More San Diego farmland will be eligible for an agricultural conservation program under new rules the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved Wednesday.
San Diego has lost much of its farmland over the past decade. Since 2009, about 60,000 acres 20 percent of San Diego County’s agricultural land has been converted to other uses.
The county has tried to stem that decline through the Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement, which is called the PACE program.
It was originally intended to compensate rural land owners for zoning changes to their property under the county’s 2011 General Plan. Participating property owners would receive a one-time payment in return for granting the county easements on their land, ensuring that it remains in agricultural use.