The intent of this proposed planning project is to analyze the feasibility of acquiring conservation easements in accordance with Chapter 8-2.404, Agricultural Conservation and Mitigation Program, of the Yolo County Zoning Ordinance, and to analyze alternative high value agricultural areas for the Yolo County Board of Supervisors to consider preserving in a mitigation bank, or similar instrument, that is established by a private landowner and granted to a public agency partner such as the Yolo Habitat Conservancy, an experienced agricultural land trust  such as the Yolo Land Trust, or the County itself. The intent of this analysis to identify alternative areas for targeted acquisition of agricultural conservation easements that will allow Yolo County and the four incorporated cities to continue supporting one another in protecting and preserving agriculture and promoting compact urban development. The anticipated deliverable is a study on current projected agricultural land use conversion, a mapping exercise to identify parcels most at risk for conversion; using vectors such as changes in demographic, land value, and distance from major cities, as well as to analyze parcels best suited for potential permanent preservation, and a strategic plan that will guide the County and its partners in implementation of a publicly-administered mitigation bank.

2020 - 2024 Strategic Plan
The County's adopted Strategic Plan describes the "Flourishing Agriculture" goal as: "Facilitate a vibrant and resilient agricultural industry that concurrently preserves sufficient farmland to maintain local, state, and national food security in perpetuity."  One identified outcome of this goal is to increase the preservation of agricultural lands.  This proposed planning project is among the strategies established to achieve the agricultural preservation outcome.

Background
Due to increasing agricultural land values and decreasing fair market values for conservation easements it has become increasingly difficult to incentivize landowners to participate in voluntary enrollment of agricultural conservation easements. Most of Yolo County’s development projects are under 100 acres and the piece meal approach to conservation/mitigation is not financially viable for them to participate in. Currently, the program requires projects that convert prime farmland to mitigate for a minimum of three (3) acres of agricultural land by preserving them within two (2) miles of a sphere of influence of a city or within two (2) miles of the General Plan urban growth boundary of the town of Esparto ("Esparto Urban Growth Boundary") for each acre of agricultural land converted to a predominantly non-agricultural use or zoning classification. For projects that convert non-prime farmland, a minimum of two (2) acres shall be preserved and projects that convert a mix of prime and non-prime lands shall mitigate at a blended ratio that reflects for the percentage mix of converted prime and non-prime lands within project site boundaries. Mitigation may also occur within the area bounded by County Roads 98 and 102 on the west and east, respectively, and by County Roads 29 and 27 on the north and south in the agricultural areas between the cities of Woodland and Davis.  The Yolo County Board of Supervisors based this determination on substantial evidence demonstrating that the parcels at issue consist predominantly of prime farmland and/or are subject to conversion to non-agricultural use in the foreseeable future.

It is the County’s intent to partner with stakeholders with similar interests, goals, or mandates related to agricultural preservation. By working with multiple stakeholder groups and the four cities, the resulting deliverable will help Yolo County and its partners to achieve mutually beneficial planning outcomes. The resulting study will support the policies in the Agriculture and Economic Development Element of the 2030 Countywide General Plan that call for preserving agricultural lands using a variety of programs, including conservation easements, by complementing the County’s participation in the Williamson Act program, in addition to other policies aimed at encouraging targeted acquisition of agricultural conservation easements on parcels most threatened by development.