Many local and state governments are concerned about loss of productive farmland to housing and other forms of urban development. A study sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Great Plains Studies will look at the conditions through which counties may retain viable farm sectors as they transition to becoming largely urban and suburban in land uses.

J. Dixon Esseks, visiting professor of public administration at the center, received a two-year, $308,000 National Research Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study 15 counties across the United States for the diversity of their policies to cope with urbanization pressures.

"Many local and state governments are expending considerable political capital and financial resources on farmland retention programs, particularly restrictive zoning and purchase of agricultural conservation easements," Esseks said. "Some observers doubt that land preservation efforts by themselves can keep farming viable."

Counties in urbanizing areas of Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, the West and East coasts, and in southern states were selected for the study. Three types of data will be gathered from each county: indicators of agricultural viability from the 1987 to 2002 federal Censuses of Agriculture; interviews with agribusiness managers, city and county planners, and leaders of farmer, smart-growth, and value-added organizations; and a questionnaire survey of approximately 75 farmers per county.

"Though too few to produce definitive conclusions," said Esseks, "the 15 counties were chosen for their diversity of approaches to sustaining agriculture in the face of urbanization. It is hoped that they will yield models that other communities choose to follow or adapt as they strive to preserve, if not enhance, the contributions of agriculture to their economies, including jobs, patronage for local businesses, and fresh produce for local consumers."

Esseks, emeritus professor of public administration at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, will carry out the project in partnership with colleagues including Mark Lapping, University of Southern Maine; Kate Clancy, food specialist and independent scholar from Maryland; and Ann Sorensen, Center for Agriculture in the Environment at Northern Illinois University.

CONTACT: J. Dixon (Dick) Esseks, Visiting Prof., Great Plains Studies, cell (402) 304-1901, (402) 472-4414