Protecting = Healthy

CFT is in the process of protecting 1,015 acres of farmland, resulting in a healthy food supply, a healthy economy, and a healthy environment.

California’s Central Valley not only provides a diverse range of ecological benefits, but it’s also the engine that drives California’s agricultural food production, providing over a third of the vegetables and three-quarters of fruits and nuts in the United States. Rapid urban and rural residential development are accelerating the conversion of agricultural land to urban uses, threatening our food supply.

Protecting high-quality agricultural land has been recognized as a nature-based climate solution by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Air Resources Board’s 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan, and California Department of Conservation. It’s estimated that by keeping natural and working lands intact, 125.9 Million Metric Tons (MMT) of CO2e can be avoided by allowing vegetation and soil to continue absorb carbon from the atmosphere, also known as carbon sequestration.

CFT’s current efforts are helping contribute to that number, with 1,105 acres in process, avoiding 195,631 metric tons of CO2e and 471,707,687 vehicle miles traveled.

Absorbing carbon isn’t the only climate benefit provided by protecting our working lands. An Agricultural Conservation Easement (ACE) extinguish development rights, which in turn avoids increases in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) due to avoiding vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Preventing development reduces opportunities for vehicle dependent forms of development and avoids emissions from construction and building energy from heating.

Groundwater infiltration, groundwater recharge, flood attenuation, open space, and wildlife habitat are other environmental benefits provided by farmland conservation.