California Farmland Conservancy Program: conservation easements: funding.

Senator Cortese's agricultural conservation measure establishes a dedicated $20 million annual funding stream for farmland preservation easements through the California Farmland Conservancy Program. The bill creates a new Funding Account within the existing Program Fund, with annual transfers from the General Fund beginning in fiscal year 2025-26.

The legislation restricts the use of these continuously appropriated funds to agricultural conservation easements on qualifying farmland, excluding grazing lands. This builds upon the Program's current funding structure, which relies on legislative appropriations through the annual Budget Act along with federal grants and private donations. According to the bill's findings, California loses approximately 40,000 acres of agricultural land to development annually, while existing conservation easement funding has not met demand from willing landowners.

The measure aligns with local government preservation initiatives, including counties that incorporate agricultural land protection in their planning processes. The County of Sonoma exemplifies this approach through its Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, funded by voter-approved local taxes for purchasing agricultural and open-space easements. The bill's authors note that farmland generates 70 times fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to urban areas of equivalent size, positioning agricultural preservation as a component of the state's goal to conserve 30 percent of lands and coastal waters by 2030.