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New Jersey, with the highest population density in the nation and sandwiched between two major metropolitan areas, is not typically perceived as rural or agricultural. But farming continues to have a role in New Jersey's landscape. In some areas, agriculture continues in the traditional "production" model, characterized by extensive uninterrupted blocks of land, reasonably free of suburban growth. Elsewhere, smaller, scattered farms thrive on nearby suburban markets by selling vegetables or nursery stock.
Additionally, New Jersey ranks as a national leader in land conservation. Almost a fifth of our state is publicly owned or otherwise off-limits to development. A second fifth has been targeted for conservation. New Jersey ranks first in percentage of the farmland base preserved and fourth in absolute numbers of acres.
Yet suburban tract development, office parks, and commercial strips spread further into the open countryside every day, threatening water supplies, fragmenting wildlife habitats, "checkerboarding" farming areas. Unrestricted open land is growing scarce in New Jersey - and, more costly. Of our total land area of 4.7 million acres, approximately 1.5 million are urbanized. Approximately 1.1 million are now publicly owned or restricted by easement. Another 750,000 acres have been targeted for acquisition. Some analysts have estimated "buildout" of New Jersey's remaining buildable land in 30-50 years. And, as many cities, older suburbs, and small towns have deteriorated, so have their opportunities for the recreational open space that makes for a high quality of life.