Abstract

This project develops a quantitative assessment tool to help rural populations in Western North Carolina better understand the forces and opportunities that affect them by identifying the multiple types of benefits that farmland provides in our region. This tool will help communities recognize the social interplay among the economic, social, and environmental factors in their region and thus assist them and policy-makers in directing farmland preservation and rural development efforts in a manner that is both socially desirable and economically efficient.

Funded by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) for June, 2005 - June, 2008

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