Authorized in North Carolina’s Farmland Preservation Enabling Act of 1985, VAD programs allow counties to form areas where commercial agriculture is encouraged and protected. VADs provide a series of benefits to farmers willing to restrict non-agricultural development for ten years. They also raise public awareness of agricultural activities, support the continued viability of local agriculture, and help government officials identify active farming communities.

In 2004, AFT organized two VAD training sessions that drew more than 200 people from 48 counties. Attendees learned about other programs across the country, met board members from other counties and became familiar with state farmland protection resources.

North Carolina Voluntary Agricultural Districts: A Progress Report draws on lessons learned at the VAD workshops. It was designed to strengthen communication and cooperation between VAD programs as they seek local and statewide support in slowing the loss of productive agricultural land.

As of June 2004, 39 of North Carolina ’s 100 counties had passed farmland preservation ordinances establishing VAD programs. When an ordinance has passed, county commissioners appoint a board of people who are familiar with local agriculture to administer the program. The board determines eligibility and guidelines for enrollment, selecting the incentives and the restrictions that are most appropriate for local farming conditions.

Example: Chatham County
Chatham County, the second fastest growing county in North Carolina , is a rural, agrarian community sandwiched between Triangle and Triad. Its largest city has a population of 7,500. There is limited industry and employment—most of the residents work outside the county.

Chatham County consistently ranks in the top 20 counties for agricultural production in North Carolina. Its largest agricultural commodities are poultry and cattle (fourth and fifth in the state, respectively). The poultry and cattle production go hand in hand—chickens produce litter that is used as fertilizer on pastures where cattle graze. With chicken manure comes odor: from the houses themselves, the litter after it is spread on pasture and from the tractors and trucks moving slowly along the highways and rural roads of the county. People new to the county who previously had lived their lives in cities had little idea of the realities associated with agriculture. This became a problem. Farmers here wish to be good neighbors, but they also want the newcomers to the county to realize that farming is their history and their livelihood.

The VAD program became part of the solution. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved the Voluntary Agricultural District Ordinance on November 5, 2001. Now, when a new county resident is preparing to purchase real estate within one mile of a farm enrolled in the VAD program, the purchaser must be notified that a farm is nearby and of the associated factors. This way they are forewarned of the farming operation and if they decide the farm is a nuisance after purchasing the real estate, they have lost their legal right to sue.

Chatham County farmers have been more than willing to embrace the program: 175 farms, totaling more than 21,000 acres, have been approved for membership. Currently, two-thirds of the county is within one mile of an enrolled farm.

Download North Carolina Voluntary Agricultural Districts: A Progress Report [PDF: 190 kb]
Download a Map of North Carolina's Agricultural District Programs [PDF: 343 kb]

Learn more about how AFT can help you create an agricultural districts program and other farmland protection techniques.