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SACRAMENTO -- The
amount of agricultural land and open
space in Marin County continued to
decrease while urbanized land increased,
according to a new map released by the
California Department of Conservation.
Nearly 500 acres were
removed from agricultural categories
while 898 acres were added to the urban
total between 2000 and 2002.
The Farmland Mapping
and Monitoring Program, part of DOC's
Division of Land Resource Protection,
documents land-use conversion on 45.8
million acres of California’s private
and public land every two years. The
maps and statistics are designed to help
local governments evaluate land-use
planning decisions. The 2000-2002
mapping – the clearest look yet at state
land use thanks to improved digital
mapping processes -- is ongoing
throughout the state.
“This information
helps counties and cities see the
patterns and make informed choices about
how they want to direct growth in the
future,” Department of Conservation
Director Darryl Young said. “The
population of California will continue
to grow. It’s vital to ensure there’s
enough room both for people and
agriculture.”
The Farmland Mapping
and Monitoring Program classifies land
as either farmland (prime being the best
of four types of farmland), grazing
land, urban land, other land or water.
The “other” category includes
low-density "ranchettes," wetlands, and
brush or timberlands unsuitable for
grazing.
The largest additions
to urban land in the current report were
in the Novato area, including more than
100 acres at the Stonetree Golf Club and
the adjacent Renaissance community.
Since the 1990 FMMP
survey, Marin County has gained 2,522
urbanized acres while 3,927 acres of
farmland and grazing land have gone out
of agricultural use.
The agricultural land
in Marin County will continue to face
development pressure in the foreseeable
future. The California Department of
Finance projects that the county’s
population will increase from 250,100 in
2000 to 273,800 by 2020.
According to the
California Department of Food and
Agriculture, the gross value of Marin
County’s agricultural production was
$44.5 million in 2002.
To help local
governments make the best choices
regarding agricultural land, FMMP
upgraded the maps in 2002 by
incorporating new digital soil data from
the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service. Accurate soil information is
the basis for determining the quality of
land for farming.
The maps have been
sent to county planning officials and
organizations such as the county Farm
Bureau, Local Agency Formation
Commission, city planners, irrigation
districts and county resource
conservation districts. Printed copies,
enlargements, or digital versions of the
maps are available to the public. Call
(916) 324-0859 or email fmmp@consrv.ca.gov
for more information.
The latest statewide
study by the FMMP, Farmland Conversion
Report 1998-2000, was released last
June. More than 91,000 acres were
urbanized throughout the state – a
30-percent increase from the 1996-98
mapping cycle – and 27 percent of that
total came from irrigated farmland.
Through the
Department of Conservation, the state
offers programs that provide financial
incentives to keep land in agricultural
use. The California Farmland Conservancy
Program makes grants available to local
governments, land trusts or resource
conservation districts to purchase
permanent agricultural conservation
easements from willing landowners. These
easements prohibit future development.
Farmland Security Zone and Williamson
Act contracts provide potential tax
benefits to landowners who commit to
keeping their land in agricultural use
for periods of 20 or 10 years,
respectively.
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