Nearly a decade ago, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District recognized a shortcoming in its land protection program, which seeks to preserve agricultural land through conservation easements that prevent subdivision and residential development. Agency staff typically worked with large agricultural properties, like dairies, cattle ranches and vineyards — properties more effective to preserve in terms of staff time and cost per acre.
But the approach often meant that the group worked with people who already owned land, often passed down through the generations.
“It meant there were wide ranges of the Sonoma County population that we didn’t have a chance to interact with as directly,” says Mary Chambers, agricultural specialist at Sonoma County Ag + Open Space. “And when you look at how inequitably land ownership is distributed in the U.S. and in Sonoma County — I think it’s like over 95% of farmland in the U.S. is owned by white people.”
Chambers says those numbers allowed the group to reflect on how their work is limited when they work only with existing landowners. They decided to seek out other tools to create opportunities for new landowners when farmland is being sold…