American Farmland Trust’s mission is to save the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on the land

We pursue our mission strategically, through multiple paths:

  • Our national programs target critical lever points where AFT is poised to make a real impact.
  • Our state and regional programming keeps us grounded in agriculture’s realities, while allowing us to test new concepts and replicable models.
  • Our work as the only agricultural land trust with a national scope enables us to take on projects that other groups cannot.
  • Our Farm Legacy program enables farmers and ranchers to donate properties that they know will be stewarded wisely.
  • Our leadership of the National Agricultural Land Network provides critical services to states and other land trusts.
  • Our researchers maintain the nation’s best land-cover data, evaluate conservation outcomes, and study farmer demographics.
  • Our Farmland Information Center maintains the preeminent database of the conservation agriculture movement and provides technical assistance not found elsewhere.
  • Our historically strong policy work advances federal and state-based initiatives that are essential for our future.

 

Nathan L’Etoile of AFT participates in a press conference held by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree at Maine’s Bumbleroot Farm on April 18, 2019. Credit: Matthew Whalen Photography

We do this work in service to our nation’s farmers and ranchers, often partnering with other farm groups, conservation groups, or academic institutions.

We understand the land, the science, and most importantly, the people.

We are trusted by both farmers and environmentalists. We have traditionally served as a convener and go-between, because we know both agriculture and the environment.

We bring solid research and objective information to policy discussions. In so doing, we have earned the respect of policymakers of all political stripes.