DREAM ACRES

the impacts of agricultural programs and policies

on the urban-rural divide in the puget sound
Catarina Ratajczak

ABSTRACT RESULTS
METHODS .

Relevant to Western Washington State agricultural produc-

tion, this project examines the impact of land use policy and Ethnography Divide PERCEPTION OF POLICY + PROGRAMS

related programs on the urban-rural divide in Pierce and King -Planners and policymakers view policies and programs as vital to
Counties. The urban-rural divide is a conceptual framework FORM OF RESEARCH PROBLEM + THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK farming while realizing their personal lack of understanding of di-
for understanding the social, economic, and political disparities rect policy impacts on farmers.
between urban and rural life and how these disparities affect in- Ethnography allows for a “systemic approach to Provides a conceptual framework about
teractions within and across urban and rural communities. The understanding the complexities of social life”. It -Farmers understand policies well, and acknowledge the overall
the disparities between urban and rural life
policies and programs that are used to examine this conceptual informs mindful framing of “problems” by good that they do. However, there is serious room for growth in
in a variety of facets and how they affect
framework are Agricultural Land Trusts, Agricultural Conserva- policymakers and planners as it allows for ensuring policy does not serve as an unnecessary roadblock to pro-
interaction and perception within + across
tion Easements, Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Ease- surfacing and interpreting of complex and diverse duction.
urban and rural communities
ments, Transfer of Development Rights, and Zoning. Farmers, experiences, as well as vital comparison across
planners, and policy-makers are interviewed to understand how experiences. Ethnography is adaptive, with The divide marginalizes agricultural workers, deeming their work PERCEPTION OF IMPACTS ON THE
the urban-rural divide impacts agriculture as a land use in the representation at its core. URBAN-RURAL DIVIDE
as less valuable than urban work types.
region. The results of this research can be applied to future pol-
icy-making and planning and used to promote planning practic- -Planners and policymakers tend to look at the urban-rural divide in
es that are more inclusive and representative of farmer needs. the context of systemic implications (highly political).

Policy Interview - Farmers were more inclined to look at cultural, and resource-spe-
cific focuses of the divide (highly personal)
WHAT CLOSES + CAUSES THE DIVIDE
REPRESENTATIVE PLANNING’S GUIDE

Agricultural Land Trusts: These non-profit organizations (Julia Free-

The interview process for this report was careful to include farmers,
policy-makers and planners. There was an aim to interview similar

good n.d.) are unique in that it they focus entirely on ensuring that
CONTEXT agricultural activity remains the focus of preservation, and that numbers of industry professionals and farmers as to not skew IMPLICATIONS
restriction of development occurs indefinitely (Brinkley 2012). responses, however classifications for farmers were more stringent
in an effort to retrieve information relevant to specific farm
THIS INTERVIEW-BASED ETHNOGRAPHY FOCUSES ON AGRICUL- Agricultural Conservation Easements: This federal program protects practices. A SET OF IMPLICATIONS ULTIMATELY COME OUT OF THE INTER-
TURE, POLICY, AND PERCEPTION IN PIERCE AND KING COUNTY. agricultural land and wetlands with a focus on future use and VIEWING PROCESS. REPRESENTATIVE PLANNING HELPS TO CLOSE
THE
viability of land (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service URBAN-RURAL DIVIDE.
Forms of Agriculture Examined n.d.). An easement, in general, is a “legal right to use another’s land
for a specific limited purpose” while the title remains in the -Promote understanding of daily life impacts of policy
-Peri-Urban possession of the owner of the land. ACEs both protect the land on farmers via traditional representative planning techniques such
-Urban and infuse capital into farms (Thompson 2001). as forums, charrettes, asset mapping.
-Wholesale
-Community Supported Agriculture Zoning: In the frame of agriculture, zoning can regulate and -Create an agricultural liaison positions at the county level to pro-
-Family Farms protect agricultural activity,(Julia Freegood n.d.) and is the most mote on-the-ground, dynamic relationships between government
commonly used tool to prevent conversion of agricultural land and farmers.
into developed land (Coughlin 1991).
Agriculture in King County Agriculture in Pierce County
Farm specifica- -Maintain relationships and foster mutual respect by
-Examination of production in -Examination of production in Transfer of Development Rights: TDR are market-driven programs tions for inter-
allowing for mutual education through things like farmers panels,
view participants
the City of Seattle and the City of Tacoma and that reward developers in urban areas for purchasing and transfer- in this project.
connectivity programs between P-Patches and farms, and the like.
Snoqualmie River Valley Puyallup River Valley
ring rights of farmland and other rural parcels to densifying urban
-Snoqualmie River Valley has -County-wide zoning areas. Largely incentive-based, these programs allow a landowner -Represent marginalized groups such as non-English speaking
14,500 acres of agricultural land to sell the right of development to another party, while still using farmers by providing educational material and outreach in native
-Slight development pressure
-Jurisdiction-specific zoning
their land, which protects resources, as an easement is placed on languages.
the land (American Farmland Trust n.d.)
-High speculative purchase

“Sharing stories makes agriculture relevant. It stops people from

thinking of farmers as something
distant or as the other ”
-Jordan Rash, Forterra