Ag-to-Urban will reshape Arizona’s agriculture industry, but farmers question if it’s worth it

• Ag-to-Urban went into effect on Sept. 26 after passing this year • Program is expected to save about 7.1 million acre-feet of water over the next 100 years in Phoenix • Some farmers are concerned about how Ag-to-Urban will affect the farming community

A new law aiming to save water through the sale of Arizona’s farmlands to housing developers has marked a new era of urbanization across Arizona — and farmers are beginning to worry.

Having gone into effect on Sept. 26, Ag-to-Urban introduced a new program allowing farmers with “Irrigation grandfathered rights” to trade in their water rights for Groundwater Savings Credits. Those credits can then be traded in for compensation when the land is sold, offering farmers a new path to retirement, and developers a new source of previously un