RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Do Agricultural Land Preservation Programs Reduce Farmland Loss? Evidence from a Propensity Score Matching Estimator
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 183
OP 201
DO 10.3368/le.87.2.183
VO 87
IS 2
A1 Xiangping Liu
A1 Lori Lynch
YR 2011
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/87/2/183.abstract
AB More than 80 governmental entities concerned about sprawl, open space, and farmland have implemented purchase of development rights (PDR) programs preserving 2.23 million acres at a cost of $5.47 billion. Are PDR programs effective in slowing the rate and acres of farmland loss? Employing propensity score matching methods and a 50-year, 269-county data set for six Mid-Atlantic states, we find empirical evidence that PDR programs have had a statistically significant effect on farmland loss. Having a PDR program decreases a county’s rate of farmland loss by 40% to 55% and decreases farmland acres lost by 375 to 550 acres per year. (JEL Q24, Q28)