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WHAT'S NEW?
• American Farmland Trust Opposes Prop 98
• New AFT Report Details How California
is Paving Paradise
• How Land Use Affects Climate Change
American Farmland Trust Opposes Prop 98
American Farmland Trust, a leading national agricultural conservation organization that has been working to save farmland in California for 25 years, has announced that it is opposing Proposition 98, the “Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act,” which will be put to voters in the June primary election.
“The measure could actually work against the protection of farmland in California,” said AFT state director Edward Thompson, Jr. “The language of Prop 98 is so broad and vague that it could be interpreted by judges to strike down zoning and other land use laws on the grounds that they may reduce property values. That would be devastating for communities that are trying to protect farmland and control urban sprawl."»Read More
Paving Paradise: New AFT Study Details Statewide & Local Farmland Losses 
One out of every six acres developed in California since the Gold Rush was paved over between 1990 and 2004. So concludes a new AFT report, Paving Paradise: A New Perspective on California Farmland Conversion. In all, more than a half million acres were urbanized during this period, almost two-thirds of it agricultural land. Among AFT’s other findings: More than 60% of the land developed in the San Joaquin Valley, which accounts for half of California’s agricultural production, was farmland of the very best quality. Statewide, development is consuming an acre of land for every 9.4 people – imagine them spread out over a football field. If sprawling development patterns continue, another 2 million acres of California land will be paved over by 2050. If, however, the state as a whole develops land as efficiently as Sacramento County or the Bay Area did in recent years, a million acres of California’s irreplaceable farmland could be saved. »Read More
Climate Change Linked to Land Use:
AFT Joins New California Consortium to "Grow Cooler"
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The heat is on -- Wildfires threaten a California ranch. Photo © 2006 The Associated Press |
Climate change has become the defining issue of our time. Without bold, decisive action now, California, the nation and the world will face devastating consequences, including a shrinking water supply, deteriorating air quality, increased risks of both floods and wildfires, and,not least, declining agricultural production.
The clear link between climate change and the ability farmland to satisfy our need for food has prompted AFT to join a new consortium of nonprofit organizations, called Climate Plan. While others focus on more fuel-efficient cars, power plant emissions and other contributors to global warming, Climate Plan will specifically address the need for better land use planning and development in California in an effort to curb urban sprawl. A new report, Growing Cooler, by the Urban Land Institute, one of the Climate Plan partners, details the evidence connecting sprawl to excessive greenhouse gases. AFT’s own new report, Paving Paradise (above), documents how sprawl also leads to needless farmland loss.
farm policy reform
March 15th Farm Bill Deadline Likely to Be Missed
More Reform Is Needed to Address California's Needs
After halting starts and stops, the House and Senate appear to be working together, agreeing to $10 billion in additional funding for a 10-year farm bill—but finding that funding is still in question. »Read More
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