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25 <br /> DRAFT/March 28,2025 <br /> • Priority Action le: Communicate farmland conversion trends, County <br /> agricultural census results, and economic data in the biennially updated <br /> Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan and on a County <br /> agriculture web page/website. <br /> BENCHMARK/PROGRESS INDICATORS FUNDING/RESOURCES <br /> • County agriculture website or web County staff including new proposed <br /> page published Ag Viability and Farmland <br /> • Website updated monthly Stewardship position <br /> • County agriculture presence on <br /> social media sites established <br /> • Number of followers on social <br /> media <br /> Recommendation 2: Elevate agriculture to a primary use in land use planning, <br /> regulations, and policy. Priority Actions 2a and 2b provide mechanisms for <br /> ensuring that agriculture is represented among the key County functions and <br /> priorities in land use planning. Priority Actions 2c and 2d provide for <br /> development of policy, guidelines, and regulations that can help mitigate <br /> farmland loss and preserve the County's most productive land for agriculture. <br /> The Prioritization Method of Priority Action 2c (Appendix 2), used in conjunction <br /> with Lands Legacy Program prioritization criteria when appropriate, can help the <br /> County to identify the land best suited for continued agricultural use, prioritize <br /> farms for conservation and other programs, and target farmland stewardship <br /> efforts for best results. For the modifications and additions to County land use <br /> policies and ordinances in Priority Action 2d, a stepwise approach (Appendix 3) <br /> and a reliance on the Avoid-Minimize-Mitigate framework (Figure 7 below) are <br /> recommended. Ample precedents and examples from other locales are <br /> available for modeling agriculture-supportive policy and regulatory <br /> modifications (California Council of Land Trusts, 2014; CALAFCO, 2018; New <br /> England Access Policy Project, 2016). <br /> • Priority Action 2a: On the Planning Board, include an Agricultural Preservation <br /> Board member. On the Agricultural Preservation Board, include a Planning <br /> Board member. <br /> BENCHMARK/PROGRESS INDICATORS FUNDING/RESOURCES <br /> Establishment of permanent seats on No funding required <br /> the APB by a Planning Board member <br /> and on the Planning Board by an APB <br /> member <br /> 23 <br />