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to facilitate a residential subdivision . The project site contains Prime Farmland as designated by DOC ' s Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program , and a portion of the project site is subject to a Williamson Act contract . PROJECT CONSIDERATIONS The conversion of agricultural land represents a permanent reduction and impact to California ' s agricultural land resources . The Department generally advises discussion of the following in any environmental review for the loss or conversion of agricultural land : ® Type , amount , and location of farmland conversion resulting directly and indirectly from implementation of the proposed project . ® Impacts on any current and future agricultural operations in the vicinity ; e . g . , land - use conflicts , increases in land values and taxes , loss of agricultural support infrastructure such as processing facilities , etc . • Incremental impacts leading to cumulative impacts on agricultural land . This would include impacts from the proposed project , as well as impacts from past , current , and likely future projects . • Proposed mitigation measures for impacted agricultural lands within the proposed project area . ® The project ' s compatibility with lands within an agricultural preserve and / or enrolled in a Williamson Act contract . WILLIAMSON ACT Where , as here , the project site is located on land subject to a Williamson Act contract , the Department advises that the environmental review discuss the compatibility of the project with the contract and local Williamson Act program requirements . MITIGATING AGRICULTURAL LAND LOSS OR CONVERSION Consistent with CEQA Guidelines , the Department advises that the environmental review address mitigation for the loss or conversion of agricultural land . An agricultural conservation easement is one potential method for mitigating loss or conversion of agricultural land . ( See Cal . Code Regs . , tit . 14 , § 15370 [ mitigation includes " compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources or environments , including through permanent protection of such resources in the form of conservation easements . " ] ; see also King and Gardiner Farms, LLC v . County of Kern ( 2020 ) 45 Cal . App . Sth 814 . ) Mitigation through agricultural conservation easements can take at least two forms : the outright purchase of easements or the donation of mitigation fees to a local , regional , or statewide organization or agency whose purpose includes the acquisition and stewardship of agricultural easements . The conversion of agricultural land may be viewed as an impact of at least regional significance . Hence , the search for replacement lands may not need to be limited strictly to lands within the project ' s surrounding area . A helpful source for regional and statewide agricultural mitigation Page 2 of 3