tools to Keep the land and water healthyWhile protecting farm income

AFT is working on-the-ground and on Capitol Hill to implement policies and programs that work for farmers while protecting our natural resources.

Our innovative solutions encourage farmers to use best management practices (BMPs) for nutrients, tillage and pest control. By modifying risk insurance into a user friendly product, targeting small grants to increase the use of BMPs and using our experiences to improve conservation approaches in the 2008 Farm Bill,  AFT's tools protect the environment and are designed around the needs of the farmer. 

AFT's BMP Challenge

AFT's innovative solution, the BMP Challenge, allows farmers to reduce fertilizer use and utilize reduced tillage practices without risking a loss of income. Participating farmers can test BMPs that have been developed to save money and maintain optimal yields while helping to protect our water and soil

Expanding the Use of Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a wholly integrated approach to safely and effectively controlling insects, weeds and plant diseases. It is one of the most widely used approaches in the toolbox of best management practices that farmers can draw from to improve the environment.

Since 1997, AFT has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, managing small grants programs that have helped 9,000 farmers on over 657,000 acres adopt Integrated Pest Management techniques. The success is spreading to neighboring farms, and these new IPM tools have the potential of reaching an additional 58,000 farmers on 10.6 million acres

Strengthened Conservation Policies in the 2008 Farm Bill

American Farmland Trust worked for over 3 years to develop and pass policy solutions in the 2008 Farm Bill that work for farmers and ranchers to improve and protect our natural resources. Working with our agriculture partners, we secured innovative new policies that will allow farmers and communities to work together to solve local environmental challenges. The Funding targets for conservation increased by over $4 billion, and now we're working to make sure the policies passed in the farm bill are fully funded and correctly applied.