California Policy

American Farmland Trust has deep roots and longstanding experience advocating for policies that support farmers and protect agricultural lands in Sacramento. We play a unique role by conducting and synthesizing the latest research, listening to the needs of producers on the ground to advocate for and enact policies that ensure California has a strong agricultural sector. 

Our state policy staff is committed to working closely with state legislators, farmers, service providers, land trusts, planning associations, non-profits, state and local agencies, and communities to advance policy solutions that meet the needs of farmers and agricultural lands, now and into the future. 

1. Protect California Agricultural Lands:

• Maintain continuous appropriations for the Department of Conservation’s Sustainable Agriculture Lands Conservation (SALC) program through the State’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and respectfully request $90M to meet current and increasing funding demands

  • AFT and CalCAN’s One-Pager 

  • Sign-On Letter 

• Uphold the integrity and intent of the Williamson Act while improving it to meet the current needs of California producers

• Ensure stable and robust funding for state and local agricultural protection efforts through the Department of Conservation’s California Farmland Conservancy Program (CFCP) and the Wildlife Conservation Board’s Rangeland, Grazing, and Grassland Protection Program 

2. Promote Smart Solar ℠ and Advancing Agrivoltaics 

• Establish a statewide definition for agrivoltaics;

• Fund research and demonstration projects to test agrivoltaics systems for impacts to yield, farm profitability, farmworker health and safety, water conservation, and more throughout California and for the state’s major production systems;

• Invest in market mechanisms incentivizing renewable energy development on marginal agricultural land and degraded, already developed, or disturbed sites such as brownfield redevelopment areas and contaminated farm and ranchland.2. Promote Smart Solar ℠ and Advancing Agrivoltaics 

  • Establish a statewide definition for agrivoltaics;

  • Fund research and demonstration projects to test agrivoltaics systems for impacts to yield, farm profitability, farmworker health and safety, water conservation, and more throughout California and for the state’s major production systems;

  • Invest in market mechanisms incentivizing renewable energy development on marginal agricultural land and degraded, already developed, or disturbed sites such as brownfield redevelopment areas and contaminated farm and ranchland.

3. Increase Agricultural Land Access Opportunities

• Support a $15 million appropriation in FY 26-27 (of the total $30 million Prop 4 allocation) directed at increasing land access opportunities for beginning and historically underserved producers. This new program will be housed at the CA Department of Conservation.

4. Increase Funding for Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices 

• Support stable funding for farmer and rancher financial assistance and technical assistance services, including but not limited to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Healthy Soils Program (HSP) and State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP). 

AFT research that informs these policy priorities:

• AFT’s Annual State of the State Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements Survey

• The 2023 Recommendations for State and Local Governments to Advance Smart Solar℠ report and Policy Recommendations to Increase Agrivoltaic Development.

• AFT, Indiana University, and Portland State University’s Land Access Policy Incentive Research Study.

• AFT’s 2020 Farms Under Threat reports that 465,900 acres of California’s agricultural land were converted to urban and highly developed land use and low-density residential land use. If this trend continues, according to AFT’s Farms Under Threat: Choosing an Abundant Future, the state will pave over, fragment, or compromise 797,400 acres of agricultural land.

• AFT’s 2017 Greener Fields Research showed that human activity on an acre of agricultural land produces 66 times fewer GHG emissions than on an acre of developed land.