Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program
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: AUTUMN 2023
The Georgia Conservancy is currently working with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to create the framework of the GFC 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.
During the upcoming budget and legislative session, the Georgia Conservancy will work with Governor Brian Kemp’s office, the Department of Agriculture, and the General Assembly to seek appropriations for the first year of the program. The goal is to have the GFC Program process firmly established and have the application open and advertised, such that grant awards can be selected as early as possible in 2024.
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
