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DRAFT/March 27,2026 <br /> 5. Goals for Agriculture in Orange County <br /> Building on its assets and strengths, Orange County can minimize continued <br /> farmland loss and foster a thriving agricultural community in which <br /> • Farm viability is enhanced, and farmland is maintained and stewarded for <br /> agricultural uses through judicious land use planning and educational, <br /> logistical, and financial support. <br /> • Citizens and decision-makers have the information and resources they <br /> need to support local agriculture and the farming community. <br /> • Farmers are supported in their livelihoods with educational, financial, and <br /> infrastructural resources. <br /> Studies and experiences of other locales show that Planning FOR Agriculture, <br /> Conserving Farmland through Direct Measures, and Enhancing the Economic <br /> Viability of Agriculture are essential to helping the County realize this vision. <br /> Goal 1: Plan FOR Agriculture <br /> A robust local food and farming community cannot be developed or sustained <br /> if County farmland continues to be lost at the rate described in Section 3 of this <br /> document. Continued farmland loss can be mitigated through proven land use <br /> planning approaches such as smart growth, which emphasizes compact <br /> development, minimization of sprawl, strengthened development in areas <br /> where development has already occurred, and permanent protection of <br /> farmland and open space (Gazillo, 2020; Hunter, 2022). The American Farmland <br /> Trust projects that, in a Better Built Cities scenario employing measures such as <br /> these, farmland loss in Orange County through 2040 can be limited to 6100 <br /> acres compared with 14,300 acres with the Business As Usual scenario and <br /> 19,900 acres with Runaway Sprawl as described above (Figure 6) (Hunter, 2022). <br /> Figure 6. Projected conversion of Orange County farmland to development through 2040 <br /> (Hunter, 2022; American Farmland Trust, 2022) <br /> Business as Usual: Runaway Sprawl: Better Built Cities: <br /> 14,300 acres of farmland lost 19,900 acres of farmland lost 6,100 acres of farmland lost <br /> G <br /> j ` # ; AIN <br /> •. <br /> Si <br /> hn'llde loPm t2040.fa Im d.a,g( <br /> 19 <br />