Local government planners, State regional planners, farmers or policy makers, should consider the following nine principles to achieve a healthy agricultural sector at the regional and local level.

1. Recognise the importance of agriculture to a sustainable regional economy and urban communities by including references to agriculture in the vision and objectives of planning documents.
2. Identify and protect the natural resource base for agriculture by defining areas of suitable land and excluding incompatible land uses, particularly urban or rural-residential uses, mining and petroleum extraction, permanent plantations and infrastructure corridors, from these and other areas important for local or specialised agricultural production.
3. Avoid fragmentation of agricultural land and other pressures of urban growth by setting appropriate lot sizes in agricultural areas consistent with the economics of local and regional production systems.
4. Land use conflict:
   • Avoid land use conflict and provide for compatible rural uses by defining areas for compatible agricultural production, particularly intensive animal industry and intensive horticulture, preventing the location of incompatible uses in and adjacent to agricultural production areas and where necessary requiring buffer areas between incompatible uses.
   • Manage existing land use conflict by giving preference to pre-existing lawful and lawfully operating agricultural land uses when dealing with complaints.Encourage sustainable land and water use and practices by promoting agricultural production on suitable land and promoting sustainable land and water use practices.
5. Encourage value-adding and diversification in agriculture by recognising the complexity and diversity of modern agricultural enterprises and providing for efficient development approval processes for small scale tourism activities and on-farm handling, processing and sale of agricultural produce.
6. Provide and maintain needed and efficient transport, energy and water infrastructure to support agriculture by identifying and planning for critical and strategic rural infrastructure that supports primary production and access to processing or supply chain services.
7. Provide economic, employment and social support services for agriculture in compact, self-contained rural towns and villages by providing for the growth of these settlements within clearly defined urban boundaries.
8. Protect the multiple values of agricultural land by recognising the ecosystem services provided by and attractiveness of agricultural production areas for tourism and avoid land use elements that would reduce these values.

For more information on see the Rural Planning page HERE.