Land Lost from Agriculture: a Dubious Basis for Rural Policy

Abstract

This paper raises doubts about the extent to which productive agricultural land and prime agricultural land have been lost from agriculture in New South Wales, through the development of hobby farms. It also questions the effects of instruments which have been used generally to control the subdivisions which have been seen as putative causes of perceived losses. It concludes that there is a need for better data to enable changes in rural land use to be monitored more precisely.