Farmland Stewardship

We improve the health of the land for future generations.
In addition to protecting farmland, we partner with Marin County ranchers and farmers to invest in land stewardship. Our goal is to strengthen agricultural operations and enhance the long-term resilience for healthy natural and working lands. 

Land stewardship is essential to the health of our working and natural lands.
Over our long history, we have learned the value of well-targeted stewardship efforts that address both the needs of our community and the health of our local landscapes. Through technical assistance and innovative grant programs, we’re building a legacy of success—a practical approach rooted in on-the-ground understanding. 

We partner with ranchers and farmers in two key ways:

• We make transformative grants.
  Since 1980, we have awarded more than $3 million in grants to help steward the land. These funds have built miles of fences to support sustainable grazing, protected local creeks that wildlife use, been invested in carbon farm practices, created emergency water reserves, and so much more.
• We provide technical assistance.
  We’ve partnered with agriculturalists to help them access government funding, navigate the complexities of generational land transfers, explore options for managing invasive weeds on their properties, and more. Our trained staff serves as a community resource.

By partnering with Marin County’s farming and ranching community in their land stewardship, we help:  

• Protect soil and water quality
• Capture carbon from the atmosphere
• Enhance habitat for wildlife 
• Bolster the land’s resilience to a changing climate 

Learn more about our land protection efforts and grant programs.

Recent Projects