California Farmland Conversion Summary
Did you know…
| Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program |
| 1984-2008 Conversion Summary |
| |
Total Change |
Annual Average |
| |
(acres) |
|
Irrigated Farmland |
-859,145 |
-35,798 |
|
Dryland Farming and Grazing Land |
-457,915 |
-19,080 |
|
Urban and Built-up Land |
1,040,230 |
43,343 |
|
Other Land |
255,501 |
10,646 |
|
Water (1) |
21,903 |
913 |
|
(1) Water increase primarily due to construction of Diamond Valley Reservoir, Lake Sonoma, Los Vaqueros Reservoir, Olivenhain Reservoir, flooding of Liberty Island, and reclamation of former gravel pits into permanent water bodies in Alameda County. |
- Farm and Grazing lands in California decreased by more than 1.3 million acres between 1984 and 2008. This is larger than the size of Merced County. This loss averages just under 55,000 acres per year, or about one square mile every four days.
- The type of farmland with the largest decrease has been Prime Farmland, the best soils for agricultural production. Prime Farmland losses were juse under 560,000 acres between 1984 and 2008, nearly the size of Solano County.
- Urbanization accounts for the vast majority of this loss, more than 1.04 million acres over the 1984-2008 timeframe. This is nearly the size of Sonoma County.
- Other major causes for farmland loss include low density rural residences, mining, and ecological restoration projects. These totaled more than 255,000 acres between 1984 and 2008; nearly one quarter of the scale of urbanization.
- A more detailed statewide 1984 to 2008 conversion summary and component charts are available (XLS).