The County of San Diego and the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) invite the public to review and comment on the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC 2.0) Draft Strategic Action Plan. It provides a locally grounded framework to strengthen the long-term economic sustainability of agriculture in San Diego County. Developed with extensive input from the region’s agricultural stakeholders, it is designed as a practical toolkit that local governments, public agencies, and partner organizations can use to strengthen the region’s agricultural economy. It identifies practical strategies and goals to:

• Improve agricultural infrastructure and systems
• Grow consumer awareness and market demand for local products
• Cultivate a supportive policy environment
• Foster regional alignment and agricultural advocacy

Public feedback received during the review period will be reviewed and incorporated into the SALC 2.0 Final Report. Additional information on the SALC 2.0 effort is available online at the SALC 2.0 webpage. 

Review the SALC 2.0 Draft Strategic Action Plan

Notes for viewing or downloading the SALC 2.0 Draft Strategic Action Plan: 

• For optimal viewing, it is recommended that you view the documents on a tablet or computer.
• You can choose to download the documents by clicking on the download icon at the top of the document view window. Downloading is also available on mobile devices by clicking on the three lines at the top right-hand side of the document view window. 

Provide your comments or questions via email to AgConservation@sdcounty.ca.gov. Feedback is due by December 10, 2025. 

Open-House Workshop Wed. Dec. 3rd, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. (In-Person and Virtual)

The County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) is engaging with community to inform an update to the Emergency Operations Plan – a comprehensive guide that details how the region will respond to major emergencies and disasters. During FJCAP engagements, food system stakeholders emphasized the importance of integrating food security considerations into emergency planning.

Food system stakeholders and the community are invited to provide feedback to inform the Emergency Operations Plan update.  

By participating in the update process, you help: 

• Shape emergency response priorities  
• Identify service gaps and access barriers  
• Strengthen coordination across organizations and communities  

Survey Link: Emergency Operations Plan Engagement Survey | Engage San Diego County

The survey will be open until November 21. The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Please share this engagement opportunity with organizations, stakeholders, and partners in your network!

Questions may also be submitted via email to:  Nicholas.Zubel@sdcounty.ca.gov

In December 2022, the San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), in partnership with the County of San Diego’s (County) Planning & Development Services Department, was awarded a $450,000 Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) planning grant as a major extension of the previous SALC grant work. The SALC 2.0 project aims to support existing and emerging farmers through timely market research and, in doing so, curb the premature conversion of agricultural lands. The project will also serve to inform local agencies’ decision-making to further aid, preserve, and maximize the vital contributions – economic, environmental, and public health benefits – that small-scale farms offer the region. You can learn more about this effort and previous engagement on the project website.

The SALC 2.0 Gap Analysis Report analyzes costs and returns for four focal commodities: avocados, lemons, strawberries, and tomatoes. The primary data sources consisted of relevant University of California Davis cost & return studies combined with detailed financial records provided by local producers. Other sources included personal interviews with producers, direct observations made at farms and other locations, and a review of key documents such as water bills, receipts, permits, and other farm records. The results detail costs, revenues, and net returns across various scenarios for each of four focal commodities.

If you’d like to explore alternative scenarios, you are invited to do so using the Agricultural Profitability Assessment Tool (AG-PAT). Produced as part of the SALC 2.0 project and available to public, AG-PAT is a simple Excel-based instrument that allows users to adjust costs for water, labor, and more than a dozen other expenses, as well as yields and prices. The results instantly show how those changes affect profitability (returns per acre) for an individual farm and countywide based on the total acreage of a given crop.

Available for Public Review Now through May 2nd, 2025:

Review the Draft SALC 2.0 Gap Analysis Report