STRATEGIC PLAN SUMMARY
2015-2020
INTRODUCTION
Every minute… America loses an acre of farmland.
Vast swaths of iconic farm and ranch land have been transformed into housing, roads
and sprawling development. As the world population advances toward eight billion
people, the competition for land is increasing exponentially.
America’s soils, among the most fertile in the world, face serious and growing threats.
Extreme weather, loss of nutrients and some farming practices threaten soil health,
wildlife habitat and the quality of water and watersheds across the country.
America is also losing farmers. As the nation’s farmers and ranchers get older
and retire, they face difficulties in transferring their land to the next generation.
And beginning farmers struggle to gain access to land—often because they
cannot find or afford it.
The urgency of these issues is what motivates American Farmland Trust every day.
Founded in 1980 by a group of farmers and conservationists, including farmer and
philanthropist Peggy Rockefeller, conservationist Patrick Noonan, and farm leaders like
Frederic Winthrop, AFT is the only national voice for farmland protection.
In the last 35 years, we’ve helped to protect over five million acres of farmland. We’ve
permanently protected some of the most valuable and most threatened farmland in the
United States, reduced the conversion of countless other acres, and helped many local
organizations in their efforts. We’re tapping into agriculture’s potential as a source of
environmental solutions and innovation, and we’re expanding economic opportunities
and access to markets for farmers and ranchers.
New challenges face American Farmland Trust as we plan for the next five years and our
40th anniversary in 2020.
This summary of our five-year strategic plan reflects AFT’s ongoing national leadership
role to ensure we are –Saving the Land that Sustains Us—far into the future.
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ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
Mission
Protect farmland, promote sound farming practices, and keep farmers on the land.
2050 Vision
Through the work of American Farmland Trust, the nation has secured the
agricultural land base needed to provide food security for all Americans. Our
farmers and ranchers prosper while enhancing the environmental quality of our
soil and water resources. And American family farms continue to be an integral
part of their communities, meeting the needs of current generations and providing
opportunities for future generations to care for the land.
Programs
To fulfill AFT’s mission and to Save the Land That Sustains Us, AFT pursues the work of
our three core programs in target places across the country:
 Farmland Protection
 Sound Farming Practices
 Farmers on the Land
Activities
Within the AFT program areas, there are four crosscutting activities that comprise our
work and leadership role. These four activities encompass most of AFT’s work in the
field:
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Research
Technical Assistance/Outreach
Policy
Demonstration Projects
No Farms No Food®:
The No Farms No Food® and Saving the Land That Sustains Us taglines are the
foundation of the AFT brand and have broad public awareness and appeal across the
country. Both resonate with the public and multiple target audiences, including farmers.
Footprint
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AFT is headquartered in Washington D.C. Our six regional offices cover some of the
most threatened agricultural areas as well as some of the most threatened watersheds
in the country, including:
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California (Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley, Central California Coastal Valleys,
Imperial Valley)
Mid-Atlantic (Northern Piedmont, Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain and Chesapeake
Bay watershed)
Pacific Northwest (Willamette and Puget Sound Valleys, Columbia Basin and
Puget Sound watershed)
New England and New York (New England and Eastern New York Upland, Ontario
Plain and Finger Lakes, Long Island-Cape Cod Coastal Lowland, Connecticut
Valley and Long Island watershed)
Midwest (Ohio River Basin and Upper Mississippi River Basin watersheds)
2020 OVERARCHING GOALS
Over the next five years, AFT will work to achieve the following:
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Increase permanent protection of the most valuable and most threatened
farmland in the U.S., and decrease conversion of farmland to other uses;
Improve soil health and reduce nutrient runoff on farms;
Transition agriculture into a source of environmental solutions and innovation;
Ensure land remains in farming as it transitions to the next generation and
improve access to land for new farmers;
Expand economic opportunities and access to markets for farmers and
ranchers—especially those threatened by development pressure.
PROGRAM GOALS
AFT is recognized for convening diverse interests and ensuring agriculture has a seat at
the table in addressing some of the nation’s most difficult farmland protection
challenges. Our holistic approach to saving farmland addresses multiple issues and
provides access to valuable data, tools and resources to keep pace with the rapid
changes facing agriculture. Through our programs we demonstrate innovative solutions
to urgent issues across the country. In places where AFT has a robust field presence, we
work to:
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Demonstrate successful models that can be replicated;
Enact state-level policies and establish programs to protect farmland;
Provide targeted technical assistance in response to requests;
Leverage our work and lessons learned to improve federal policy; and
Establish goals and metrics to measure progress.
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FARMLAND PROTECTION
As AFT renews its focus on farmland protection, it must do so in the context of serious
environmental constraints, eroding soils, declining aquifers, exponential population
growth and increased local and global demand for food. Agriculture is no longer a
strictly rural enterprise, and urbanization will continue to impact agricultural land use
and food production in the 21st Century.
Since 1982, the U.S. has developed more than 41 million acres of rural land—one out of
every three acres ever developed in this country. More of this development took place
on cropland than on other soils, including about 14 million acres of prime farmland.
Furthermore, much of it also took place in the urban-edge locations that support much
of U.S. food production: 91 percent of the market value of fruits, 78 percent of
vegetables, 67 percent of dairy, and 54 percent of poultry and eggs.
Farmland also is at risk because many people are unaware of the consequences of its
loss and are unconcerned with food security. Succeeding in farmland protection will
take more people and partners; new and improved policies and funding in more
critically important and strategic places; and better capacity and expanded knowledge.
2020 Goals:
Farmland Protection
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Complete the State of America’s Farmland and State Policy Scorecard;
Reestablish farmland protection as a national priority;
Maintain AFT as a national leader in farmland protection policy at all levels of
government;
Maintain AFT as the go-to source of credible information on farmland
protection;
Increase the effectiveness of land trusts in agriculture.
SOUND FARMING PRACTICES
A strong and growing niche for AFT is our work at the intersection of agriculture and the
environment. By working with farmers to implement environmentally sound farming
practices, we help them improve soil health, protect water quality and adapt to weather
variability. Conservation practices also help farmers reduce risks to farm operations,
increase productivity, improve resiliency, and become more economically viable.
Stewardship of our agricultural resources can improve the long-term productivity of
farmland, create more resilient landscapes and provide numerous environmental
benefits like clean water, wildlife habitat, improved air quality, carbon sequestration,
and greenhouse gas reduction. AFT seeks to increase the use of practices that conserve
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and enhance soil health, improve water quality by reducing nutrient runoff, and address
a changing climate.
AFT believes economic incentives such as cost sharing, technical assistance, and
environmental markets are the most effective means for getting farmers and ranchers
to adopt new practices on a landscape scale. A regulatory framework could help ensure
a base level of performance and a fair playing field while driving markets, but it will take
a long time to achieve the needed consensus.
2020 Goals:
Sound Farming Practices
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Increase federal Farm Bill conservation funding;
Restore funds for soil health to 2008 levels;
Reduce nutrient runoff to 2008 levels in important places via Regional
Conservation Partnership Program;
Complete demonstration projects that reduce nutrients and increase soil health
in target watershed demonstrations (Bay Delta, Puget Sound, Upper Mississippi,
Ohio River Basin, Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, and western New York);
Launch a robust, model water quality trading market in the Ohio River Basin;
Increase adoption of conservation practices by women and absentee
landowners;
Engage agriculture to find common ground on regulations.
FARMERS ON THE LAND
AFT has established a strong level of trust with farmers through our ability to recognize
and address their unique needs. To save the land that sustains us, farmers and ranchers
must be able to earn a living from the land. They must have access to land in order to
enter agriculture and expand their operations. Local, state and federal policies must also
be in place to support a thriving agricultural sector, especially in areas experiencing
rapid growth and development where there is the greatest competition for land.
With as much as a third of U.S. farmland likely to change hands in the next 10 years, it is
increasingly important for landowners to plan for the transition of their land and
businesses to the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Finding and affording land to
rent or to buy is a significant challenge facing beginners due to competition from
development and established farmers.
With the right planning and public investment, the places where farmland is most
vulnerable to development can also provide good market opportunities for family
farmers and ranchers to take advantage of the growing demand for local and
sustainably produced food.
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2020 Goals:
Farmers on the Land
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Ensure planning practices include planning for agriculture and food systems;
Build capacity and a network of planners, local officials and stakeholder partners
in 20 communities to support farmers and agricultural viability in local planning,
policy development and public investment;
Become the national leader on farm succession/estate planning and improve
access to land for next generation farmers and ranchers;
Help family farmers “on the edge” meet demand for sustainable, regionally
produced products;
Increase the capacity of 1,000 farmland advisors;
Deliver graduate-level planning curriculum in 10 universities that includes
agriculture and agricultural land use.
PARTNERS
A key component of AFT’s approach involves partnering with national, regional and local
organizations to leverage more outcomes and secure greater funding. In virtually every
project, AFT uses a customized set of partners to create a more effective team. Key
partners include:
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USDA; Natural Resources Conservation Service and its local offices
National Association of Conservation Districts and its county district offices
Land Trust Alliance and many local and regional land trusts
Institutions such as agricultural groups, universities, local governments,
sustainable agriculture groups, environmental groups, and many others
STRATEGIC ISSUES
During the extensive strategic planning process, American Farmland Trust staff and
Board of directors identified several important strategic issues. AFT will conduct
additional analysis and development in the following areas:
 Place-Based Approach
AFT operates across the country in areas that include the most valuable and most
threatened agricultural landscapes. These locations were targeted based on AFT’s 2002
Farming on the Edge analysis of high-quality farmland in the path of development.
Currently, AFT’s six regional offices cover 11 of the 20 most threatened agricultural
areas based on that analysis.
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AFT will continue to identify the most valuable and threatened places through research
and mapping. We will explore a targeted place-based campaign that includes an
assessment of:
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Geographic focus – including political boundaries, important agricultural
landscapes defined by agronomic factors, Major Land Resource Areas,
charismatic valleys, watersheds, foodsheds, etc.;
Special places – considering the popular conceptions of local places and places
communities care about;
Communications and metrics – developing a communications strategy and
possible national campaign with measurable goals and metrics.
 Climate Change and Agriculture
As stewards of the land, farmers understand the effects of a changing climate as well as
most. AFT’s strong relationship with farmers can provide a valuable niche in addressing
climate issues and the role of agriculture in climate mitigation.
Sound farming practices can both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve soil
health and productivity. These practices can also help farms become more resistant to
extreme weather, such as droughts and flooding, while increasing a farm’s bottom line.
Some of the areas AFT will explore in this area include:
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Helping farms reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build healthy, carbon-rich
soils and more resilient food production systems
Exploring environmental markets such as water quality trading and carbon
markets
Working with farmers on nutrient management, control of soil runoff and soil
sediment and nutrient trapping
 Food Systems
The productivity and diversity of American agriculture is important for ensuring our
nation’s communities and world markets have access to food. While America has
become more dependent on food imports, there is an increased demand for healthy,
locally grown produce. And, in addition to our challenges at home, the global population
is expected to rise to nine billion by 2050, creating even more demand.
Expanding regional food systems will contribute to American food security, improve
farm viability and significantly increase local food production capacity in regions across
the country. In this area, AFT will explore:
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Advancing systemic solutions to growing local food systems through initiatives
that bring together partners across the farmscape.
Promoting public and private investment in food system infrastructure, including
areas such as processing, storage, transportation and jobs.
Promoting farm to institution, farmers markets, and other initiatives to build
connections between producers and markets.
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