A Feasibility Study for Urban Edge Agricultural Parks - SAGE

transactions. Transaction types will include, but not be limited to, easements, feetitle purchase and resale, purchase options on land and purchase of subdivisionmap entitlements. The ATP will grant up to 50 percent of the cash portion oftransactions. Successes of these three counties will create new models foragricultural land conservation, and will encourage creative efforts elsewhere. GreatValley Center provided funding from its “LEGACI” (Land Use, Environment, Growth,Agriculture, Conservation and Investment) grant program to partially fund a projectthat will produce a guidebook and series of seminars on farmland protection.Other examples of this approach include the California Coastal Conservancy, whichworks in California’s coastal zone; the Wildlife Conservation Board’s land acquisitionprogram, which includes funding for conservation easements; and the PackardFoundation’s funding in certain parts of the state for agricultural conservationeasements, through its Conserving California Landscapes Initiative.In general, when land is donated or purchased outright, rather than controlledthrough easement, resulting site control increases the ability to generatesubstantive public education and access as well as direct environmentalstewardship. For example, while the American Farmland Trust typically purchaseseasements, an outright purchase of a 40-acre parcel outside of Fresno allowed for apartnership with a local non-profit and the UC Extension to offer farm training andaccess to low cost land to limited-resource farmers.Other Sources of Public Funding forFarmland Conservation 15• Conservation of Private Grazing Land Assistance: USDA provides technical,educational and related assistance to owners of private grazing lands. Thetechnical assistance helps to offer opportunities for better grazing landmanagement, protecting soil and water quality, and improving wildlife habitat.• Environmental Protection Agency - Agriculture Initiative: provides funding tosupport the implementation of environmentally sound, economically viable, andsocially responsible sustainable agriculture systems. The Agricultural Initiative inCalifornia focuses on the Central Valley. It provides grants targeted at pollutionprevention systems such as biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS) thedevelopment of sustainable and organic cotton farming. It also provideseducational information concerning regulatory issues, human health concernsand policy innovations. In 2002, the Agricultural Initiative provided $200,000 incompetitive grants for projects that demonstrate innovative pest managementstrategies.• California Department of Conservation – Williamson Act: enables landowners toreceive a lower property tax assessment for agricultural lands. Landowners can15 Taken from Conservation Incentives Available in California, from Wild Farm AllianceDRAFT 1.6.05 87