The state of California continues to refine its policies and approach to agricultural land access, conservation, and management. State policymakers, advocates, and farm leaders are attempting to ease land access for beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers while also addressing how rising temperatures and related water constraints are shifting land use in the state.  

This year, we saw a number of farmland conservation and land access and tenure policy developments, including first-year spending allocations of funds made available through Proposition 4 –  California’s Climate Infrastructure Bond. While community coalitions faced some setbacks, there were also some notable wins. 

$32 million for Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program

California voters passed Proposition 4, the largest climate change bond in the state’s history, in November 2024, authorizing the state to spend $10 billion in climate-change related infrastructure projects. The measure includes over $1 billion in funding to support more resilient, healthy food systems and advance sustainable agriculture. The legislature and the Governor must authorize Proposition 4 funding.  This year, they passed a $3.5 billion spending package, which includes, among other agricultural investments, $32 million supporting the state’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program. 

Recognizing that declining water resources in some parts of the state would impact agricultural production, in 2022 the legislature established the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) to increase regional capacity for repurposing water-constrained  irrigated agricultural land to uses that reduce groundwater use while also providing additional benefits, such as community health, economic well being, wildlife habitat, renewable energy, and climate benefits. The California Department of Conservation has awarded more than $75 million through the first two rounds of block grants. 

Land repurposing is a key climate adaptation strategy and a strategic approach for managing land transitions. The legislature’s allocation of $32 million for the next round of MLRP grants underscores the importance of land repurposing as a part of the State’s broader efforts to support sustainable groundwater management.  

Draft Recommendations from the CA Agricultural Land Equity Task Force

The California Land Equity Task Force is set to release its final report by the end of the year. This report comes after two years of extensive community engagement with Tribal land stewards and producers who have been historically and systematically excluded from land ownership and secure tenure. 

Also established in 2022, the task force is an independent body of public members who are charged with providing recommendations to the legislature and governor to address barriers to equitable land access for farmers and Indigenous land stewards.

The most recent version of the Draft Report (dated November 2025) provides recommendations along six topic areas: 

• Prioritize Tribal stewardship and land return
• Fund and incentivize land acquisition for priority producers and land stewards. 
• Halt and reverse agricultural land consolidation 
• Preserve California’s agricultural land while prioritizing equitable land access and stewardship
• Prioritize secure land tenure
• Support urban agriculture

The task force is attempting to address consolidation and financialization of agricultural land ownership. For example, just 5% of landowners collectively own half of the state’s total cropland. The decline in the number of small farms (<180 acres) is happening at a much faster rate than mid-sized farms (180–999 acres), while the number of large farms (>1,000 acres) is increasing. Efforts which support equitable land access and ownership are a necessary strategy for addressing this trend towards consolidation of farmland ownership. 

The task force’s final meeting will be held on December 11 and is open to the public. 

Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program Receives Stable Annual Funding 

One of the biggest wins for agricultural land conservation came through the passage of Senate Bill 840, which was part of a package of bills passed by the legislature to reauthorize the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program through 2045. Through the Greenhouse Gas Reductions Fund appropriations that were included in SB 840, the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) will receive $80 million annually. 

The goal of the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program is to protect critical agricultural lands that are at risk of conversion to more energy intensive uses, such as residential development. The program provides grants to fund local and regional planning, land acquisition, and organizational capacity development. The establishment of stable and predictable funding for the SALC program marks a victory for farmland conservation advocates. 

AB 524 (Wilson) Farmland Access and Conservation for Thriving Communities Act

The California Farmland Conservancy Program was established within the Department of Conservation in 1995 to fund conservation easements to permanently protect agricultural lands from development. Assembly Bill 525, sponsored by the Community Alliance of Family Farmers (CAFF), would have built on this effort by establishing a first-ever state program to improve land access for beginning and historically underserved farmers. The proposed Farmland Access and Conservation for Thriving Communities Program passed the legislature with broad bipartisan support, but was ultimately vetoed by Governor Newsom, who cited funding pressures. CAFF said the Governor’s veto was “a profound setback for California’s agricultural future”.

Land access and tenure issues will likely remain on policymaker’s agenda, especially following the final recommendations from the Land Equity Task Force. As members of the California Food & Farming Network, BFI will continue to follow these issues and connect advocates and policymakers with the latest UC research on these issues.