San Joaquin Land and Water Strategy

Challenges for Nation’s Leading Food Producing Region

The San Joaquin Valley is the nation’s agricultural powerhouse with more than 300 crops and livestock products. Water scarcity, changing climate conditions, new regulations, and growing populations are just some challenges farmers and ranchers face here. The region is among the state’s fastest growing, with development happening on the highest quality agricultural land. Consider these facts: 

• Only four in 10 acres of the Valley’s agricultural land is determined to be of the highest quality.  

• Only 9% of the Valley’s irrigated farmland is high quality and experiencing low-water stress. 

• As many as 323,000 acres are projected to be converted into low-density urban and rural residential uses by 2050 in the San Joaquin Valley, according to spatial analysis research conducted 2015 to 2018 with AFT and Conservation Biology Institute.  

• An estimated  55% of the Valley’s high-quality farmland has a high risk of development. 

This level of conversion jeopardizes sustainable food production, economic opportunities, public health, biodiversity , and environmental benefits afforded by well-managed farmland and ranchland.  Learn more. 

Implementing Action on the Ground

AFT has a long-term, holistic approach to addressing these large-scale challenges.  AFT has an action plan to stem loss of the most productive, versatile, and resilient agricultural land in the Valley, protect soil, water, fish and wildlife resources, and support a new generation of farmers.

Together with our partners, we are spearheading farmland protection, regenerative agricultural methods, groundwater recharging, and water conservation throughout the region.