Under the Blade

by Olson, Richard K.; Lyson, Thomas A.

• ISBN13: 9780813335964
• ISBN10: 0813335965
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-12-24
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

"Under the Blade: The Conversion of Agricultural Landscapes" examines the patterns, causes, and consequences of current land use decisions in the United States, particularly the conversion of farmland to housing, roads, and other development. Changes in land use are the result of complex interactions among law, economics, landscape characteristics, social and political forces, ethics, and aesthetics. By examining farmland loss from each of these perspectives, and then integrating the results into policy recommendations, "Under the Blade" makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate on the optimal use of a finite resource--land.

Author Biography

Thomas A. Lyson is a professor in the Department of Rural Sociology, Cornell University. He also serves as director of the Farming Alternatives Program at Cornell, and as editor of Rural Sociology.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii	(4)
Foreword	xi	(4)
Preface and Acknowledgments	xv	(4)
About the Contributors	xix
Introduction	1	(14)
Chapter 1 Farmland Loss in America	15	(38)
Chapter 2 A Landscape Perspective on Farmland Conversion	53	(44)
Chapter 3 The Law of the Land	97	(40)
Chapter 4 The Economics of Farmland Conversion	137	(44)
Chapter 5 Preserving Community Agriculture in a Global Economy	181	(36)
Chapter 6 Ethics and Aesthetics in the Loss of Farmland	217	(30)
Chapter 7 A National Policy for Farmland Preservation	247	(23)
Case Studies	270	(183)
1. Swanton, Vermont	270	(8)
2. Tompkins County, New York	278	(9)
3. Southeast Pennsylvania	287	(8)
4. Washington, D.C. suburban counties	295	(8)
5. Fauquier County, Virginia	303	(7)
6. Albemarle County, Virginia	310	(11)
7. Tillery, North Carolina	321	(7)
8. Lake County, Florida	328	(7)
9. Ohio	335	(5)
10. DeKalb County, Illinois	340	(7)
11. Waukesha County, Wisconsin	347	(12)
12. Minnesota	359	(11)
13. Lincoln, Nebraska (school placement)	370	(3)
14. Lincoln, Nebraska (Antelope Commons development)	373	(11)
15. Northwest Arkansas	384	(6)
16. Austin, Texas	390	(8)
17. Rocky Mountain region	398	(12)
18. Western Washington	410	(11)
19. Oregon	421	(9)
20. Fresno County, California	430	(7)
21. The Oxnard Plain, California	437	(13)
22. Norway	450	(3)
Index	453