It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this division, to do all of the following:
(a) Encourage voluntary, long-term private stewardship of agricultural lands by offering landowners financial incentives.
(b) Protect farming and ranching operations in agricultural areas from nonfarm or nonranch land uses that may hinder and curtail farming or ranching operations.
(c) Encourage long-term conservation of productive agricultural lands in order to protect the agricultural economy of rural communities, as well as that of the state, for future generations of Californians.
(d) Encourage local land use planning for orderly and efficient urban growth and conservation of agricultural land.
(e) Encourage local land use planning decisions that are consistent with the state’s policies with regard to agricultural land conservation.
(f) Encourage improvements to enhance long-term sustainable agricultural uses.
(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 931, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.)