a. Over 2,800 farms comprising over 247,000 acres of farmland have been preserved in New Jersey since the inception of the State‘s farmland preservation program;

b. The original intent of the farmland preservation program was to prevent suburban sprawl and the conversion of agriculturally suitable land to other purposes, and to keep agriculture as an economically viable industry within the State;

c. Keeping agriculture as a sustainable industry in the State ensures residents have continued access to fresh food with low environmental impact;

d. The growing interest in agritourism, i.e., activities that attract the public to working farms for enjoyment or education of visitors and generate supplementary income for the farmer, has provided farmers with supplemental revenue and enhanced opportunities to market the State’s agricultural and horticultural products; and

e. With proper oversight, special occasion events on preserved farmland can have minimal impact on land’s viability for farming and provide for new business opportunities for farmers in the State without displacing agricultural or horticultural production as the first priority use of preserved farmland or disrupting neighborhoods that surround preserved farms.

L.2023, c.9, s.1.