American Farmland Trust: Our Work - Local Farms and Food

Food Resources in Your Own Backyard

As excessive development strips farmland from local communities, many parts of America are becoming more dependent on food that travels from thousands of miles away and, perhaps, from countries with less stringent environmental and safety regulations.

AFT is working to protect farmland to ensure that consumers always have access to locally grown food through farmers' markets and other sources for fresh foods.

Eating locally grown foods has many benefits for the individual and the community. Not only does it help sustain the land and conserve energy by cutting down on transportation costs, but it also provides families with fresh alternatives to processed foods.

Finding locally grown food is easier than you think. To get started, we’ve provided some helpful links for locating local farmers’ markets and finding restaurants that use locally grown products. Learn more about other popular programs that deliver locally grown food to the doorsteps of schools, hospitals and workplaces as well.

Get started today. Buy local: help sustain the land that feeds us.

Farmers' Markets Search the Local Harvest site to find markets, family farms and other locally grown food in your area	Community Supported Agriculture Learn more at the USDA site about how you can support farmers by buying fresh produce from local farms
Going Local Search the Chef's Collaborative site to find neighborhood chefs using locally grown food in their restaurants	Farms to Schools Discover how schools use locally grown food in their cafeterias
Farms to Institutions Learn how one physician and hospital system brought locally grown food to the company cafeteria and helped spark a movement	Farms to Supermarkets See how farmers are bringing fresh produce to local grocery stores, food co-ops and supermarkets

Taking it Local

American Farmland Trust is working around the nation to reconnect farms and local communities. From New Jersey to California, forward-thinking officials in cities, counties and states are creating innovative new programs to assist farmers by launching buy-local education campaigns and opening up new market opportunities for farmers. To learn more about these pioneering programs, click here.