American Farmland Trust: Our Work - Local Farms and Food

Healthy farms, Food and communities

At farmers’ markets, restaurants, grocery stores, school cafeterias and communities across America, people are searching for healthy food that’s grown on nearby farms. Meeting this demand will take more farms, more farmers and more farmland growing local food. We're helping build sustainable food and farming systems to make fresh food from local farms a reality for everyone by:

Planning for agriculture and sustainable food systems

Working on the ground for change

Improving food, farm and land use policies

Sustaining farms and farmland for our future

Spreading the No Farms No Food® message

What You Can Do

Join our No Farms No Food® Campaign and help support local farmers

Take the Local Food Pledge and buy locally grown food from nearby farms

Take the Seven Simple Steps to save farmland and support local farms

Send an E-Card and tell your friends to support local farms and food

Get AFT Action Alerts
Sign up today for the Action Network and help support policy efforts for local farm and food systems

Learn About the Issues

Think Globally – Eat Locally
Our San Francisco Foodshed Assessment examines the production and consumption of local food in the nation’s most abundant foodshed.

Sustaining Agriculture in Urbanizing Counties
This study identifies what it takes to create viable agriculture in areas facing substantial development pressures.

Local Food by the Numbers
Get the facts on farms and buying local

Local food and Farm Lingo
A glossery of local food terms that let you talk the talk

Food: a Frequent Flyer (pdf)
Our food is traveling further than ever from farms to our plates—how about 2,200 miles for strawberry yogurt?

Growing Local Across America

The Jones Family Farms near Shelton, Conn., located only 80 miles from the heart of New York City’s Times Square, is an outpost of organic growth in an otherwise suburban landscape. Customers pick their own berries, pumpkins, Christmas trees, or sip artisan wines in the farm’s winery tasting room. Read more

Weiser Farm, California
Southern California farmer Alex Weiser has a close connection with the 50+ Los Angeles area chefs and the hundreds of farmers market customers who buy his fresh produce. Utilizing sustainable farming practices has been a cornerstone for his community-oriented operation. Read more

See More Growing Local Across America