Environmentalism and farming have an interesting relationship. Without a healthy environment, productive farming is nearly impossible; however, farming done wrong can be even worse for ecosystems than a smoke-spewing, toxic waste dumping factory. American Farmland Trust is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC that works with communities and individuals to “to protect the best land, plan for growth with agriculture in mind and keep the land healthy.” As America forgets how reliant it is on farmland for our food, more and more farms are being developed and losing their food producing capacity. American Farmland Trust was founded in 1980, and since then they’ve saved “millions of acres of farmland from development and led the way for establishing sound environmental practices on millions more.”

In the Farmland We Trust

American Farmland has a simple slogan: “No farms, no food.” It’s easy to forget where your food comes from when it comes so nicely packaged at the supermarket. The problem is that building another supermarket or housing development isn’t going to produce more food, and it might take away from our food production capacity if it’s built on existing farmland. American Farmland Trust acts as a “vital link among farmers, conservationists and policy-makers,” so that we don’t end up relying on other nations for our food like we do for oil. Below you’ll find a short video introduction to American Farmland Trust:

If you love our farmland and want to be a part of ensuring that it’s still around when you have kids, then you should check out jobs at American Farmland Trust. Right now they’re looking for a Development Associate at their Washington, DC office, and it seems like a perfect opportunity for a new or recent grad. American Farmland Trust also has offices in Northampton, MA; Dekalb, IL; Sutter, CA; Windsor, CT; Saratoga Springs, NY; and Seattle, WA; but no jobs listed at any of them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• Farmland.org
• Jobs at American Farmland Trust
• About American Farmland Trust
• American Farmland Trust’s Mission and History
• Staff at American Farmland Trust
• American Farmland Trust’s Annual Reports
• American Farmland Trust News

Do you know where your food comes from?

We've identified American Farmland Trust as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• advocacy
• agriculture
• all employers
• California
• Connecticut
• conservation
• development
• green
• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• New York
• non-profit
• Washington
• Washington DC

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