TVAL-Farm: A Qualitative Enhancement of the LESA Model

The Study Area

The study area used to test our methodology consists of four contiguous counties in the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's (NCDACS) Western Mountain District: Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Haywood (Figure 1). These counties provide an excellent test region for our methodologies because parts of the region are fairly urbanized while others have great potential for growth. Buncombe is the most populated county in our study area with 314 people per square mile and 6,454 non-farm establishments. Henderson is less populated but growing at a faster rate with 238 people per square mile and 2,302 non-farm establishments. Haywood's population density is 97.6 people per square mile; the county has 1,411 non-farm establishments. Madison is the least populated with 44 people per square mile and 309 non-farm establishments (U.S. Census Bureau, 2004). Madison County is perceived to be under an urgent threat of urbanization since the recent completion of Interstate 26 through the county now makes it more accessible to commuters and tourists, thus raising the likelihood that property values will increase and create additional stressors on farmland.