed to supporting their agricultural heritage while envisioning what a robust agricultural food system would look like in their community. These plans build on information that characterizes the agricultural history and trends in the community. The Municipal Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan focuses on the relationships between land use, land value, infrastructure and development trends, and the municipal Master Plan and municipal development regulations. An overview of the land use planning context and the relationship between farmland preservation and the municipal master plan and zoning and subdivision regulations, including the use of innovative planning techniques (e.g., Transfer of Development Rights, mandatory clustering, non-contiguous clustering and lot size averaging) should be considered. The section of the Municipal Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan which deals with current and future directions for the farmland preservation program will then lay out the priorities and direction the community will follow. These plans fully recognize that land preservation is only one part of a comprehensive agricultural and food system planning process and communities are asked to evaluate natural resource and ecosystem issues, economic development, food system viability, and long term sustainability issues. 

Municipal Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plans include 8 chapters (or components) which are fully explained on the State Agricultural Development Committee (SADC) website.

These plans must identify and include the following components:

1) Municipality’s Agricultural Land Base

2) Municipality’s Agricultural Industry – Overview

3) Land Use Planning Context

4) Municipality’s Farmland Preservation Program – Overview

5) Future Farmland Preservation Program

6) Economic Development

7) Natural Resource Conservation

8) Agricultural Industry Sustainability, Retention and Promotion

Why is it important?

New Jersey’s farmlands are the foundation for a strong agricultural industry and a way of life for generations of farm families. Scenic landscapes of green and productive fields are an important part of what makes New Jersey a desirable place to live and work. Farmland preservation clearly is an important investment in our economy, our farming heritage and the overall quality of life for each and every New Jerseyan.

Farmland preservation is a means of ensuring that agricultural lands are preserved forever for agricultural use. Landowners sell their “development rights” but retain ownership of their property. Preserved farmland limits urban sprawl, protects our water and soils, provides us with an abundance of locally grown farm products, and maintains our connection to the land and the longstanding agricultural traditions that earned our reputation as the Garden State.

Why do a Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan?

• Comprehensive plans are a prerequisite for state funding under the Planning Incentive Grant Program.

• Agriculture and the Food Sector are a huge and growing sector of the Garden State economy.

• As land and easement values continue to rise, a thorough, comprehensive plan helps to justify the public investment.

• The Plan is the basis for complementary zoning and subdivision regulations.

• The Plan sends clear, strong, and positive messages to landowners, developers, and farmers that there is a future for agriculture in the municipality or county.

• Agricultural resources deserve a strategic, pro-active approach to farmland preservation and agricultural retention.