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Joint Sustainability Committee backs food‑policy recommendation to fund agricultural land acquisition and preservation
Summary
The committee unanimously approved a recommendation from the Food Policy Board calling for a revolving loan fund and an organizational mechanism to acquire or place conservation easements on agricultural land and to inventory city‑owned and privately available land for agricultural use.
The Joint Sustainability Committee unanimously adopted a recommendation from the Food Policy Board urging the City of Austin to create funding and a management mechanism to acquire and preserve agricultural land for local food production.
Marissa, a Food Policy Board member, presented the proposal and told the committee that less than 0.6% of the food consumed in Travis County is produced locally and that the region is losing farmland to development. She said the recommendation followed research showing Certificates of Obligation could not be used to buy working agricultural land because of limits on CO use for land with economic development potential. The Food Policy Board asked the committee to recommend a revolving loan fund to purchase agricultural land or conservation easements and to direct staff to study options for a city management mechanism — whether a dedicated office, an assigned staff position, or another structure — to oversee agricultural land acquisition and stewardship.
"Part of this recommendation was also to kind of look into and explore, creating a management mechanism within the city for agricultural land preservation and management efforts," Marissa said, adding language to prioritize regenerative agricultural practices. The committee discussed whether the management role could be housed in an existing department and asked staff to evaluate options.
Marissa moved the recommendation and Charlotte seconded. The chair called the roll and announced the motion was "adopted unanimously." Committee members said the item will feed into budget deliberations and further coordination with departments and land trusts to identify target parcels and potential funding sources.
The committee asked staff to explore management structures and to seek an inventory of city‑owned land suitable for agricultural use as well as privately owned parcels that could be conserved or purchased.
