Delaware Aglands Preservation Program

The Department of Agriculture manages Delaware's Agricultural Lands (Aglands) Preservation Program. Established in 1991, this program allows landowners to voluntarily preserve their farms through a two-phase process. The first phase, which does not include any payment to the landowner, is known as an Agricultural Preservation District. In phase two, the landowner is paid to sell their farm's development rights, known as an Agricultural Conservation Easement. The Aglands Program selects one round of farms to preserve each year, funding permitting. The Foundation does not own the land but purchases landowners' development rights and places a permanent agricultural conservation easement on the property.

A Preservation District is a ten-year, voluntary agreement where landowners agree to use their land for agricultural purposes only; to qualify, the land must meet the farm income requirement for the state's Farmland Assessment Act, satisfy a scoring system standard, and undergo a review and approval process. Landowners are eligible to submit a bid to sell their farm's development rights the year after they enroll their farm into a District Agreement. Landowners with forested tracts can also enroll their properties as a Forestland Preservation Area.

Owners in the same round compete by offering a discount from the appraised development rights value; the Foundation selects farms offering the highest percentage discount, funding permitting. Owners pay no taxes, fees, or charges at settlement and receive a lump sum payment. In the 29th round (2025), 36 properties comprising more than 2,800 acres were preserved at a cost of $14.9 million (average discount 52%).

Landowners apply by submitting an Agricultural Preservation District Application or Forestland Preservation Area Application (available on the Applications & Forms page), or by using the online "Aglands/Forestlands/Contingent Sales – Apply Online" portal. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis for entry into a Preservation District; landowners become eligible to bid to sell their farm's development rights the year after they enroll in a District Agreement, with one competitive round of easement purchases selected each year, funding permitting. For assistance with an application, contact the Aglands Preservation and Planning Section at (302) 698-4531.