§ 327. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds, determines and declares that the New York agriculture industry has a substantial impact on the overall economic health and well-being of the state. Furthermore, state farms preserve approximately 7.7 million acres of open space as working landscapes, thus contributing to the overall quality of the state's environment. Preserving farmland as a working agricultural landscape provides open space benefits for all residents of the state, and maintains the land as a natural habitat for animals. Properly managed farmland has been demonstrated to be the best environmental usage of land for watershed protection, so it is in the best interest of the state to maintain agricultural land. The legislature hereby declares that in order to ensure the continued economic viability of the agricultural industry, and to preserve the environmental benefits of agricultural land use, the department shall create a farmland viability program.