Virginia's Farms are Struggling: New Toolkit Offers a Path Forward
American Farmland Trust's new guide helps communities protect farmland, support farm economies, and plan for growth that sustains agriculture and the environment
(Richmond, VA) American Farmland Trust (AFT) has released a new statewide resource to help Virginia’s communities protect farmland and support a thriving agricultural future. The Planning for Agriculture in Virginia Toolkit is an online collection of guidance materials, fact sheets, success stories, and resources designed to help local leaders, land use planners, the farming community, and advocates strengthen farm viability, guide growth, protect and conserve farmland for future generations.
The stakes are high: Virginia converted more than 340,000 acres of farmland to development between 2001 and 2016. Without new planning approaches, another 800,000 acres could be lost by 2040. AFT’s Toolkit responds to this urgent trend by equipping communities with tools rooted in Virginia law and planning practice, and grounded in real-life examples from across the commonwealth.
Developed with the input of more than 40 stakeholders — including local officials, conservationists, planners, and farmers — the Toolkit covers core topics such as comprehensive planning, farm-focused economic development, and support for conservation districts. The resource is designed to help localities integrate agriculture more fully into planning, policy, and community investment.
“This Toolkit comes at a critical time for Virginia agriculture,” says David Blount, Executive Director of the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions. “Planning decisions made today will determine whether farms remain a vibrant part of our communities tomorrow. This resource offers practical steps any locality can take to support farmers and protect farmland.”
The Toolkit was developed as part of AFT’s Regenerate Virginia initiative and developed with leadership from AFT senior fellow and program advisor Julia Freedgood, a nationally respected expert in planning for agriculture, food systems, and farmland protection. It reflects AFT’s belief that community engagement, foresight, and local policy action are among the most powerful tools communities have to ensure a future for farming.
The Planning for Agriculture in Virginia Toolkit is available now at: farmland.org/va-planning-for-ag.
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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.
