The future of agriculture in the Sacramento region (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties) is being shaped by trends in land use, in agricultural markets and in technology. These issues were the theme of the February 14, 2000 forum, “Agriculture in the Sacramento Region,” sponsored by the UC Agricultural Issues Center and the Green Valley Initiative (a coalition of business, agricultural and environmental interests organized to promote open space conservation in the Sacramento region).

In preparation for the conference, AIC research produced a statistical “portrait” of the region’s agriculture. That report, updated as a result of the conference, constitutes Chapters 1-4 of this publication. Chapter 5 takes a different, and less statistical, approach, summarizing the context contributed by speakers at the forum. Those quoted include scientists, economists, resource agency managers and, not least, farmers and ranchers speaking for important sectors of agriculture in the Sacramento region. The information presented in these chapters is useful for any informed discussion of the fate of farmland and open space in the lower Sacramento Valley.

Color Farmland Conversion Maps

These maps show current land use (1998) and land that was recently developed in each of the six Sacramento region counties, and for the region as a whole.  The maps were generated by the California Department of Conservation, Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program

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 Updated 11/9/00