Forty-three years ago, Phyllis Faber and Ellen Straus—a botanist and a dairy farmer—brought together local ranchers and conservationists to protect family farms from mounting development pressure in Marin County. Their tenacity and foresight resulted in the creation of our organization, the first land trust in the nation focused specifically on protecting farm and ranchland.
They saw the threat of development and brought a community together to address it. Today’s threats look different—economic pressures, climate impacts, generational transitions, and housing access—but our response needs to be just as bold and community-centered.
Our 2025-2030 Strategic Framework builds on their foundation while tackling the interconnected challenges facing Marin’s agricultural community today. As we protect thousands of additional acres of farmland, we’re also ensuring those lands support climate-smart stewardship practices and the next generation of farmers.
The Current Challenges
The agricultural community in Marin faces real, immediate pressures: rising operational costs, limited land access for young farmers, and a housing crisis that makes it nearly impossible to recruit agricultural workers. Climate change is affecting growing conditions and water availability. Meanwhile, as the founding generation of farmers ages, we need clear pathways for the next generation to continue this vital work.
These aren’t abstract policy issues—they’re affecting working farms across Marin right now.
Our Response
MALT protects and stewards agricultural land, working with partners to support the long-term viability of agriculture in Marin through five interconnected approaches:
Support a Healthy Local Food System
Permanently protect farmland and collaborate with partners on policy advocacy, economic development, and expanding access to land and affordable housing for workers—ensuring a thriving, economically viable agricultural community for current and future generations.
Expand Environmental Benefits
Protect, restore, and improve agricultural lands to support healthy soil, clean water, and biodiversity—maintaining Marin as a biodiverse landscape where agriculture and nature thrive together.
Build Climate Resilience
Accelerate climate-smart agricultural practices to support long-term agricultural viability, ecological health, and community well-being—helping farms adapt to changing conditions while contributing to broader climate solutions.
Connect With Community
Create outreach and opportunities to connect community members with farmland and farmers, while understanding diverse agricultural community needs—because this work requires ongoing community commitment and awareness of the public benefits of protecting agricultural land.
Strengthen Our Organization
Position MALT for success and longevity. Take a long-term view in cultivating donors and diversifying funding sources. Foster an organizational culture that attracts strong and inclusive staff and board—investing in the people, partnerships, technology, and processes that support the foundation of our organization.
Read our full Strategic Framework and learn how we’re protecting land forever while evolving to meet today’s challenges.