Comprehensive Planning for
Sustainable Rural Development1
The Farmlands should be conserved not preserved
preserve means to maintain in a given state
To latter is a better foundation for farmland policy.the opportunity
cost of farmland is high. Market signals suggest that farmland
has considerably higher value in urban use, if such were
demanded.
conserve is to use
parsimoniously.
Rising farmland productivity and opportunity
costs suggests that we should preserve the
option to farm while at the same time
encouraging land owners to provide
environmental services
Urban development is Not
the Greatest threat to rural
well being
eroding farm profitability, soil erosion, environmental
degradation, and loss of public services represent far greater
threats to rural health than urban growth.
Rural sustainability and revitalization require a comprehensive approach
Rural reas development is complex,and the development process
could be improved through careful analysis, foresight, and planning
Rural communities perhaps do not control their own destinies, but states
can do much to enable communities to help themselves.