Farmland Conservation: The Pressing Need to Preserve Working Lands

About the Farmland Conservation Webinar Series: Connecticut is losing farmland at a faster rate than most states in the country. When land trusts work to protect farms within their communities there are some ways that conservation can work contrary to the goal of keeping working lands as working lands. This series can help land trusts understand the role they can play in supporting farmland conservation and experienced farmers, and being an active contributor to our local food system. Webinar #1: Farmland Conservation: The Pressing Need to Preserve Working Lands This session will establish the foundational urgency of protecting our agricultural resource base amidst escalating development pressures. Participants will explore critical data on farmland loss trends both across the United States and within Connecticut’s specific landscape. Speakers will highlight innovative legal tools, such as updating older easement templates to accommodate active, modern agriculture, alongside state-level easement programs and structural support. Ultimately, land trusts will gain a clearer understanding of how to pivot from passive open space preservation to active working land conservation.