Introduction and Overview
Purdue Extension and the Indiana Land Resources Council collaboratively developed this guidance document to support plan commission members as well as local government officials and staff — with resources and examples to integrate agriculture and natural resources into community land use planning efforts for developing or updating comprehensive plans.
Each document in the series provides an overview of the topic, economic development considerations, community examples, and resources to make connections for local planning efforts.
Funding for this project was provided by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. No information in this project or any of its components should be construed as legal advice, nor should any legal action be taken without consultation of an attorney. The information herein is intended to be educational and informational in nature, in accordance with the statutory mission of the Indiana Land Resources Council, IC 15-12-5, as administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Public Participation
Due to the technical nature of planning for agriculture and natural resources, residents and stakeholders bring varying degrees of knowledge, training and information to the planning process. This section advises on how to engage residents and other stakeholders early in a process to provide input for a local agriculture or natural-resources planning effort. Such engagement is important for building trust and communicating how the community will look and function in the future. Public participation can be any process that directly engages members of the public in decision-making and gives consideration to their input in the final decision.
