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Goal 3, which pertains to the preservation and maintenance of agricultural lands, is one of the cornerstones of Oregon’s statewide land use planning program. Specifically, Goal 3 states that “[a] gricultural lands shall be preserved and maintained for farm use, consistent with existing and future needs for agricultural products, forest and open space and with the state's agricultural land use policy expressed in ORS 215.243 and 215.700”(OAR 660-015-0000 (3), 1). Goal 3 was established in 1973 in response to concerns about the future of Oregon’s agricultural land base, and has evolved over time in response to a variety of factors. How well Goal 3 has performed in meeting its core objectives is unclear, however, thus an evaluative study is warranted.

In the following pages, we summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the efficacy of Oregon’s efforts to realize Goal 3, including major data sources used to carry out such evaluations, and provide suggestions for improving future monitoring and assessment efforts. To begin, we briefly review the history of agriculture in Oregon and the evolution of efforts to protect farmland through the statewide land use planning program, then describe major sources of data that researchers have drawn on over the past thirty years in efforts to assess the system. We then present the results of a systematic review of literature and data, informed in part by consultation with experts from state agencies and academic institutions, aimed at answering the following question: Has