As Florida’s population continues to grow at an exponential rate, agricultural lands, a keystone of the state’s rich and storied heritage, are under immense development pressure. To mitigate this risk, agricultural conservation easement programs are one way policymakers can support the preservation of these rural lands.
“The challenges posed by development pressure compromise the viability of the agricultural sector in rural economies across the state,” Palardy said. “Addressing these challenges requires innovative State and local policies that engage landowners in conserving agricultural land to prevent conversion and fragmentation.”
To better understand the full range of economic benefits these programs provide, Nathan Palardy, assistant professor of food and resource economics, has received an Archer Early Career Seed Grant from UF/IFAS.
Palardy, who joined the University of Florida in 2022, runs an integrated research and extension program focused on state and local government policy.
“I am honored to be recognized by IFAS,” Palardy said. “This support reinforces the importance of addressing the challenge of the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses, and I am excited to contribute research that will help preserve farmland and support the food systems that depend on it.”
Using the funding provided by the Archer Seed Grant to support his work, Palardy plans to analyze and quantify some of the indirect economic impacts of public investments in agricultural conservation easement programs on Florida’s county-level agricultural supply chains.
“The goal is to provide important insight for State and local policymakers on the potential (and currently undocumented) positive economic spillovers of these investments,” Palardy said. “The results can inform the allocation of scarce county and state resources and equip county and state governments with information that supports the initiation or expansion of agricultural conservation easement programs, ultimately facilitating the preservation of working agricultural lands throughout the state.”
This new research avenue will also build upon his existing Extension program, in which Palardy works with a variety of different stakeholders to provide information that increases the ease of access to existing conservation easement program options for Florida landowners by helping them navigate their eligibility.
“My Extension program delivers targeted education for landowners, Extension agents, and county governments on agricultural conservation easements and the federal, state, and local programs that fund them to preserve Florida’s working agricultural landscapes,” Palardy said.
As a part of this program, Palardy has collaborated with the Florida Farm Bureau to produce a guide for producers to navigate the different programs available to them. He has also published a Quick Reference Guide to Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs, available now on EDIS.
For more information about his Research and Extension work, please visit
0
