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. 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 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. The county government identified two contiguous areas in its northern region that would define the outer boundaries of the agricultural zone. The first area, near the towns of
Poolesville and
Barnesville, was and contained most of the contiguous farmland. The second area, east of
Olney, was , and had some farmland but was fragmented with residential subdivisions. However, the county decided that some of the remaining farmland and open space in this area could be preserved if future residential development was clustered. ==Rural density transfer zone and Transferable Development Rights==