Attitudes of county commissioners toward farmland preservation in West Virginia

The purpose of the study was to determine county commissioner's knowledge and attitudes toward the farmland preservation program, in West Virginia. The study also sought to identify the barriers and benefits perceived by county commissioners toward farmland preservation. The majority of county commissioners (85.5%) in West Virginia are male. Slightly less than three fourths of the county commissioners (73.1%) were familiar with the Voluntary Farmland Protection Act. A majority of respondents (93.0%) moderately agree that citizens should be educated on farmland preservation. Slightly greater than one half of the county commissioners (57.7%) perceive that small family farms would be maintained as an impact of the farmland preservation program within 10 years. Slightly greater than half of the participants (56.3%) indicated that limited funding for the program is a barrier. Newspaper was ranked first among respondents as being the most effective educational method to inform the public about farmland preservation.