Tule Subbasin
Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing Program

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What is the Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing Program?

The Multi-benefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) is a voluntary program that provides technical and financial support to help repurpose agricultural land in ways that improve groundwater sustainability. It offers resources, data, and analytic tools for Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs), farmers, and landowners willing to transition some or all of their irrigated land to low or no-water-use alternatives.

Launched in 2021 by the California Department of Conservation (DOC), the program funds both projects and planning efforts to convert irrigated farmland into alternative uses.

Primary goals of MLRP:

  1. Generate pilot projects that further learning
  2. Develop plans to reduce groundwater demand beyond the initial scope and funding of the grant

Through MLRP, partner organizations and stakeholders are strengthening relationships and building the capacity to work together on practical — and sometimes innovative — project-based solutions.

While MLRP is one of several efforts to help subbasins achieve groundwater sustainability, it is not a comprehensive solution to all water challenges. The California’s Sustainable Groundwater Future worksheet explains how MLRP relates to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

Why Land Repurposing?

Decades of groundwater overdraft, combined with increasingly frequent and severe droughts, have created a long-term imbalance between water supply and demand in the San Joaquin Valley. Bringing groundwater basins into balance will require a significant portion of irrigated farmland to be retired in the coming decades. Local water agencies are grappling with this challenge as they develop and implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). Under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), these agencies are legally required to bring overdrafted basins into long-term sustainability by 2040 or 2042, depending on the basin. Achieving these goals will require coordinated planning, innovative land-use strategies, and close collaboration among farmers, landowners, and communities.

How Does Land Repurposing Work?

  • Land repurposing is the practice of transitioning irrigated land to new uses that reduce groundwater demand and increase aquifer recharge.
  • Through the MLRP, land repurposing projects provide additional benefits to communities and/or ecosystems. Benefits may include outdoor recreation, economic opportunity, increased water supply, or wildlife habitat.
  • With public funding, growers can be compensated for voluntarily transitioning formerly irrigated farmland to new uses, such as habitat corridors, buffer zones, groundwater recharge basins, or well-managed rangeland. MLRP supports landowners in transitioning land while reducing economic hardships.
  • While ideal MLRP projects generate benefits for growers, communities, and ecosystems, any given MLRP project may create more targeted benefits. The goal is that together, the array of MLRP projects creates benefits for all stakeholders.

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