The challenge
Lake County’s agricultural sector — defined by small, family-owned farms producing winegrapes, pears, walnuts, and livestock — is under pressure from wildfire, drought, market volatility, aging farm populations, and limited market infrastructure. With a poverty rate of 17% and fewer than 600 farms, the county lacks the data needed to drive effective conservation policy or attract targeted investment.
Our approach
Funded through California’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program, Leafbird leads a three-component initiative to build the evidence base Lake County agriculture needs. Working with community voices at the center, we are conducting a rigorous bilingual farmer survey, a multi-method economic analysis, and developing an open-source GIS mapping tool — giving LCRCD and its partners a clear picture of who is farming, under what conditions, and where investment will have the most impact.
Key deliverables
- Bilingual farmer survey — Design, translation, and distribution in English and Spanish, capturing producer priorities, barriers, and conservation interest across Lake County.
- Agricultural economic analysis — Multi-method assessment of sector health, incentive program participation, and pathways to resilience.
- Interactive web GIS mapping tool — Open-source, stakeholder-informed tool for identifying and prioritizing farmland parcels for conservation and grant targeting.
Client
Lake County Resource Conservation District
Funder
California Department of Conservation
Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program
Project period
May 2026 – July 2028
Status
Active
Leafbird role
Project Lead · GIS and Mapping Lead
Project partners
Dr. Meredith T. Niles
MTN Consulting / Brown University
Survey Design & Economic Analysis
Jovanni Tricerri
Ría Strategies
Facilitation & Community Engagement
Douglas Wang
Independent
Web GIS Application Development
Dr. Luis A. Rodríguez Cruz
Independent
Spanish-Language Engagement
Leafbird services
- Survey design
- Stakeholder facilitation
- Economic analysis
- GIS mapping
- Community engagement
- Grant management
