This book examines modern American farmland preservation, arguing that its policies must address the social, identity, and psychological issues facing American farmers. As American farmland is disappearing rapidly, this crisis not only jeopardizes American agriculture but also threatens rural communities. While the American farmland preservation movement has focused on conservation easements, permanent land restrictions that work within the American legal system’s preference for inalienable property rights, the author argues for a new era of farmland preservation based on stakeholder-led solutions. The book showcases how rapid development is escalating farmland loss in urbanizing parts of the country, meaning the problem facing much of rural America is the loss of farmers and farm communities, not farmland. Drawing on the author’s career as a farmland preservation specialist, the book evaluates America’s current farmland preservation policies framed through the “politics of place,” a term describing the role of place in local politics and civic engagement. Utilizing interviews with farmland preservationists, the book highlights a broader, more holistic approach to farmland preservation than mere land protection. By featuring these prominent examples from around the country, the book puts forward a new vision for farmland preservation that more insightfully addresses the social and economic issues facing America’s farming communities and fosters a more engaged rural citizenship. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of food and agriculture, rural sociology, and environmental management, as well as professionals working in farmland management, conservation, and preservation.
