AFT launches Initiative To Transform Agriculture

Last month, American Farmland Trust launched a new initiative the organization said will transform agriculture. The Farming is Our Future effort looks to reduce the rate of farmland loss by 5%, decrease carbon emissions by 650 million metric tons annually and increase the number of beginning farmers to the highest level reported in 50 years.

Addie Candib, Pacific Northwest Regional Director at AFT, said the farming sector already has the tools needed to protect farm and ranchland, however, "we know we need to be using them at a much larger scale.  We also know that farming currently contributes to the climate crisis, but we know through better practices farming can really be a climate mitigator.  We think with the right support, all farmers and ranchers can overcome barriers to land access and find ways to make a sustainable living on the land.”

Candib added the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how fragile the food and farming systems are, revealing supply chain weaknesses that have been part of a broken systems for too long. She added the pandemic has displayed the true value of the American farmer. Candib noted especially in urban locations, there’s a renewed interest an demand for locally sourced products.

“People start to see ‘I can’t depend on the grocery store, but I can depend on my local farmer.  And it might not be safe for me to go shop in places that I use to shop, but I feel safe getting a box of produce from the farm down the road.’  So, I think there’s a new understanding of local interdependence that’s really important and really essential for the future of our farming system.”

Candib noted while many of their goals sound lofty, she said this is the first step in a 40 year effort. Click Here to learn more about AFT’s Farming is Our Future initiative.

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