Saving California farmland: The politics of preservation

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Increased discussion in the United States concerning the conversion of agricultural land to urban uses has caused attention to be focused on how state and local governments are dealing with the problem. The discussion is particularly relevant to the state of California which, while possessing only a small percentage of the country's farmland, generates an agricultural output which is among the highest in the nation. This paper explores the conversion through urbanization of California farmland, the consequences of such conversion, the response — or lack of response — of the state and local governments, and the responsibilities which the state government must assume in order to protect its disappearing agricultural base. The most recent official estimate places the loss of farmland in California at 150 000 acres a year, 59 000 acres of which is prime land. This loss is likely to continue since much of the state's agricultural land lies in the path of urban development. Moreover, recent years have witnessed a shift of population growth to rural areas, threatening the continuation of agricultural productivity in regions previously immune from developmental pressures. The State of California, with the exception of providing tax incentives for farmers and supervising the use of farmland along the coast, has left to the cities and counties the responsibility of protecting its agricultural land. Decision-making at the local level, however, is highly political and based on parochial considerations. Because of the large amount of money to be made in converting farmland to urban uses, and the difficulties experienced by farmers operating on the urban fringe, the political pressures to re-zone land to urban uses are intense. The major control device utilized to protect agricultural land is large-lot zoning, but minimum-size parcels of 5 or 10 acres are not generally efficient for farming purposes and frequently end up as residential estates. Local governments have individually adopted a wide range of additional techniques to preserve farmland, some with noted success, but they do not generally constitute elements of a comprehensive approach to the problem. The full resources and authority required for an effective farmland protection program are located only at the state level of government. At present, however, there is insufficient political support to enable the state to take a more active role in this policy area.