Conservation Grants will Protect Prime Farmland

The first-ever state grants for the purchase of development rights will help save some of the state's most productive farmland from suburban sprawl.

The new Agricultural Land Stewardship Program (ASLP) will use $1 million in state funds and $1.9 million in federal, local, and other funding to acquire conservation easements -- permanent deed restrictions that prohibit future urban development. The farmer agrees to keep the land in agricultural production in perpetuity, with the stipulation that the agreement can be reviewed after 25 years.

In the first year, the grants will purchase long-term protection on more than 1,000 acres of valuable farmland in Fresno, Solano, and Monterey counties. Projects in Yolo and Ventura counties are being considered for the future.

"California's vital agricultural lands are faced with constant development pressure," said Doug Wheeler, California's secretary for resources. "With our federal and local partners, the state is making a commitment to ensuring balance between agricultural production and economic development," he said.

A 1995 state law (SB 275) authored by state Sen. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and signed by Governor Pete Wilson, created the ALSP. The Governor's 1997-98 budget proposes ALSP funding of $2 million.

The California Department of Conservation administers the program, using matching federal funds under the Farmland Protection Program of the 1996 Farm Bill. Local government and land trusts must provide matching funds equal to at least 5 percent of the grant or 10 percent of the easement's assessed value.

"From asparagus fields to walnut orchards, these grants will protect prime farmland on the urban fringe from future development," said Erik Vink of the American Farmland Trust.