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The Agricultural Reserve is a designated land use zone in Montgomery County, Maryland. The zone was created in 1980 by the Montgomery County Council to preserve farm land and rural space in the northwestern part of the county. The farmland protection program has been characterized as "the most famous, most studied and most emulated" program of its kind in the United States. ==Background== County residents and government planners began to notice the loss of agricultural land and open space as early as the 1950s, associated with the increase in suburbanization following World War II.〔Montgomery County Planning Department, Silver Spring, MD. ("Preservation of Agriculture & Rural Open Space Functional Master Plan." ) Updated 2013-02-13.〕 The general demand for housing in the region was making the farm land increasingly attractive to developers, and the increased property values encouraged many farmers to sell. About one half of the county's farm land was converted to non-farm ownership by the 1960s.〔 The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission noted a loss of 18,768 acres of farm land over an 8-year period in the 1970s, an average of 2,346 acres/year.〔 Many of the upcounty houses were purchased by people who wanted to live on large areas of land and were willing to drive long distances to down-county areas. Following studies by a County task force and public discussion, the Council established the ''Agricultural and Rural Open Space Master Plan'' in 1980.〔Montgomery County Planning Department (2013). ("The Agricultural Reserve." )〕 The overall goals of the agricultural zone are to preserve farms, productive soils, and a way of life. It seeks to preserve farmland through: * Control of public costs and prevention of urban sprawl * Adherence to County growth management systems * Preservation of regional food supplies * Energy conservation * Protection of the environment * Maintenance of open space * Preservation of rural life styles.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Montgomery County, Maryland Agricultural Reserve」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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