ABSTRACT
The process of rural population growth and dispersal is typically fraught with frequent conflicts between new residents and established farmers. Due to such conflicts, numerous observers have prophesied the ultimate demise of agriculture in metropolitan regions. Efforts to protect the agricultural base in metropolitan counties should be based on an understanding of metro agriculture as a land use, business, and way of life. In Maryland's metropolitan fringe, "Traditional farming is relocating to areas more conducive to its practice, and is being replaced by 'contemporary agriculture,' which is emerging as a lucrative way of life with its own unique benefits to the general public". In areas where agricultural protection zoning has been adopted, very stringent buffers between farms and new development are sometimes adopted. Most communities will probably opt for purchasing development rights rather than buying farmland outright, unless they wish to convert it to recreational facilities or municipal building sites.
