By David Haight
Like America’s farmers and ranchers, American Farmland Trust (AFT) is adapting in a new era. In just the past 5 years, AFT’s staff has grown by nearly 130% with many of these new additions on our program teams. This growth was intended to enable AFT to better advance our mission and serve America’s farmers and ranchers.
During this time, AFT has launched or significantly expanded national programs, including the National Agricultural Land Network, Farms for a New Generation, Climate and Soil Health, Farmer and Rancher Services, and Smart Solar. At the same time, we’ve broadened our research capacity, building on our Farms Under Threat work to integrate land-use analyses and sociology into a more comprehensive research agenda that brings new data and information to answer key questions in conservation agriculture. In addition, AFT has expanded our on-the-ground reach last year to direct work with farmers and ranchers, landowners, and other professionals in 40 states.
Our regional programs have expanded in number and impact, with new programs in the Southeast and Texas, and deeper engagement with farmers and ranchers in activities spanning all parts of AFT’s mission in New England, New York & New Jersey, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, and California. In the last year alone, AFT national and regional programs trained and educated more than 14,000 farmers, ranchers, and landowners, while building the capacity of 5,300 professionals to support producers and agricultural communities. These efforts have led to more farms being permanently protected, increased adoption of regenerative practices, and stronger farm viability and resilience.
In response to this growth and to better serve our mission, we’re evolving our organizational structure. This fall, we have introduced a new cohort of Managing Directors who will help lead our program divisions and foster collaboration across programs. These leaders will manage their current AFT program division while supervising and supporting at least one other division, a structure designed to enhance staff support, collaboration, and innovation.
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