No Farms, No Food

This inside story of the American Farmland Trust shows how the powerful coalition between environmentalists and farmers was built.

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America’s farms are key to the preservation of vital ecosystems and a stable climate. Yet farmers and environmentalists have not always seen eye-to-eye about the best ways to manage agricultural landscapes. Since 1980, American Farmland Trust (AFT) has been bringing people together to work for healthy land and a healthy food system.

No Farms, No Food traces the development of this powerful coalition, responsible for landmark achievements in farmland preservation. It all began with Peggy Rockefeller’s determination to stop the inexorable urban sprawl that was threatening the nation’s agriculture. From this humble start grew a small but astute organisation, and more importantly, a formidable constituency of farmers and environmentalists united around a common cause.

With leadership from AFT, that constituency drove through Congress the first “Conservation Title” in the history of the U.S. Farm Bill; oversaw the development of agriculture conservation easement programmes throughout the country; and continues to develop innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture.

No Farms, No Food takes readers inside the political and policy battles that determine the fate of America’s farmland and it illustrates the tactics needed to unify fractured interest groups for the common good. No Farms, No Food is both an inspiring history of agricultural conservation, and a practical guide to creating an effective advocacy organisation. This is an essential read for everyone who cares about the future of our food, farms, and environment.