WASHINGTON FARMLAND TRUST
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Mission Statement
Washington Farmland Trust protects and stewards threatened farmland across the state. We keep land in production by making it accessible to a new generations of farmers.
About This Cause
Local farms are essential to our daily lives. Investing in Washington farmland means healthy food for our children, thriving rural economies, and fertile, productive soil. Simply put: farms make our communities better. Our story began in 1999 in a race to protect 97 acres of fertile farmland in the Dungeness Valley from housing development. In the years since, we’ve helped landowners secure funding for conservation easements to protect their land, conserving more than 3,400 acres of precious farmland and leveraging millions of public and private dollars to directly serve farming communities. In 2008 we launched our Stewardship program to maintain the long-term health and productivity of conserved farms. We’ve supported farmers with sustainable practices, collaborated with more than 40 community partners including tribes, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations. Washington Farmland Trust provides a continuum of support to ensure the viability of our farmlands well into the future through these key areas: • Conservation. The bulk of WFT’s conservation work happens in the Puget Sound region, along the I-5 corridor, in areas of rapid urbanization. We focus on the best prime agricultural soils most pressured by development and industrial conversion. Each year we permanently protect hundreds of acres throughout the state. In addition, we have over 16 farms and more than 2,000 additional acres currently identified in our conservation pipeline. Agricultural conservation easements remove development potential on prime farmlands, ensuring they will never be converted into housing, and make these properties much more affordable for the next generation of farmers. • Stewardship fulfills the long-term caretaking responsibilities of our conserved farmlands. Guided by Land Trust Alliance protocols, we partner with farmers to manage the natural resources of our conserved lands, improve soil health, and invest in water quality improvements. We also engage with our community by inviting volunteers to assist with restoration activities. Our Advancing Farm Sustainability grant program alleviates the financial burden of adopting sustainable land management practices such as water and/or soil quality improvement or conservation, and habitat improvement for native species. Through this work we’ve collaborated with more than 40 community partners including tribes, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations. • Land Access is a critical component in the long-term viability of farming in our state. Preserving farmland is just the first step; we need people who are motivated to be caretakers of the land and implement practices that will counteract climate change. Our Farm to Farmer program provides direct support to farmers looking to buy, sell, or lease land. With the future of farming at risk due to an aging population of farmers who lack succession plans, this program addresses the disconnect in farmland transfer, providing land linking technical assistance to a new generation of farmers. Land is the foundation of our food system. We need your support to sustain a future for farming in Washington before it’s too late. Join us.