Voluntary Agreements

» Increase participation of agriculturalists in traditional land trust activities

» Use private stewardship initiatives and voluntary agreements to compensate landowners for non-agricultural values and secure interests in land

Strategies for successful voluntary agreements include those to increase participation of agriculturalists in traditional land trust activities, use private stewardship initiatives and voluntary agreements to compensate landowners for non-agricultural values and secure interests in land, and increase state and federal support for agriculture conservation projects.

At their base level, voluntary agreements often require a landowner to forgo a vested property right or change a business practice in exchange for compensatory benefits such as money and lowering property tax rates. This may include, private landowners voluntarily entering into conservation agreements that legally withdraw development rights in order for the parcel of land to remain in agriculture production or landowners voluntarily changing agricultural practices in order to improve wildlife habitat, water quality, and soil preservation from wind and water erosion.

Simply buying working landscapes and open space in a fee simple transaction can be an expensive endeavor. Prime lands along the urban-rural fringe – working landscapes – are highly desirable for both developers and open space advocates. Demand increases the asking price, and frequently, the price tag eclipses the ability of working landscape/open space advocates to buy.

A variety of voluntary agreements beyond fee simple transactions – agricultural best management practices, development rights, mitigation fees, cluster development – provide numerous options for landowners, planners, non-government organizations, and government agencies.

Effective voluntary agreements require a high level of trust. Agriculturalists looking to provide for their family or retirement and maintain their property as productive agricultural land want a firm agreement that both aspects will be fulfilled. Creating trust between groups that do not already have a relationship, even though it would be mutually beneficial, requires cultivation. The Resource Conservation Districts are an appropriate agency to facilitate these necessary relationships between agriculturalists and traditional land trusts, other non-government organizations, and government agencies.

The state and federal governments fund and run a collection of programs designed to reward agriculturalists for preserving and maintaining environmental services on their land. The breadth and variety of these programs – Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Security Program, Forest Land Enhancement Program, Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, California Farmland Conservancy Program – requires ample support of programmatic funding for grant writing services available to agricultural producers. These services would be made available through state agencies such Resource Conservation Districts as well as the state and federal programs.