Protecting Georgia’s precious farmlands from increased development
Preserving Georgia’s agricultural lands is crucial to the lives and livelihoods of Georgians, as these bountiful acres are needed to fuel the people and economy of the state’s 159 counties. However, according to land cover trends, Georgia’s agricultural landscape is shifting at a rapid pace, as the state continues to lose precious farmland to increased development.
From 1974-2016, Georgia lost approximately 2.6 million acres of crop, hay, and pasture land, as determined through the Georgia Conservancy’s Georgia Now and Forever initiative.
To combat this trend and protect farmland acres most susceptible to development, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Georgia Farmland Conservation Act (Senate Bill 220) during the 2023 legislative session, which establishes the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program and Georgia Farmland Advisory Council.
Read our press release regarding the passage of Senate Bill 220.
By working with farmers seeking to voluntarily restrict their right to develop farmland, the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund (GFC) Program will ensure that the best farmland for food production will remain undeveloped and stay farmable for Georgia’s future generation of farmers.
The GFC Program will coordinate with federal dollars and local matching funds to extend its conservation objectives. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture allocates $450 million annually in matching dollars for similar state farmland conservation programs. Twenty-nine other states have such programs and have protected 3.2 million acres of farmland.
Georgia’s agricultural industry is the biggest economic driver in the state, and the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program would ensure the industry’s long-term viability while providing rural economic benefits and extending land protection to voluntary private landowners.
The Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund will consist of annual appropriations by the state legislature, as well as public or private grants, dedicated gifts and donations, and proceeds from the sale of bonds or mitigation funds.
The GFC Program will make funds or matching grants available each fiscal year for prospective qualified easement holders having a project proposal that has been reviewed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and approved by the Georgia Farmland Conservation Advisory Council. The primary purpose of these prospective projects will be the conservation of farmlands that are threatened by development and the support of active farming and food production in this state.
Status Update: Summer 2025
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (DoA) has released its rules for the recently established Georgia Farmland Conservation Program and has announced a public comment period to receive feedback. The comment period closes on August 18.
Read the Notice and Synopsis of the Proposed Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program Rules
Read the Proposed Rules for the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program
During the 2023 Legislative Session, the Georgia Conservancy led the effort to establish the state’s first program dedicated to preserving agricultural lands under threat of development. Since then, we’ve worked with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to create the framework for the Georgia Farmland Conservation Program, which includes the application form, processes for proposal evaluations, and grant award timelines.
Per the establishing legislation, priority will be given to project proposals that protect agricultural lands susceptible to development, subdivision, and fragmentation, taking into consideration the project’s current state of cultivation, the potential for a funding match, and conservation priorities such as protection of habitat, water quality, watershed conservation, climate resiliency, local conservation plans, public viewshed, and preservation or enhancement of soil quality.
As the framework of the program is defined, the Georgia Conservancy seeks to ensure that the GFC Program has a proposal process that is not onerous for applicants and it seeks to protect farmland in geographically-diverse areas of the state.
Additionally, since late 2024, Georgia Conservancy President Katherine Moore has served on the Georgia Farmland Advisory Council (GFAC). The council was created through 2023’s Georgia Farmland Conservation Act. Per the Act, the GFAC “will advise and assist the Georgia Department of Agriculture with the administration and implementation of the program utilizing the criteria proposed by the department and adopted by the council.”
Moore’s appointment came after continued Georgia Conservancy advocacy efforts during meetings last summer and fall of the Senate Study Committee on Preservation of Georgia’s Farmlands, at which we shared with legislators and citizens data and information from our Georgia Now and Forever initiative—an analysis vital to preserving our state’s fertile agricultural lands.
The Georgia Conservancy’s outreach and advocacy efforts have been generously supported by The Clay Long Fund, which was established in 2021 to honor the legacy of former Georgia Conservancy Board Chair Clay Long, an avid conservationist and supporter of smart growth strategies
Questions? Please reach out to Georgia Conservancy Communications Director Brian Foster at bfoster@gaconservancy.org