May 2026
In Focus: Farmland Conservation and Mitigation
What is farmland conservation? What does it take to protect agricultural land forever?
These are often asked questions and ones that without clarity stall the advancement of Yolo Land Trust’s missions to conserve agricultural land in Yolo County.
This 4-part series In Focus: Farmland Conservation, provides a look into how Yolo Land Trust supports the permanent conservation of agricultural land in Yolo County.
We want to share with you what it means to conserve farmland, how farms and ranches are conserved, and why farmland conservation is important for the land and people of Yolo County.
This month, we are exploring agricultural conservation easements, the primary tool Yolo Land Trust uses to protect farmland in Yolo County.
Farmland conservation involves many tools, strategies, and community conversations, which we will discuss in this In Focus series. Agricultural mitigation is a topic that continues to generate interest locally, and we want to take a closer look at what mitigation means, how it is used, and the role it can play in protecting agricultural land over time.
Let’s jump in!
A land trust is a non-governmental, community-based nonprofit organization that actively works to conserve or manage land for public benefit. Yolo Land Trust (YLT) was founded in 1988 by a group of community members and farmers who wanted to help conserve the agricultural land that supports Yolo County’s farming economy, open space, and rural character.
Since the beginning our mission has been to conserve farmland in Yolo County. Today, YLT’s dedication to this mission is unwavering.
What is an Agricultural Conservation Easement?
An agricultural conservation easement (ACE) is a voluntary, legal agreement between a private landowner and the Yolo Land Trust that preserves farmland for agricultural use by permanently limiting development rights on the property. Easements are deed restrictions that are recorded and attached to the property forever. The landowner retains full private ownership of the property and can continue to farm, sell, lease, or pass it on to their heirs. As the easement holder, YLT is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the agreed-upon restrictions of the ACE.
Conservation easements are designed to support the long-term future of agriculture, helping preserve productive soils, local food production, ag-related jobs, open space, wildlife habitat, and the rural landscapes that define Yolo County.
Because conservation easements are permanent agreements that hold a significant monetary value, funding is needed to complete these projects. Farmland conservation through the purchase of a conservation easement can be funded in several ways, including:
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- Landowners choosing to donate all or part of a conservation easement’s value
- Public and private grant funding dedicated to conservation
- Agricultural mitigation funding tied to development projects
In recent months, agricultural mitigation has become a frequent topic of conversation in our community. While mitigation can mean different things in different contexts, agricultural mitigation generally refers to efforts intended to offset the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses, often through the permanent protection of other farmland.
What is Agricultural Mitigation?
As outlined in Yolo County’s General Plan Agriculture Conservation and Mitigation Program (Sec. 8-2.405), any new development (either residential, a commercial or industrial expansion) in Yolo County must mitigate for the loss of farmland by purchasing a conservation easement of farmland with a similar size and soil quality that is equal to or greater than that of the land being built on. Thereby “mitigating” by the development’s loss of farmland with the protection of similar farmland elsewhere in Yolo County.
Each development that converts land from farmland to residential, commercial or industrial uses will have specific requirements depending on the location and controlling local agency, including the cities of Davis and Woodland. For every acre lost to development, between 1 and 3 acres of comparable quality farmland will be protected. This is a mandatory requirement of the developer, who must identify a landowner willing to protect their farmland and a qualified entity, such as Yolo Land Trust, to hold the conservation easement.
Understanding the Impact
Agriculture plays an important role in Yolo County’s economy, landscape, and identity. Once farmland is converted to other uses, it is difficult to return to agricultural production. Conserved farmland continues to support food production, agricultural jobs, open space, and environmental resources throughout the region.
In recent years, farmland conservation has increasingly been linked to climate policy. Conserved farmland provides many environmental benefits for Swainson’s hawks, giant garter snakes, migratory birds, and native wetland species. State and regional planning efforts increasingly recognize farmland conservation as one strategy that may contribute to goals related to greenhouse gas reduction, open space preservation, groundwater recharge, habitat connectivity, and climate resilience.
The County’s climate planning efforts date back to the 1980s and expanded substantially after the 2000s. This newer conservation framework views farmland not only as an economic resource but also as carbon storage, floodplain protection, wildlife habitat, and regional infrastructure for environmental resilience.
Yolo Land Trust has participated in implementing this community mitigation framework by holding conservation easements associated with mitigation requirements. In 1995 YLT secured its first conserved easement as a product of mitigation, and this farmland has remained in agriculture as 60 acres of productive prime vineyard farmland in Clarksburg. Over 30 years later, YLT currently holds a total of 41 conservation easements on over 5,600 acres that were purchased to satisfy mitigation requirements. 52% of our conserved farmland is the result of these agriculture mitigation requirements. All this conserved farmland will continue to provide locally grown food, ag-related employment, and the benefits of open space agricultural landscapes characteristic of Yolo County and vital to our diverse ag economy.
Coming next month: a closer look at how grant funding supports farmland conservation projects and the importance of sustaining these funding channels to keep conservation moving forward for future generations.