Supporting elected representatives in the preservation of agricultural land: Suggestions for a methodological guide

Abstract

Urban sprawl and artificial soil sealing are global phenomena induced by economic and demographic factors, housing preferences, growth of transportation, inner city problems and regulatory decisions. The consequences are as well multiple: loss of agricultural land, biodiversity and landscape; disturbed water, energy and air cycles; and socio-economic impacts. Maintaining agricultural activities has many important positive consequences, such as maintaining ecosystem services and quality of the living environment. After the assembly of experiences of collectivities that have intervened to preserve agricultural land in France and the identification of the tools available to them, datasheets have been created to summarize the selected experiences and tools. The analysis of 30 selected experiences helps to highlight key factors of success for collectivities. The datasheets will be part of the methodology that will be proposed by local coordinators to elected representatives through a practical guide. They should provide a better overview of their possible alternatives to act for agricultural land preservation and guide them through the implementation of agricultural land preservation “programs”.