FARMLAND INNOVATION FORUM

Contribute your thoughts, ideas, questions or related links on the following topics:

    Tax breaks and/or other incentives for landowners who lease smaller parcels (1 - 10 acres) to new farmers: Mini Williamson Act, incubation, easements, etc.

  • Talk to your city development officer about The Urban Ag Incentive Zones Act (AB551)

    Recognition & compensation for farmland-improvement services: infrastructure, soil enrichment, fire protection.

  • Encourage county Board of Supervisors to enact tax breaks for rural residential land-owners (1-5 acres) and reduce assessed values by leasing a portion of their parcel for ag pursuits. 

    New or existing land-use policies, such as community separators, to enhance the relationship between neighborhoods adjacent to agricultural producers?

    Other types of public or community land made available for new farmers?

  • Revisit the whole "county lands for food" program; make transparent processes; appoint new members who have a stake in conversation
  • Quantify benefits of well-managed grazing!

    Direct more funds towards protecting land with affirmative easements

    Encourage & facilitate 
    more private investment 
    in new farms

    Encourage custom grazing arrangements, pairing new livestock managers with landowners.

    Housing regulations that remove barriers to new farmers without allowing other development.

  • Rally community to hire public lawyer to represent new farmers
  • Legalize compost toilets
  • Ask appropriate officials for a list of requirements necessary to allow modular/portable housing for farm workers to legally occupy the land they intend to work, i.e. trailer, tiny-home, waste management, water, power, timeline, etc.

    Publicly-incentivized community land trusts in which new developments--residential and commercial--require a small, yet viable parcel for agriculture in perpetuity in collaboration with residents, tenants, etc.

  • See American Land Fund Trust

    Improve outreach to and education of landowners about the opportunities of leasing to new farmers.