INFLUENCES ON COUNTY FARMLAND PROTECTION EFFORTS IN CALIFORNIA: A DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS∗

∗I wish to acknowledge the valuable counsel provided by J. Dennis Lord and Walter Martin and the reviewer, Rodney Steiner, during the preparation of this paper. This research was supported in part by funds from the UNCC Foundation and the State of North Carolina.

County-level policies and programs to conserve farmland in California are examined through discriminant analysis. Based on 1981 state planning data, four degrees of farmland protection effort are established. A two-function discriminant analysis using 17 agricultural, socioeconomic, and political-ideological variables correctly predicts the fourfold classification of 88 percent of the counties. The propensity to enact protective actions is associated with the intensity of agricultural development, local government spending and taxing practices, demographic characteristics, ideological and political party voting traditions.

Key Words:

• agricultural land
• farmland protection policies
• California
• discriminant analysis

Notes

His main research interests are in land use planning and policy development.

∗I wish to acknowledge the valuable counsel provided by J. Dennis Lord and Walter Martin and the reviewer, Rodney Steiner, during the preparation of this paper. This research was supported in part by funds from the UNCC Foundation and the State of North Carolina.