As a result, several pieces of farmland protection legislation have been enacted at the Federal, State, and local level. These include zoning, preferential treatment of farmland for tax purposes, transfer of development rights, and purchase of development rights or easements. The Federal Government's effort to protect farmland from conversion to nonagricultural uses began with the 1981 Farm Bill, which required Federal agencies to evaluate the impact of federally funded programs on converting farmland to nonagricultural uses and to consider alternative actions that would lessen the adverse impacts. During the 20th century, millions of acres of land with special or unique natural resources, such as the National Parks System, have been acquired or protected by government actions. It also uses the tax code to provide incentives for farmland protection through conservation easements.
Some States have programs to purchase development rights from farmland owners.
Over the last decade, several nonprofit organizations have also become active in farmland protection.