MALT Launches New Strategic Framework

September 26, 2025

Marin County ranchlands - strategic framework.

Two years ago, we shared MALT’s strategic pillars with you. Today, we want to talk about what comes next: our new strategic framework

As MALT’s leadership team, we’ve committed to understanding the evolving challenges facing Marin’s agricultural community. Over the past few years, we’ve had extensive conversations with farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, donors, staff, board members, and community partners.

What emerged were clear, consistent themes that have helped shape our new strategic framework which we’re excited to share with you.

What We’ve Learned from our Community

Land Protection is Still the Starting Point
Land permanently protected for agricultural use is the foundation of the future of agriculture.

Investing in Stewardship is Positively Transforming the Landscape
Consistent investment in land stewardship strengthens agricultural operations, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience.

Economic Pressures are Intensifying
Agricultural operations across the region are struggling with rising costs, insurance increases, and labor shortages that threaten long-term viability.

Family Farm Succession is at Risk
Many family farming operations face significant barriers in passing their businesses to the next generation, primarily due to operating costs and startup expenses that exceed realistic earning potential.

The Housing Crisis Affects Everyone
Agricultural employers consistently report difficulty recruiting and retaining workers because there’s simply nowhere affordable for them to live within commuting distance, and agricultural community members often have limited or no other choices but substandard housing conditions.

Land Access Remains Limited
Young people interested in farming face substantial barriers to getting started, with land access and startup costs being the most significant obstacle.

One dairy farmer summed it up: “We’ve got the land protected now, but my kids can’t afford to take over the operation.” These challenges aren’t abstract policy issues—they’re affecting real farms and real families across Marin today.

As a result of protecting and stewarding nearly 59,000 over the past 45 years—more than half of Marin’s privately owned productive agricultural land—we’ve built a strong foundation. Our strategic framework addresses how to ensure that foundation supports a viable local agricultural economy for the next generation and beyond.

Explore our new strategic framework addressing the evolving challenges facing Marin’s agricultural community.

Our New Strategic Framework for 2025-2030

That’s why I’m excited to share MALT’s Strategic Framework for 2025-2030. This framework builds directly on those strategic pillars from 2023, but it goes deeper into the “how” of protecting agriculture for the future.

We’re Committed to Protecting Agricultural Land Forever
Because MALT is a land trust, permanent conservation of agricultural land is the foundation of our work. Our goal over the next five years is to protect high priority farmland both through conservation easements and new models of land protection.

We’re Deepening our Land Stewardship
Protecting land from development was always the beginning, not the end goal. Over the next five years, we’re focusing on making strategic stewardship investments to ensure those protected lands support economically viable agriculture, healthy soils and water, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience.

We’re Planning for Climate Resilience
The farms and ranches we’ve protected aren’t simply preserving open space—they’re actively fighting climate change through carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, and sustainable land management. Our new framework accelerates these climate-smart practices across our network.

We’re Leveraging the Power of Partnerships
When our founders Phyllis Faber and Ellen Straus brought together ranchers and conservationists 45 years ago, they understood that protecting agriculture requires a community working together. While our superpower is protecting land, we can lean into partnerships focused on addressing the housing challenges facing our agricultural workforce, providing pathways for land access for the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and advancing policies to support the future of agriculture.

What This Means in Practice

Over the next five years, you’ll see us taking bold new steps:

Creating innovative stewardship models that address barriers to long-term farm viability, including workforce stability and next-generation farmer retention.

Expanding our stewardship programs to help more farmers and ranchers implement practices that benefit both their operations and the environment.

Leveraging strategic partnerships to address the housing crisis and create pathways for agricultural land access that haven’t existed before. Strengthening our advocacy for policies that support both land protection and agricultural viability.

Why This Evolution Matters

We often think about what Phyllis and Ellen would say about where we are today. We believe they’d be proud of the land we’ve protected, but I also think they’d be encouraging us to evolve.

They saw the threat of development and brought a community together to address it. Today, we see similar threats and new and emerging ones—economic pressures, generational transitions, climate impacts, and access to land and housing. Our response needs to be just as bold and community-centered as theirs was.

The agricultural lands we’ve protected don’t exist in isolation. They’re part of living communities where real people work, live, and build their futures. Working alongside our partners and supporters like you, our job is to ensure those communities can thrive—both now and in the future.

Looking Ahead Together

This Strategic Framework represents thousands of hours of community input, strategic thinking, and careful planning. But ultimately, it’s a roadmap for continuing the work that brought us all together in the first place—ensuring that Marin’s agricultural landscape also supports environmental health and a thriving community.

We’re excited about what we can build together. The foundation is strong—now let’s see what we can create on top of it.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us.