NORTHAMPTON — The American Farmland Trust in Northampton was awarded close to $274,000 in grants to support farmland protection in various capacities.
The trust, whose New England office is located at 1 Short St., will partner with the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition on these efforts.
The money is part of $1.8 million in funding from the newly-created Massachusetts Farmland Partnership Program to help protect farmland, support farm businesses and keep agricultural land in active use across the state.
Through this program, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources gifted grants to seven regional partnerships made up of nonprofit organizations, municipalities and agricultural groups. The grants will help fund 29 projects designed to slow the loss of farmland, help farmers gain access to land and support farm transfers so agricultural operations can continue from one generation to the next.
“These grants put real resources behind our commitment to protecting Massachusetts farmland,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “We are proud to support Massachusetts in farming heritage and legacy to ensure our farmlands are there for generations to come.”
The awards advance implementation of the state’s Farmland Action Plan, which was released in December 2023 to address the ongoing loss of agricultural land. According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture, Massachusetts lost more than 113,000 acres of farmland between 1997 and 2022.
The $274,000 granted to the American Farmland Trust and Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition will help support the group’s work statewide by increasing the pool of appraisers, surveyors and other contractors that support farmland protection. The money will also help convene learning circles for BIPOC farmers to discuss trusted pathways to access knowledge, markets and other resources, and build a Planning for Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change Program for the state.
AFT Senior New England Program Manager Jamie Pottern told Reminder Publishing that the team at AFT works on a range of issues on the ground across Massachusetts, from farmland protection to technical assistance, climate resilience and policy work.
“American Farmland Trust, in partnership with the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, is pleased to be a recipient on this new grant opportunity,” said Pottern via emailed response. “AFT was the co-author of the Mass. Farmland Plan — released in 2023 — which engages hundreds of farm and food stakeholders around the state. We are grateful to MDAR for providing a new funding opportunity for partners to advance our collective work implementing the goals of the plan.”
Pottern explained that farmers of color, including farmer and AFT staff member Charline Xu, will convene learning circles for BIPOC farmers thanks to this funding.
“Topics will include resource access, solidarity building, and marketing and distribution networks, among others. These events create a space for farmers of color in Massachusetts to share information that is tailored to their specific experience,” said Pottern. “In-person events will be followed by virtual Learning Circles, so that participants can dig into key issues, learn more from each other, identify resources and address their most urgent concerns.”
Furthermore, Pottern explained that AFT will draw from staff expertise, the adaptation tools they’ve already built, and the long-standing relationships established with farmers and other organizations in the state to help build the future Planning for Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change Program.
“Our approach is twofold. First, we will work directly with farmers to develop farm-specific climate adaptation plans that reflect the unique site and operation vulnerabilities. Second, we will convene and train farm advisors across the commonwealth to learn from each other about the current state of climate adaptation and adaptation resources,” explained Pottern. “Adaptation of farm management to the impacts of climate change and associated risks of increasingly severe weather is critical to agricultural sustainability and farm viability, and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns have driven some changes in farm management already.”
Pottern continued, “Our proposed work will strengthen collaboration and resource-sharing within the farm advisory community, provide direct support to farmers for climate adaptation planning and expand resilience-focused opportunities for farmers.”
The funding here and across the state coincides with the release of the state’s Farmland Action Plan 2025 Progress Report, which highlights progress made over the past year, including expanded farmland protection efforts and increased access to farmland transfer and succession planning assistance.
The progress report highlights several achievements in the implementation of the Farmland Action Plan. Three “whole farms” are now permanently protected through the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program. The “whole farms” approach safeguards agricultural land along with the buildings, woodlands, wildlife habitats and essential resources linked to farming.
The Healey-Driscoll administration officially awarded the farmland protection grants in December.
