Authors

Tara A. Sheldon

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Connecticut, once a state rich in farmland, has experienced significant loss of farmland in the past two decades. This Note takes a narrow focus on Connecticut’s farmland preservation programs—specifically, how the continuing conversion of farmland has demonstrated that the design and implementation of Connecticut’s programs have been ineffective in using local taxation as a tool to preserve farmland. In the middle of a drought, with rising food prices, and where one in six people are food insecure, it is the right time to be talking about this. Connecticut has an obligation to preserve farmland for food security, natural resources, and the welfare of its citizens. This Note recommends changes to the Connecticut General Statutes in order to clarify and strengthen Connecticut’s position on farmland preservation, using California’s strong and solid system of farmland property taxation as a starting point for how a state can help preserve its farmland. It then takes this local issue of farmland preservation to a more global level and looks at the interconnected effects of farmland loss and climate change from across the world to the backyard of Connecticut.

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