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Most agricultural output in the northeastern United States comes from counties that have experienced significant development. A mail survey, with 300 responses, was conducted in southeastern Pennsylvania to determine farmer adaptation to urbanization in this region. Despite development, traditional agriculture still predominates. Changes in land use were examined using multinomial logit models. Results show that changes in population density and farm preservation policies have an influence, as increased population density reduced total land operated and having land in an agricultural security area increased it. Other measures of urbanization, such as proximity to a city or inter-state highway had no statistically significant effect on farm practices.
Keywords: Agricultural adaptation, rural development, off-farm income, urbanization, land use
